When you think of a casino, the first things that come to mind are probably neon-lit slots and luxury poker rooms. However, there’s another crucial part of physical and live casinos – the croupier. Without a croupier, games would fail to run smoothly, and many may not run at all. So, what is a casino croupier? In this article, we explore exactly that.
What is a croupier?
So, what is the croupier definition? A croupier or dealer works in a casino. They are in charge of the gaming table, responsible for gathering in and paying out tokens or money. The croupier plays a neutral role during the game, making sure that everything is fair, and that people follow the rules. Without a croupier, there’s no doubt that the gameplay would be less smooth, and players would run into problems and potential arguments.
As well as enforcing the rules, the casino or dealer makes sure that as a player, you are enjoying the game to the fullest. Another essential role of game dealers is to take care of the chips, tokens or money. Whenever you place a bet, the casino croupier gathers the cash and puts it to one side. If you win the bet, he is then responsible for paying it back out.
How to become a casino croupier
Interested in becoming a casino croupier? You’re not alone. For many people, the croupier profession sounds like a dream. Getting to spend all your time in the casino, wearing a luxury suit, and playing an essential role in the top casino games – what could be better? While all those things are true, being a casino croupier also has its downsides. Like most jobs, the novelty can start to wear off after a while, so it’s important to weigh up the pros and cons before committing to a new career. However, if you’re still interested in a casino dealer job, you can certainly make your dream a reality.
Making money
So, how do you make money as a casino croupier? For most game dealers, tips play a large part of their salary. In the gambling world, it’s common practice to tip the dealer when you win. Of course, this rule isn’t set in stone, so it’s up to the gambler if and how much they tip you. In luxury casinos, game dealers will often respond to a tip with the French sentence ‘merci pour les employés’, which means ‘thank you on behalf of the staff’.
Croupier training
Wondering how to become a croupier at a casino? First things first, you’ll need to conduct croupier training. The training courses at casinos differ slightly from one another, but the basic idea is the same. Essentially, you’ll learn the role and responsibility of a casino croupier and learn exactly how to fulfill it. Of course, the nature of the training will depend on whether you’re training for a croupier casino online or a brick and mortar establishment. One of the most popular casinos for croupier training is Holland Casino is the Netherlands. Here, you can follow an internal training course of 3 months for the games Blackjack and Roulette. Once you are proficient at these games, you can branch out into more complex games such as Poker. As a general rule, you need to work as a casino croupier for around 3 years before expanding your knowledge.
If 3 months sounds like too long, you can find shorter courses that take as little as 1 month. However, remember that the training will be quite intensive with the shorter courses, as you’re learning the same skills in less than half the time. During your training course, you will be busy in the casino for at least 8 hours per day. Not only will you learn the rules and procedures, but you’ll also discover your individual role as a dealer and the attitude you should have. This is known as the ‘hospitality’ part of the profession. As the host, you need to make sure that each player has a lovely evening and enjoys the game to its fullest. As well as running the game, you can also answer questions from players and give tips when suitable.
Roulette croupier
Like all types of training, casino croupier training starts with the basics. You’ll begin by learning to slide the chips, count and cut, and payout at the end. At the end of your basic training course, you should be able to host both Blackjack and Roulette tables. So, what does a Roulette croupier do? In this game, the croupier turns the wheel with the cylinder, making sure that it’s turned smoothly and skilfully. You must be careful not to distract players and try to appear in the background, rather than taking over the game. Game dealers play a central but discrete role in Roulette, so that’s something to keep in mind.
Blackjack croupier
In a game of Blackjack, the casino croupier is a little more hands-on. As the dealer, you need to draw cards for yourself up to the number sixteen. You must stop when the total reaches 17 or higher. In addition to dealing the cards, the croupier must accept money and pay out chips at the end of each game. Instead of taking money directly from a gambler’s hand, you must wait for the money to hit the table and then exchange it for chips when the player nods.
Live croupier
Professional croupiers are no longer limited to brick and mortar casinos. Today, game dealers can also work at live casinos and run live lightning roulette through a virtual connection. At a live casino, you’ll be working from a set gaming space with cameras that stream the game online. One of the differences between working online and offline is that a croupier working in a live online casino is more independent. Instead of being surrounded by physical players and other casino workers, contact is made via a chat box. While the players can see you, you can’t see them, so the job can feel a lot less social. Depending on your personality and preferences, this can either be a good thing or a bad thing. To decide which casino croupier job is best for you, consider what you want from your career and go from there.