Vol. 3, No. 7, July 2007
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A Foot In The Door
Dealer schools can help break down doors and build lifelong connections
There are a lot of misperceptions about casino dealers. It is seen by many as a glamorous job with the potential to make piles of cash—see the oft reported line about dealers at Wynn Las Vegas taking home six-figure salaries—working in a fun and exciting environment. There is no doubt that this can be the case, for the truly dedicated, but some people find the unusual shifts—many nights, weekends and holidays—and the monotony of the job unpleasant. Because of this, there is a good amount of turnover among dealers, and almost anyone who wants to try their hand at the profession can do so.
“Casino dealing can be a lot of fun,” said Ricky Richard, owner and director of the Crescent School of Gaming. “There are always new people coming in, and there can be a lot of excitement.”
There are also the financial benefits.
“There are not many skills you can pick up this quickly and make the kind of money that dealers do,” Richard said. “While salaries—including tips—usually start around $35,000, you can easily clear $100,000 depending on the property. There are not many jobs that you can jump right in to, that don’t require college degrees and yet afford you the opportunity to make this kind of money.”
Of course, getting a job as a dealer generally isn’t as easy as filling out an application and passing a drug test. Prospective dealers must pass an audition in which they demonstrate their ability to deal and read cards correctly, as well as keep an accurate count of player wins and the casino’s cut. The only way to learn these skills is through practice, and that is exactly what gaming schools offer.
“Dealing is a skill,” Richard said. “You want to go through the repetition in a relaxed environment before you have to handle real money. When you go to that first audition, you’re dealing with real money and people who don’t want to put up with any nonsense. You’ve got experts looking to see you have the necessary skills, and that’s hard to do without and previous training.”
As could be expected, there are a lot of dealing schools throughout Las Vegas, as well as programs offered by the Community College of Southern Nevada. They all teach basic and high-demand games like blackjack, roulette, craps and mini baccarat, as well as specialized table games like Let It Ride, Three Card Poker, Caribbean Stud, poker and more. Basically, if you can find it on a casino floor, you can find a school to teach it.
“The poker resurgence doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down,” Richard said. “The three major pit games, blackjack, roulette and dice are always in demand. Training in multiple games is important. The more games you know, the more valuable you will be on the pit floor.”
The majority of gaming schools are open from around 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. or later. Most instructors, if not all, have real-life experience at a casino, and are therefore very understanding of unusual hours and demands other casino employees face. Even if you work the graveyard shift as a bartender, if you’re interested in dealing, you’ll find a class schedule that works around your work schedule.
After training, the most important thing that a gaming school can offer is job placement assistance. The schools all promote their placement numbers as part of their advertising campaigns, and the higher that number is, the more likely a particular school is to attract more students. To that end, they will all work tirelessly to set up interviews, schedule auditions, and, with many of the school employees having casino experience themselves, they can even use their connections to help get their students jobs.
Few people go straight to the high profile Strip casinos. While some do, most end up at smaller break-in houses, or the off-Strip and locals casinos. These aren’t the jobs that earn anywhere near $100,000, but they are an important step towards landing such jobs.
“It’s all about taking one step up the ladder,” Richard said. “The first job is always the toughest one. Once get first job out of the way, put in leg work and get some experience, they will look at you must more seriously at other properties.”
With a number of major properties in Las Vegas slated to come online over the next five years, and the continuing prosperity of the existing properties, dealers will always be in demand.
“There are more chances for advancement right now with the industry growing like it is,” Richard said. “The poker resurgence doesn’t look like it is going to slow down.
“The new and exciting projects coming seem to be never ending. I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon.”
