So dealers can only increase their income by being the most accommodating and friendly ambassadors of the casino they can be. At some casinos, all tips given to dealers are pooled together and split evenly by hours worked (a pool joint). At other casinos, each dealer keeps the tips they make (go for your own joint). Live dealer casinos online have become extremely popular among online gamers, which is hardly surprising considering that players all around the globe are constantly scouring the web searching for the best gaming experience. Live dealer tables provide an unparalleled excitement and as such they now occupy the centre stage in many an online casino.
You like to play Blackjack and wonder what it feels like to be on the other side of the table? Well, the good news is that anyone can become a Blackjack dealer with enough practice. Ok, maybe not anyone, but the truth is that many people around the world today work as dealers or croupiers at land-based casinos or studios and you can be one of them too. In this article, we will discuss what it takes to be a Blackjack dealer and if that should be your next gig.
Blackjack Dealer Personal Traits
When you first start out, you may very well make minimum wage; in other casinos, the starting salary might begin at $7 or $8 an hour, rising to $10 or more as you gain experience. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average base pay for a casino dealer is a paltry $14,700 a year. But you and I both know.
Let’s start with the basics. If you want to become a Blackjack dealer, you have to know to count up to 21, right? Yet, some personal traits will help you be a great dealer. First of all, you have to have a pleasant personality. No one wants an unfriendly person who acts like a robot. To be successful as a dealer, you should smile even if unpleasant persons sit at your table. That’s right, you have to learn to deal with all kinds of players. That means that you also have to cope with those who are rude and learn to stay calm and polite. It is all about psychology, so you have to master these skills.
Being a dealer also requires a great physical condition. We don’t talk about strength to move heavy stuff, but you need to be in condition to spend eight hours or even more standing and dealing cards. Besides, smoking is allowed in most casinos and you may spend your working hours in a room full of cigarette smoke. Another ability you need is manual dexterity to shuffle and deal cards. It is a matter of practice, but some people are just not that good at doing things with their hands.
One of the casinos offering dealer training describes an ideal candidate as an energetic individual that is also personable, professional and possesses an outgoing personality. In addition, they must have effective communication skills, must be able to obtain and maintain a license and to pass a hair sample drug test and background check.
Blackjack Dealer Education
One can attend Blackjack dealer training online or at land-based casinos. To learn about opportunities, visit dedicated websites that post open job positions. You can find multiple opportunities to get trained for free at a casino that wants to hire a Blackjack dealer. Another option is to pay training and look for open positions yourself. Blackjack dealer training can take from 4 to 14 weeks, depending on the programme it is based on. The price of training varies depending on the programme and the best option for you is to find a casino that provides candidates with a free course. In case you don’t have an opportunity to join such a course in your neighbourhood, try to find an online course you can complete remotely.
Why Become a Blackjack Dealer?
One of the main reasons why one should become a Blackjack dealer is that this profession provides you with multiple opportunities to land a job and you can get trained to do it relatively quickly. You don’t have to attend schools that take years until you get a degree. Training is fast-paced and completed within up to three months. Once you have completed the needed training, you can work as a Blackjack dealer full-time or it can be your side gig.
If you like Blackjack, this may be your dream job. Not only that you will work in a fun environment, but at the same time you can earn a nice salary. Depending on the part of the world you live in, you can earn between $8 and $20 per hour. What makes this position even more attractive is an opportunity to earn by getting tips. That’s why it is of the utmost importance to be a pleasant person whom players will like.
Improved computers and higher bandwidth broadband connections make it possible to play casino games against live dealers nowadays. For live dealer blackjack, you’ll sit at a table with 7 players and watch as the cards are dealt – generally by an attractive lady! These games have an interactive chat element, and while not quite ‘real’ they are an entertaining gambling experience that was simply not possible until a couple of years ago.
This article explains how live dealer blackjack games work for players who are new to this format. I’ll start with finding and starting your live dealer game – including options for stakes and variations in blackjack rules. Next some information on card-counting is covered – many people incorrectly assume that the live game gives them an opportunity to do this. After that a note about free live dealer blackjack, before I note some of the options available for US-based players.
Playing Real Money Live Dealer Blackjack Games
You’ll find live dealer games at many online casinos these days. I recommend using the download version for these games for a smoother experience. Once you download the casino and click the live dealer blackjack option – you will be taken to a separate lobby listing the tables along with the number of players on each. PlayTech casinos will also show you a picture of the dealer for each table. You can choose to join a waiting list for a specific game or if all the games are full a waiting list for the first seat to open up.
The online live-dealer blackjack tables are played with 7 players against the dealer. This does make them slower than the usual tables you play against the computer – as everyone needs to complete their play before the dealer completes her hand. There is a chat window to the side of each table, where you can interact with the other players. Some tables can get quite sociable, while others are quiet – or stick to compliments for nice hands or big wins.
Stakes are higher than for the standard online games, with a minimum of $5 and table maximum ranging from $50 up. Remember that you need some extra chips for when you have the potential for doubling-down or splitting hands. Since the dealer wages and setup of the live casino is an extra overhead for the casinos, these higher stakes help to balance their books.
I recommend you make sure you have a fast and stable broadband connection before you sit down to play live dealer blackjack. The only thing more annoying than having to repeatedly wait for a player with connection issues to act is to be that player who is disconnecting yourself!
Live Dealer Blackjack – Can I Count Cards?
Card counting has been around since the early 1960’s and involves keeping track of the proportion of small to large cards in the deck. When the big cards are the majority, a skilled player can turn the house edge into an edge of their own – and will increase their bet sizes to make a profit.
Live Dealer Online Casino Usa
With modern live-dealer online blackjack games, 8 decks are used. With so many decks getting what is known as a good ‘true count’ is very hard. What methods like the Hi Opt 1 and Hi-Lo System do, is to divide the running count by the number of decks remaining. It is very rare to get a good enough count to make a profit when you have to divide by 6 or 7 each time. To make sure this stays difficult, live dealer blackjack games reshuffle the decks after 4 decks have been dealt.
Even if you did succeed in getting a positive true count, your sudden increase in bet sizes would be so obvious that you would be instantly caught.
How To Be A Casino Online Dealer Job
As much as I’d like the answer to be otherwise, these games are simply not suitable for card counting players.
Free Live Dealer Blackjack Games
Since the casinos have to pay their dealers, you can’t play live dealer blackjack for play chips at the current time. Instead, I recommend that you use the welcome bonuses and free chip offers handed to loyal players as part of comps schemes to check out the live dealer games.
You’ll need to check the terms of your bonus first, as many casinos do not allow free play with bonus chips in these games. For those that do, you can check out the action with the casino’s money – and only use your own if you enjoy the game. With a solid strategy, you should be able to keep the house edge under 1% in this game – which makes it ideal for clearing bonuses or meeting play-through requirements on your promotional chips.
Online Casino Dealer Hiring
Live Dealer Games For US Players
US based players do not have the wide choice of casino software providers available in other geos. Fortunately, there are still some solid options based offshore who are welcoming US players into their live dealer games. Two big name brands where you can find live-dealer blackjack action are BetOnline and 5Dimes. As the states individually allow online gambling with their own legislation, the number of casinos offering these games can only increase.