Becoming a Casino Dealer
When I quit my job to become a Casino Dealer, I thought that was easier. In my mind, all you had to do was drawing cards and smile.
The funny and scary part is that I'm not working yet, but starting in 2 days. But the one month training... Before I get to the amusing situations that can happen to a trainee dealer, here are the basic rules of the 2 games we learned: Blackjack and Roulette.
Blackjack is played with eight standard 52 card decks. The cards 2 through 10 are worth their face value. Kings, queens and jacks are each worth 10 and aces may be used as either 1 or 11. The main objective for the player is to draw cards totaling closer to 21, without going over, so as he can beat the dealer.
Ex. If your cards total higher than the dealer's cards without going over 21 you win. If your hand or the dealer's hand goes over 21 you lose. If the dealer busts (he exceeds 21) and you do not, you win.
As a player, you have the options to hit a card, to stand, to split two cards of the same value, double the bet you have obtaining one more card only, or insure your bet if the dealer has an ace and you think he may hit blackjack.
Roulette. There is the wheel and the layout. Spinning the wheel will get the lucky number. The layout has 36 numbers, a 0 and a 00. Bets are placed on the table/layout. Also, on the layout are inside and outside bets. The inside ones are the numbers from 1 - 36 and outside are:
Inside bets, bets placed on numbers, have higher paying odds. You can bet:
Coming back for the funny part and getting used to being a dealer, here are some situations that for sure will happen to a trainee.
Blackjack
Most of the times, you'll be very stressed at first to shuffle the cards correctly, to deal them properly, to make a nice conversation with guests and totally forget that one or two of them have blackjack. So you'll be like a counting robot; "Eleven - TwentyOne?" No. It's Blackjack.
Or after the 3 minute shuffle, you gave the 8 deck of cards to be cut by one of the guests, put the cards in the shoe and realize that the other red cutting card is on the table.
Cash chips will be flying all over the table because at first you can't held them properly. Thank God for chipping, drop cut and size cut 8 hours per day at training!
And when dealers first card is a ten and he keeps dealing cards to customers, he forgets to draw the second card for himself. Then when checking for Blackjack... it's a sin :)
Let's say dealer doesn't have blackjack. He deals all guests cards and finally gets to his 19 card. Everyone who has less than 19 looses. But you cannot remember how much they have, you only remember that you have 19. You look at the first bet to pay - 20. Take chips out of the tray and pay, move to second one - stand off - then you forget how much you have and pay a 17 bet. Supervisor: "How much is there?" You: "17" Supervisor: " And how much do you have?" You: "19" Supervisor: " Then why are you paying it?"
Roulette
You can make a no spin for.. 7-8 times in a row. Then you panic.
Or adding a big payout. 11 corners plus 2 streets plus 4 sixline plus 2 straightups.... you forget how much the first adding up was. Count it two times, two different results. Just focus. Speed will come in time, they say.
Me at the table, making a 5 stack (100 chips) payout and trying to move them around the table. I knew that 2 stacks should be on my left and 3 on my right; the player was on my right. SO I tried to pass them, they were falling apart. Put another stack on the left. No. On the right. No, I moved it again on the left. Still, it didn't work. Put it on my left again. Then on my right. Supervisor: "Oh my God, you're making me dizzy."
Oh, and the clean hands is terrible. You are NOT allowed to take ANYTHING from ANYBODY from hands. In the casino it's ok, you will do that. But then you go to the supermarket and clean hands after touching potatoes, shopping bags, change, milk... same in the bus. Ask politely the bus driver to put the ticket down for you to pick it up. And you don't even realize you're doing that.
So.. I start my trip on Tuesday with the beautiful MS. Nieuw Amsterdam, two months in Europe. First two weeks - Italy, Croatia, Greece, France and Spain.
Wish me good luck!
The funny and scary part is that I'm not working yet, but starting in 2 days. But the one month training... Before I get to the amusing situations that can happen to a trainee dealer, here are the basic rules of the 2 games we learned: Blackjack and Roulette.
Blackjack is played with eight standard 52 card decks. The cards 2 through 10 are worth their face value. Kings, queens and jacks are each worth 10 and aces may be used as either 1 or 11. The main objective for the player is to draw cards totaling closer to 21, without going over, so as he can beat the dealer.
Ex. If your cards total higher than the dealer's cards without going over 21 you win. If your hand or the dealer's hand goes over 21 you lose. If the dealer busts (he exceeds 21) and you do not, you win.
As a player, you have the options to hit a card, to stand, to split two cards of the same value, double the bet you have obtaining one more card only, or insure your bet if the dealer has an ace and you think he may hit blackjack.
Roulette. There is the wheel and the layout. Spinning the wheel will get the lucky number. The layout has 36 numbers, a 0 and a 00. Bets are placed on the table/layout. Also, on the layout are inside and outside bets. The inside ones are the numbers from 1 - 36 and outside are:
- 1st 12 numbers - pays 2 to 1
- 2nd 12 numbers - pays 2 to 1
- 3rd 12 numbers - pays 2 to 1
- 1-18 numbers (low) - pays 1 to 1
- 19-36 numbers (high) - pays 1 to 1
- Even numbers - pays 1 to 1
- Odd numbers - pays 1 to 1
- Black numbers - pays 1 to 1
- Red numbers - pays 1 to 1
- First, second or third column - pays 2 to 1
Inside bets, bets placed on numbers, have higher paying odds. You can bet:
- "Straight up" betting on one number - pays 35 to 1
- Split betting on two numbers - pays 17 to 1
- "Street" betting on three numbers - pays 11 to 1
- Corner betting on four numbers - pays 8 to 1
- Six line betting on 6 numbers - pays 5 to 1
- For American roulette, there is the Five-number bet which covers "0,00,1,2,3" and pays 6 to 1
Coming back for the funny part and getting used to being a dealer, here are some situations that for sure will happen to a trainee.
Blackjack
Most of the times, you'll be very stressed at first to shuffle the cards correctly, to deal them properly, to make a nice conversation with guests and totally forget that one or two of them have blackjack. So you'll be like a counting robot; "Eleven - TwentyOne?" No. It's Blackjack.
Or after the 3 minute shuffle, you gave the 8 deck of cards to be cut by one of the guests, put the cards in the shoe and realize that the other red cutting card is on the table.
Cash chips will be flying all over the table because at first you can't held them properly. Thank God for chipping, drop cut and size cut 8 hours per day at training!
And when dealers first card is a ten and he keeps dealing cards to customers, he forgets to draw the second card for himself. Then when checking for Blackjack... it's a sin :)
Let's say dealer doesn't have blackjack. He deals all guests cards and finally gets to his 19 card. Everyone who has less than 19 looses. But you cannot remember how much they have, you only remember that you have 19. You look at the first bet to pay - 20. Take chips out of the tray and pay, move to second one - stand off - then you forget how much you have and pay a 17 bet. Supervisor: "How much is there?" You: "17" Supervisor: " And how much do you have?" You: "19" Supervisor: " Then why are you paying it?"
Roulette
You can make a no spin for.. 7-8 times in a row. Then you panic.
Or adding a big payout. 11 corners plus 2 streets plus 4 sixline plus 2 straightups.... you forget how much the first adding up was. Count it two times, two different results. Just focus. Speed will come in time, they say.
Me at the table, making a 5 stack (100 chips) payout and trying to move them around the table. I knew that 2 stacks should be on my left and 3 on my right; the player was on my right. SO I tried to pass them, they were falling apart. Put another stack on the left. No. On the right. No, I moved it again on the left. Still, it didn't work. Put it on my left again. Then on my right. Supervisor: "Oh my God, you're making me dizzy."
Oh, and the clean hands is terrible. You are NOT allowed to take ANYTHING from ANYBODY from hands. In the casino it's ok, you will do that. But then you go to the supermarket and clean hands after touching potatoes, shopping bags, change, milk... same in the bus. Ask politely the bus driver to put the ticket down for you to pick it up. And you don't even realize you're doing that.
So.. I start my trip on Tuesday with the beautiful MS. Nieuw Amsterdam, two months in Europe. First two weeks - Italy, Croatia, Greece, France and Spain.
Wish me good luck!
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