28 Jul 2024 studying The main function that is assigned to the casino dealer is to ensure the gaming process and control the compliance with the rules of the game. It sounds pretty simple, but in fact the profession isn’t just about dealing, and has many nuances and pitfalls. Which ones? Let's look at them in detail below. What does a dealer do? A croupier is a professional who is responsible for more than just dealing cards. Here's a list of his main duties: Making sure poker players follow the rules; Calculate bets and pot sizes; Determine the winner after the showdown; Giving instructions and recommendations to beginners; Assist in resolving controversial situations — in case of major incident, invite tournament director or manager of the casino; Monitor the rules of poker etiquette; Maintain the speed and pace of gameplay; Exchange chips for money, if allowed in the establishment. So let’s learn how to deal poker — main duties, specifics of home games, possible studying, etc. How to deal poker professionally – job duties Dealer's profession has several peculiarities that poker players should be aware of: shuffling, poker dealing, managing the bankroll in the game, controlling the observance of the bidding rules, etc. Card shuffling The shuffle is the beginning of any card game. The one who deals the cards in poker game is a professional poker player. They need to be shuffled thoroughly. This will allow you to get as unpredictable cards as possible. There are two shuffling techniques: Riffle shuffle; Hindu shuffle. In casinos, the first method is more often used, and each new hand is allocated its own deck. According to the regulations of gambling establishments, the dealer shuffles it four times and only after that moves the top card. Poker players must not see any denomination. Having this information, professionals can use it to their advantage. If during the shuffling process one or more cards become visible or fall out, the dealer leaves them out and continues shuffling. This situation is not considered a mistake and the hand goes on. Distributing cards The rules of dealing cards determine the distribution of the hand to poker players. In Texas Hold'em, two cards are dealt clockwise to each player — one pocket per one betting round. Hole cards are dealt first to the player to the left of the dealer. There are several ways of dealing, but there are two of the most popular: European; American. First of all, the top card is moved so that it is on the table, and then it is given to the poker player. The top card is removed and thrown face down. In most casinos and gambling establishments the way of dealing is known from the very start. Managing the bank during betting rounds Managing the betting process consists of: Announcing the size of the bet out loud. Not all poker players put out chips and call their number. The croupier needs to count them and announce them to all participants. If a player names the amount, the dealer should check it and also say this information out loud. Form and distribute the pot. There can be two pots in the game — main and side. Example: one of the participants went all-in, and the others, with more chips, raised his bet. Accordingly, they contributed a larger amount and created an additional pot. The dealer's task at the end of the hand is to distribute the pot among the winners. Move the chips towards the winner. Also after the end of bidding on the flop, croupier announces the number of participants who stayed in the game. Determining the winner of a hand The dealer in poker must control the rules of bidding. Make sure that on preflop the player to the left of the croupier in the big blind position starts the turn. On the following streets, the poker player sitting clockwise after the button should be the first to make a decision. Another key function of the dealer in poker game is to determine the winner at the end of each hand. It is his word that counts in disputes between players. If one of the players thinks that the croupier is wrong, the manager will come to the table and make the final decision. His duties include, among other things, controlling the actions of the dealer and the participants at the current poker table. Dealer's actions during heads-up play Heads-up in poker is a one-on-one game. In such hands, there are some peculiarities in the work of the dealer: Preflop. The button position in a game between two participants is passed clockwise to each poker player in turn. Whoever is on it is the first to bet the small blind. Postflop. On these streets, the poker player who made the big blind is the first to make a decision. Cutting card rules for Texas Hold'em In Texas Hold'em, for safety reasons, there is a rule of cutting cards for the dealer. It goes like this: After shuffling the dealer must align the sides of the deck and put it on the table. Next, a special card should be used to cut off the top (at least five) and put them together. Then the bottom deck should be placed on top of the top deck, and the poker players should not see any denomination. The dealer is required to follow these rules in every game. He must cut off one top card and fold it into a separate stack before distributing the community cards to the table. Features of home games Have a good time playing poker, you can not only in the casino, but also at home. This requires a standard set: a deck, chips and a button. Sometimes it includes buttons for the positions of the big and small blinds, as well as a special card for the cutoff. Before the start of the hand you should always discuss the size of mandatory bets, the smallest and largest number of chips at the table, the order of their addition (re-buy) and so on. The poker player sitting on the button should control the observance of all the rules of the game. The duties of the dealer take turns from one participant to another. The dealer in poker should not participate in the deal, but usually outside the casino this rule is not used. There are three features of shuffling at home: The poker player to the right of the button's position collects the cards after the deal; The dealer needs to shuffle the deck at least four times; The shuffle is done by the poker player sitting to the left of the button. After these actions, the player in the dealer's position distributes the cards. When organizing a tournament at home, it is necessary to do automatic control of the event. Applications that count the total time, report the blinds, breaks between hands, number of prizes and the amount of winnings may help. How to become a professional dealer From the outside, it may seem that the minimum requirements for the position of a dealer are: neat appearance, good manners and communication skills. But in reality, a professional poker dealer must meet the following criteria: Delivered speech; Good counting abilities; A neat appearance; A good memory. The dealer should have the ability to learn quickly and be stress-resistant. To become a good specialist, it is necessary not only to possess all these qualities, but also to love poker and know its main types: Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Stud, etc. Keep in mind: the dealer is not allowed to have piercings and tattoos on visible parts of the body. Learn to deal poker with help of poker courses The job of a croupier starts with training courses. Most gambling establishments prefer to hire people without experience for the position of a dealer. Therefore, live casinos have their own croupier schools with subsequent employment. Often training on such courses is free of charge. Before starting training in the school, the candidate must pass an interview, which will look at the appearance, assess the beauty of hands and ask questions such as: "Why do you want to become a dealer?". One should also just be prepared for the fact that they may be asked to solve mathematical examples on division and multiplication. This is to understand how a person behaves in a stressful situation. After the interview, the future dealer begins his or her training. At this time, students of the dealer school go through a more complex table of quick counting of sums and chips, terminology, combinations and proper handling of cards. Also on the courses, poker dealers improve their stress tolerance, community skills and psychological image. Training can last from one month to six months. Many companies provide free accommodation and even pay a scholarship. After completing the courses, the apprentice receives a certificate that will confirm his or her qualifications. Additional criteria to become a dealer If you want to work in a casino, you will also need to have the following features: Being communicative. The dealer is the face of the club, so he must evoke pleasant emotions from the players; Have stress tolerance. Often players blame the dealer for their losses, so you must be ready for the negativity in your direction. But you should not react to it in any way; Have good intuition. The dealer must notice the general mood of the players around the table and match it. For example, if the game is tense, conflict, then jokes will be extremely inappropriate. But if there is a cheerful company, then you can relax a little and allow yourself to maintain an elevated mood at the table. Be able to count well in mind. The dealer is responsible for the chips, so he must quickly and correctly count them verbally. In general, the work of a casino dealer can be interesting and profitable. But it is not suitable for everyone. You need to be sociable, stress-resistant, be able to work with people and have a good understanding of the different poker varieties. Also remember that the dealer has no right to play with the other participants, make bets and comment on the process. He can only observe and control the gaming process. About dealer salary and tips Casino dealer salary is a topic shrouded in mystery and myths. Some think that this is a gold mine with a lot of tips. Another popular notion is that a croupier is doing an exhausting work for pennies. How much do these people actually earn and what is their salary? It is, as a rule, pretty low. On average, it ranges from $30,000 to $60,000 per year. But of course, that’s not all. Tipping is where the main source of income lies. It's how poker players show their gratitude to the dealer after winning. Tips are usually left for those who work at the cash tables. So how much does a specialist get in tips? It depends on many factors. Tipping is usually higher in prestigious casinos. Some games, such as poker, are more generous. The higher the stakes, the bigger the tip. Professional, polite and charismatic dealers get more coins. Sometimes players thank the croupier with a generous tip for their luck. On average, the dealer tips 5-10% of the winnings. Experienced dealers can earn from $10,000 per month, and even more during the peak season. Rewards depend on the size of the winnings and the generosity of the poker player. Usually tips go into a common pot, and at the end of the month are distributed to all employees. But this rule does not apply in every gambling establishment. All rewards can be taken by both the croupier and the casino. Casino managers themselves establish how their employees receive tips. As a rule, the higher the stakes, the bigger the reward. How are cards dealt on the Internet? On the Internet, a computer, not people, is responsible for dealing cards. Such a program is called a random number generator (RNG). Everyone who sits down at a table in a trusted poker room accepts as axiomatic the statement that this software cannot be rigged. While obtaining a license and various permissions for online gambling activities, the online rooms prove the transparency of the RNG and the random sequence of cards that it generates. Therefore, all claims that it can be rigged are an attempt to mitigate the bad luck of another move. Major poker rooms will never risk their reputation and always adhere to the rules of fair play with random card deals. Is it worth going to work as a dealer? The decision is yours. Everything depends — to summarize the above, here is a small table: Pros Cons Not bad salary + tips Irregular working hours Dynamic work Stress Communicating with people Need to be on your feet all the time Opportunity for career growth Responsibility for money Being a dealer in a poker club is quite an interesting job, although it is difficult. It's hard enough to stand on your feet for long periods of time, count poker chips, resolve conflicts and be friendly at the same time. But if you master this art, you’ll get your dream job. Of course, if you want it. GL! Frequently Asked Questions Who is a dealer in poker? At live tables it is the person in charge of dealing cards and enforcing the rules. In online games it is the position to the right of the small blind. What is the salary of a dealer? That’s another reason to learn how to deal poker professionally now. On average a dealer earns between $30,000 and $60,000 (annual salary). Is the amount of tips limited? No. There is no limit to the amount of tips. The largest tip in poker is $90,000 left by professional player Phil Ivey. What kind of schedule do croupiers work on? Typically, a croupier's schedule is two by two, working alternating day and night shifts. What is the difference between a dealer and a croupier? In offline gaming, they are synonyms, so there is no difference. Gambling employees can be referred to as both of these words. Does the dealer know how much money the poker player has? Only the player knows information regarding his money. What does the clean hands rule mean? The croupier is obliged to show his empty hands to the camera before and after the chips are touched, so that the camera can record that he has not stolen anything. Can dealers be fired? Yes. Dealers can be fired if they make a mistake and give a player more chips than they should.