How Much Can a Dealer Make in a Casino?
Casinos are exotic environments, which many of us can visit only occasionally. They are exciting, glamorous and fast paced, but naturally, the experience is quite different when you are there to serve clients as opposed to vacationing. If you are ready to work hard, however, a career as a casino dealer can be entertaining, exciting and financially rewarding.
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The Job
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A dealer is in charge of casino games, including poker, blackjack, craps and baccarat, among others. In card games, the dealer will be in control of and hand out the cards. In other games, the dealer will control chips, balls or wheels. The dealer collects the chips or funds from losing players and distributes them to the winners. Dealing requires thorough knowledge of each game's rules and dynamics.
Schedule
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Since dealers are often hourly employees, it is important to understand their work schedules. Typically, dealers work for an hour and take a 20-minute break after that. However, some establishments provide breaks more frequently, especially when the stakes on the table are high and a small mistake by the dealer can cost the casino dearly. Typically, dealers work for eight hours per day. The work day can be stressful, as there is usually no lunch break and dealers are expected to eat lunch in one of their 20-minute rest periods.
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Salary
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Salary.com lists the median compensation of a dealer as $14,918, as of 2010. This is a nationwide average and can vary by city and state. PayScale reports an hourly average compensation of $7.50. Finally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics states that base pay for a casino dealer is $14,700 a year. These numbers, however, do not include company benefits such as subsidized board, free meals, health insurance and, most importantly, tips.
Tips
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When tips are figured in, the hourly average compensation rises from $7.50 to over $25, says Payscale, adding that 71 percent of the typical dealer's income results from tips. HCareers notes that the $14,700 of annual income calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics rises to between $32,000 and $58,000 a year when tips, pensions and other benefits are included. Naturally, the amount of tips a dealer gets is highly dependent on the service provided and the size of the average bet on the table. As dealers gain more experience, they often move to bigger tables or games with greater stakes, where the size of the average tip also tends to be greater.
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References
- Photo Credit casino image by Valery Sibrikov from Fotolia.com
