Poker Dealer Salary

• Poker Dealer Salary With Tips
• Average Poker Dealer Salary
• Poker Dealer Salary In Vegas
• Las Vegas Poker Dealer Salary
• Poker Dealer Salary

Do you love the casino scene?

The average poker dealer salary in Raleigh, North Carolina is $28,249 or an equivalent hourly rate of $14. This is 4% lower (-$1,257) than the average poker dealer salary in the United States. In addition, they earn an average bonus of $1,946. The national average salary for a Poker Dealer is £16,344 in United Kingdom. Filter by location to see Poker Dealer salaries in your area. Salary estimates are based on 10 salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by Poker Dealer employees. Search Poker dealer jobs. Get the right Poker dealer job with company ratings & salaries. 9 open jobs for Poker dealer. Now we’ll consider another fact about dealing poker, the fact that poker dealers are expected to deal an average of 30 hands per hour minimum. So, assuming an average of $1 tip per hand, 30 hands per hour means poker dealers are making about $30 an hour in tips plus very small paychecks they are taking from the casino.

Does being a casino dealer seem like the perfect blend of glamour, excitement, and fun?

At first glance, being a dealer at a casino might seem like the perfect job. After all, you probably already enjoy the games you’ll be playing. And you will be getting paid to play them.

You don’t even have to risk losing any money while you play. The casino is banking all the action.

As a casino dealer, the amount you win for the house has no bearing on your pay, though. You get an hourly wage plus tips.

Compared to some jobs, being a casino dealer might be a great deal. As casino gambling continues to grow across the nation, more jobs become available, and fewer potential employees are out there to fill those jobs. This means wages are climbing, too.

This post examines how much you can expect to make as a casino dealer, tips and all.

What Is the Average Wage for a Casino Dealer?

Your average wage as a casino dealer isn’t impressive at all. It’s a service industry, so when you calculate how much you’ll make, you need to take the same kind of mindset that waitresses and bartenders take:

How much money you make is based more on tips than on your hourly wage.

And the better you serve your customers, the more they’ll tip.

In other words, if you’re not a people person, becoming a casino dealer might not be a great idea.

The hourly wages for casino dealers don’t vary based on the game, either. Blackjack dealers make the same kind of money as baccarat dealers, who make the same kind of money as poker dealers or roulette dealers (or croupiers, as they’re called).

The starting pay for an average casino dealer is between $8 and $10 per hour. Some of that is based on experience, too.

If you’re able to get 40 hours a week, which is unusual, you’re looking at $16,000 to $20,000 per year. Most casino dealers, especially starting out, don’t get 40 hours a week, though.

That’s barely enough to pay the rent if you have a roommate and live in a cheap apartment.

Depending on the casino and the stakes of the games you’re dealing, you can expect to make anywhere from $15 per hour in tips to $50 per hour in tips, on average.

That $50 per hour figure, by the way, is an outlier statistic. This assumes you’re working at a high-end casino dealing the higher-limit casino games to the high rollers.

Even then, some high rollers don’t tip — or if they tip, they don’t tip well at all.

Poker dealers make the most money from tips on the most consistent basis, but a lot of this depends on people skills. In some casinos, the dealers are required to pool their tips.

I once played at a casino in Las Vegas with an older poker dealer named Boris. He got mad at me for saying the words “Carpe diem” at the table. He said that I was only allowed to speak English at the table.

Being a friendly guy, I smiled and explained to everyone at the table that the phrase is Latin for “seize the day.”

Boris didn’t think that was helpful, either. He was surly and rude.

As a result, I didn’t tip him.

I shared the story with a professional poker player friend of mine, and he told me that he would have raised hell with the cardroom manager until Boris had been fired.

And the thing is… I don’t mind a little correction. In fact, I’m a humble guy. Had he been reasonably friendly and polite about it, I would have continued to tip him. So it goes.

Also, just because you’re dealing a higher-stakes poker game doesn’t mean you’ll make more in tips. Some of the high-rolling poker players are notorious cheapskates. If you’re dealing high-roller blackjack, craps, or roulette, you’ll do a lot better than if you’re dealing high-limit hold’em.

According to Glassdoor, the average wages for dealers and related jobs are all over the place. They suggest that the average dealer makes $40,000 a year. They also suggest that an average poker dealer only makes $20,000 a year.

Other related jobs include the floor supervisor, with an average salary of $53,000 a year, a casino host, with an average salary of $35,000 a year, and a casino shift manager, with an average salary of $27,000 a year.

The site also lists salaries by company, and it looks like Caesars is the best place to be a dealer, with a salary of $42,000.

Indeed.com has more survey results and suggests an average of $15/hour, which equates to $30,000 a year. They had a listing for a dealer position in Black Hawk, Colorado, where the starting pay was $38/hour. That’s $76,000 a year.

ZipRecruiter suggests that top dealers make $400,000 a year, but I can’t imagine that’s accurate. The rest of their averages are in line with what I saw on the other sites mentioned.

The Perks and Drawbacks of Being a Casino Dealer as a Career

If you know anything about the service business, you probably know that dealing with the customers can be the biggest perk and the biggest drawback to your job. This is especially true in the casino business, though, because emotions tend to be amped up when money is on the line.

You’ll probably spend a lot of time on your feet if you’re dealing table games in the casino. If you’re dealing poker in the cardroom, you’ll probably need to bring a pillow for some extra cushioning at your chair.

One of the other drawbacks of being a casino dealer is that it turns what used to be a leisure activity into a work activity. Playing blackjack is great when you get to do it a couple of times a year for a few hours at a time.

But after dealing blackjack for 30 hours a week for six weeks straight, it becomes drudgery.

In most casinos, smoking is still allowed. That might or might not bother you. I’ve spent enough time in bars and AA meetings that cigarette smoke doesn’t bother me at all, but I’m not like most people.

Poker Dealer Salary With Tips

One of the perks of dealing casino games is that it doesn’t require a degree. You can go to a vocational school to become a dealer, though, but the time and financial commitments are smaller than with other careers. You can usually be qualified to be a casino dealer after a couple of months and an investment of $1,000.

If you’re a night owl, or if you’re looking for a second job — we used to call it “moonlighting” — casino dealing might be perfect for you. After all, most casinos are open 24/7. And guess which shifts are the hardest ones for the managers to cover.

Most casinos are owned by large companies with human resources departments. This means that you’ll probably be eligible for a benefits package. These can include health insurance and retirement benefits, as well as paid time off.

Average Poker Dealer Salary

Breaks are longer for casino dealers than you’ll see at other jobs. At most casinos, you work for 90 minutes and then take a 30-minute break. During an eight-hour shift, you get a total of two hours of break time.

If you like having stories to tell, being a casino dealer puts you in a position to have lots of anecdotes. Heck, I have quite a reputation as a raconteur just from the stories I have to tell by being a player. And believe me, I haven’t spent THAT much time gambling in casinos — not compared to someone who deals for a living, anyway.

What Are Your Job Responsibilities as a Casino Dealer?

Think of the dealer as the host for a specific game. The dealer shuffles and deals the cards, or spins the roulette wheel, or directs the action at the craps table. The dealer also trades chips for money.

If you’re a poker dealer, you’re responsible for collecting the rake. It’s your job to make sure the players post their blinds.

If you’re dealing a casino game, you collect the players’ losses and pay out their winnings in chips.

It’s traditional to start your career dealing blackjack because that’s the most popular table game.

But in Europe, it’s more likely that you’ll start as a croupier — that’s the fancy name for the dealer running the roulette game.

The dice table is the toughest table game to be a dealer. Even after writing about craps for years, I still have to look things up. The action is fast, there are lots of bets on the table, and there’s just a lot to keep up with. Craps is the last game most dealers learn.

You’re responsible for maintaining your own gambling license, too. It’s similar to having a driver’s license if you’re going to drive for a company or a food handler’s permit if you’re going to cook for people.

If you have lousy credit and/or a criminal record, you might run into trouble getting your license.

By the way, I have a lady friend who dealt blackjack for years. She’s clueless when it comes to basic strategy. You’re not required to learn the correct strategies for the games you deal.

My advice to prospective dealers is to avoid giving advice to players. That’s a no-win situation because the players are going to lose their money in the long run because of the nature of the games. If they followed your advice, they’ll just blame you for this.

Who needs that kind of headache?

Conclusion

If you like people, enjoy casino games, and don’t mind cigarette smoke, becoming a casino dealer might be the career for you. You don’t get to keep the money the players lose, but they’ll often tip you when they’re winning, so you’ll get to root for them.

You’ll make at least $15,000 a year dealing casino games, but you might make as much as $100,000 a year. I’ve seen reports of dealers who made more, but I’m skeptical, and you should be, too.

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Is a Career as a Poker Dealer Right for You?

Compared to being a player, dealing has one big benefit – you get paid regardless of how the cards fall. There is plenty of demand for experienced dealers around the world. These include regular casinos and card-rooms – as well as the big tournament events like the World Series of Poker. Before you jump in and start dealing, this guide gives you an objective overview of what this involves.

Here are how the various aspects of becoming a poker dealer are broken down below:

• Pros and Cons: An objective look at the benefits and drawbacks of dealing cards.
• Routes to Becoming a Poker Dealer: Dealing schools and working your way through the ranks.
• What a Poker Dealer Does? There are multiple aspects of this role that you might not have considered.
• Qualities of Poker Dealers: What kind of skills and attributes do successful poker dealers have?
• Dealing Poker vs Dealing Casino Games: How poker compares to dealing blackjack and other card games.
• Income Expectations: How Much Money Can a Poker Dealer Make?

Pros and Cons of Becoming a Poker Dealer

It takes a certain type of person to stick out a career as a poker dealer. You’ll need to be sharp enough to keep track of the pots, rules and cards – as well as dealing with the human elements. Here is a quick overview of the pros and cons, which are discussed in more detail in the section below.

Benefits of Dealing Poker:

• Steady income: You’ll get a base salary, plus tips. year.
• Social Elements: This is a service job, and if you enjoy working with people it can be an enjoyable way to earn a living.
• Plenty of Demand: Casinos around the world need experienced dealers.
• Retirement + Insurance: Dealers for big casino corporations get employee benefits.
• Flexible Schedules: With poker being 24/7, many casinos will have shifts which suit your lifestyle.
• Learn on the Job: If you deal the bigger stakes, you get to watch the poker experts in action, which can only improve your own game.

Drawbacks of Dealing Poker:

• Standing Up: You’ll be on your feet the entire time during your shifts.
• Unsocial Hours: When you start to deal, you’ll be lower down the pecking order when it comes to picking the best shifts.
• Tips are Variable: Depending on the players, tips can fluctuate widely. Since these make up a lot of your income, you need to account for those ‘dry’ days.
• Disgruntled Players: Some players take out their frustration on losing a pot on the dealer, you’ll need to be emotionally tough enough to cope.
• Seasonal Work: Poker does have down periods, when players are scarce.

How Much Money Can a Poker Dealer Make?

Base salaries for poker dealers are low. These range from $15,000 to $20,000 per year – a minimum wage job. Benefits are based on this salary range.

Poker Dealer Salary In Vegas

Of course, poker dealers make a lot more than this. A good dealer can earn between $30k and $60k a year. This extra income comes via tips. A very experienced poker dealer can make $100k+. To get to this level, you’ll need to be dealing the biggest games and working at peak times.

Las Vegas Poker Dealer Salary

How Do Poker Dealers Make Tips:

• Per Pot: Most players will tip the dealer $1 or more when winning a decent pot. This can be bigger in the high stakes games, where pots of $1000+ are being pushed regularly.
• Tournament Tips: Many casinos include tips for dealers in the tournament buy-ins. For example, the World Series of Poker has between 2% and 4% included for each event.
• Tournament discretionary Tips: Often, the winner of a tournament will give a tip, which is usually divided among the active dealers.

Note that in some countries, tipping is not permitted in casinos. This is balanced by higher base salaries for the dealers. Some casinos pool tips and divide these among all staff equally, others allow dealers to keep their own tips.

Tips don’t only depend on the size of the game you are dealing. Your personality plays a role. Players are more likely to tip competent and personable dealers.

How to Become a Poker Dealer?

The usual route is to attend a training program. This involves a 4 to 8-week course, which will cover the many different aspects of dealing. These courses range from $1000 to $2000.

Many casinos have big enough demand for dealers that they run their own training programs. You will not need to pay for these if you graduate and then deal for that casino.

If you have plenty of experience dealing, though no formal qualification, you can still apply for a job as a poker dealer. This will involve a live audition, with the poker room manager watching you closely. If you impress, you’ll be hired – and possibly offered on the job training for any areas you lack experience with.

Exactly What a Poker Dealer Does?

You might think dealing poker is all about shuffling cards and pushing pots. There is a lot more to the role than that. Primarily, dealing is a customer service job – keeping control of the game and enforcing the rules need to go alongside making sure the players have a great experience. If they do not, your tips will be small – and the number of games will fall.

Here are the primary tasks of a poker dealer:

• Card Skills: Shuffling the deck, keeping count of the cards, burning cards for the flop turn and river and collecting mucked cards needs to be done accurately every time.
• Controlling the Pot: The dealer needs to announce bets (though not the pot size), deal with side pots and rules on minimum raise sizes that reopen the betting – and push the pot to the right player.
• Enforcing the Rules: Poker involves a lot of small rules, and the dealer is expected to know them all by heart. These can involve capped betting limits, betting the nuts when someone is all-in during a tournament and how to handle situations with exposed cards. If there is a dispute, the dealer is expected to call the ‘floor’ to help out.
• Watching for Cheating: This can take many forms including soft-play, collusion and under-betting the pot. Dealers need to be aware at all times, and to report anything unclear to the floor.
• Dealing with Unruly / Nasty Players:Live poker unfortunately attracts a lot of unpleasant characters. While often they are harmless, a dealer does sometimes bear the brunt of abuse from certain types. An experienced dealer will know when this crosses the line – and call either security or the floor to deal with it.
• Knowing Many Poker Variants: Casinos run many variations of poker, and a dealer needs to be able to switch between them seamlessly.
• Concentration for Long Periods: Avoiding mistakes involves being focused for long periods (shifts usually last an hour, before a 20-minute break). You’ll be expected to remain 100% focused all the time – even a rare error can significantly disrupt a game.
• Signalling the ‘Eye in the Sky’: Security cameras watch every game. When you see a dealer tapping the table (for example with a chip given as a tip) those are for the benefit of security. You’ll be expected to stick by these rules and know the different signals for specific situations.

Personal Qualities of Poker Dealers

So far, I have talked about the practical aspects of dealing cards. This section flips things around, asking whether you have the personal qualities to enjoy this line of work.

A poker dealer needs to enjoy working with people. Despite the many practical skills, this is first and foremost a service job. If you prefer your own company, then this might not be the right job for you. If you like interacting with a diverse range of personalities – and can keep smiling when things get tough – you could be the perfect fit.

You’ll need a thick skin. Bad tempered players are a fact of life for the poker dealing profession. Many of these will make up for their own bad play by taking it out on the dealer. Patience is needed – you won’t be able to answer back (though calling security or the floor is always an option!).

Dealers also need to be good at mental arithmetic. This comes into play with side-pots, pot-limit betting and many other situations. You also need to be fast and accurate at reading boards – pushing the pot to the wrong player is a major mistake.

Personal flexibility is needed, especially at the start of your career. The prime shifts will usually go to the most experienced and reliable dealers. This means you’ll have to take the remaining shifts while you get your foot in the door. Flexibility will win you a lot of credit with the poker room management, and you’ll soon find yourself getting a better pick of shifts.

Dealing Poker vs Dealing Other Casino Games

Poker Dealer Salary

Poker is not the only game which requires dealers. There is demand for people to deal blackjack, spin roulette wheels and join craps teams. Those games have a house edge, and you’ll be facilitating a welcoming environment for people to enjoy themselves while losing money. The balance is that there is plenty of variety – especially when you consider all the casino ‘carnival games’.

If you enjoy poker and want to learn from experienced players – then dealing those games is the way to go. This can allow you to learn on the job. Things like physical tells, which require years of experience to pick up, can be very obvious to experienced dealers.