What's good about being a croupier? From an interview with a croupier from a casino in Ufa.

Topic of today's material IQ Review- work of a croupier. We will tell you about the casino and the atmosphere of excitement that reigns there. A shift manager at one of the major gambling establishments wrote her review about working in a casino. You will find out whether it is possible to beat a casino, whether establishments often deceive players, what a typical casino client looks like, how much dealers earn and what problems they face.

My name is Mira, in this moment I live in Tbilisi, I was born and for a long time lived in Moscow. Relatively recently I finished my career in a casino, last place, where I worked - the Adjara casino, one of largest casinos in Georgia. I started working as a croupier in Moscow, went through the entire career ladder, Last year worked as a shift manager - this is what the casino calls the main shift manager.

Roulette in a casino

What does a shift manager do?

A shift manager is essentially the person in charge after the general manager on a certain shift. Since all casinos operate around the clock, there are morning, afternoon and night shift managers; on the night shift, two and sometimes three shift managers work, since at night more people visit these establishments. During his shift, the shift manager is responsible for absolutely everything that happens in the casino:

• work directly of the croupier and inspectors (monitoring the work of the croupier);
• security work at the entrance, in the hall;
• security camera operators.

A person “from the outside” will never become a casino manager - this work is so complex and specific. Only if you have gone through the entire chain of career ladder from a simple croupier, will you have the opportunity to manage the operation of the casino. In general, it must be said that almost all casino workers began their careers as croupiers, even camera operators and cashiers: operators must know the specifics of the game, cashiers must quickly and correctly be able to handle chips and money.

How to get a job in a casino

Doesn't have the education to start working in a casino of great importance, but still give preference to people with higher education and with knowledge of a foreign language, since casinos are still run mainly by foreigners. More, great attention The focus is on the ability to quickly manipulate two- and three-digit numbers in the mind; the croupier calculates everything without a calculator.

No one starts working in a casino right away; first you need to graduate from a croupier school. Personally, I was very lucky - I studied at an American school, which was taught by real professionals in Moscow. “Zero” dealers are first placed in the morning and afternoon shifts, when there are few people in the casino, because when there are many players at the gaming table, even an experienced dealer sometimes has difficulty coping with the workload. When further employment in another casino, knowledge of languages ​​and knowledge of a large number of games are taken into account (a croupier with knowledge of American and French roulette is very valuable; roulette in general is much more difficult than card games) and recommendations from your previous place of work.

Getting a job in a casino is very difficult - there is high competition. If you graduated from croupier school and started working, you need to make every effort to work in this position for as long as possible - the management of any casino does not really like “jumpers” who do not stay long in one place. It is better to look for a place where the management is foreigners, especially good if they are British and Americans, they are considered the best professionals in this matter.

What to expect from working as a croupier

Working in a casino is, first of all, physically difficult. According to the rules, the croupier must work for 20 minutes and rest for the same amount, but this happens extremely rarely, and even then only in the morning shift. A manager can generally spend the entire shift on his feet with a couple of short breaks.

A mandatory requirement for female casino workers is classic shoes wearing high heels, it is very difficult to work in such shoes every day for 8 hours.

The casino is a well-oiled mechanism, everyone works on the same wavelength: dealers deal cards/spin the roulette ball, take away lost chips or pay out winnings, an inspector at each gaming table monitors compliance with the rules, camera operators monitor players and dealers, cashiers change money chips to those who came and vice versa, and the shift manager controls everyone.

It is very important that there are no conflicts or scandals in the casino - they greatly damage the reputation of the establishment. It also happens that a cheater is spotted in a casino (there is a special international file for big cheaters), he is immediately taken out of the casino and blacklisted. Scandalists and those trying to deceive casinos will face the same fate.

What the winners have a large sum then they extort money or don’t pay out the winnings - fairy tales! As an employee with 15 years of experience, I can say that a casino will never harm itself - a person who wins and receives money will come to the casino many more times to try to win more and more, and as a result, most likely, will lose.

On the contrary, a successful player will receive all sorts of bonuses in the form of free visits restaurant/hotel, he will be treated especially attentively and warmly, counting on the “tea” that goes towards the wages of the gaming staff.

I will dispel another myth that supposedly any casino is something like a brothel, where working girls are under the threat of harassment from players, or, conversely, by at will enter into relationships with wealthy players. The security service closely monitors the employees and at the slightest hint of any relationship with the players they fire them - too much money passes through the casino and there is a high risk of collusion. I can say more - if your close friend/relative comes into the casino, you must immediately inform management about this, and you may even be removed from your shift so that you do not cross paths with this person in the casino.

Salary of casino workers

Salary in a casino consists of two parts: salary and “tips” (tips). Losing to the casino does not affect the salary in any way - on the contrary, the winners leave generous tips, which are divided among all workers of the given shift. 24/7 big casino will always “recapture” lost money without difficulty for short term, the very system of the casino is to take money away, not to pay it out. It is not for nothing that, for example, on roulette, where the payout for winning a number is 1 in 35, there are 36 numbers on the wheel (that is, if they bet on all the numbers, the casino will still win).

The monthly income of a novice dealer is relatively small, it rarely exceeds $1,000; good croupiers with experience earn much more; a manager’s monthly income sometimes amounts to tens of thousands.

I started as a croupier apprentice with a salary of about 200 dollars, about the same or a little more in tips. A couple of years later, when I became an inspector, the permanent salary was 500 dollars and about 600 in tips. My last income as a shift manager was more substantial - 2,200 plus about 3,000 in tips and bonuses, but taking into account that I worked as a manager in Georgia, in Moscow I would have received 4 times more (in Moscow, casinos have been banned since 2009; in Russia, casino activities are allowed only in federal gambling zones. The heroine meant the ratio of earnings at the end of the 2000s - editor's note).

Oh yes, I forgot to say - there are also payments in casinos, called “elephants” (I don’t know why this name) - this is a bonus from winning a shift, for the dealer it’s about a dollar from every thousand won, for inspectors and managers - ten . “Elephants” are a kind of replacement for tipping, because if people lose, they don’t tip. “Elephants” are not practiced in all casinos, but often.

When I started working as a croupier, even in big casinos was “: two amounts were issued according to two statements - for taxes and bypassing them, but this is a long time ago. Of course, work in a casino goes in seniority, but, unfortunately, no details have yet been provided in terms of the harmfulness of this work. If other professions with night or mixed hours have good bonuses, then casino workers are deprived of this.

If you are interested in the work of a croupier

A typical casino client - who is he?

Working in a casino is very interesting, although not easy. If you have extensive experience and also speak foreign languages, you can easily get a job in any country in the world. The casino has long been transformed from a meeting place for criminal elements into an elite club - many celebrities like to go there, nothing human is alien to them, including gambling.

A casino, as a rule, is located next door or in the same building as a nightclub, so at night it great amount happy and excited people looking to have a good time (and lose some extra money). Of course, almost all visitors want to win, and the more people came, the more winners, but the game process is so exciting that often after some time people no longer know whether they are winning or losing. They are excited, and they don’t care about anything as long as they still have some money in their pocket.

Atmosphere in gambling establishments

In general, the casino has a special, exciting atmosphere: semi-darkness, light only above the tables, muffled music, the rustle of money and the clatter of chips, joyful cries after winning and tragic sobs if you lost... In some famous TV quiz they didn’t guess the question - where never clocks and windows? This is a casino! Visitors should not see a clock in front of their eyes and should not know what time of day it is outside the window - this way they lose the sense of time and may leave more money in the casino.

Serious passions often play out in casinos, especially if someone loses - it happens that people get so excited that they lose their last game, sell cars, mortgage apartments... Gambling establishments often give loans regular players, but only if you are absolutely sure of the player’s creditworthiness.

Pros and cons of working in a casino

The big disadvantage of working in a casino is that night shifts occur more often than day and morning shifts. In general, they try to place experienced dealers and managers only on the night shift. It is incredibly difficult to sleep only during the day and work at night, and on weekends the body generally loses orientation. In case of a large influx of visitors, there is a practice of “voluntary-compulsory” obligation to stay for the next shift. Of course, this is paid, and for an additional shift they pay many times more than for the planned one, but working 16 hours instead of eight, especially if you stay after the night shift in the morning, is hellish work.

In addition to good mathematical abilities and knowledge of languages, those who want to work in a casino also need to have good health. Full time job on your feet, lack of daylight at work and at home (if you work only on the night shift and have to sleep during the day), dirt from chips, money and tables, cigarette smoke, which air conditioners often cannot cope with - all this is not in the best possible way will affect your health.

There is also a constant strain on the nerves - the hands of the croupier and the eyes of managers pass through huge sums, any mistake is fraught with a blow to the reputation of the establishment and a deduction from the salary of the employee who made the mistake. Conflicts, no matter how hard the casino management tries to avoid them, sometimes occur; losing players often do not control themselves, make scandals, they feel like they were beaten on purpose, that is, the casino is cheating. This is absolute nonsense - there are strict rules that are never broken in favor of the casino. If there is even a slight chance that the visitor is right, the truth will be established by interviewing operators and viewing camera footage, and if the client is right, he will be given an apology and may even be paid a small bonus.

On the other hand, working in a casino is interesting and well paid. The teams of these establishments are mostly young people, except that the managers are already aged. Like any professional “caste,” casino workers are very friendly with each other and love to spend free time together. If you are good at adding numbers in your head, know foreign languages, if you are not afraid of the difficulties of working on your feet during the night shift and you strong nerves– good luck!:)

Hello to you. My name is Denis and I am 31. What I want to tell you about has nothing to do with what I am doing now and will do in the future. But that hot summer I decided to go to a casino and work as a croupier. If you don’t know what a croupier does, then this is the place for you. I will tell.

In Moscow at that time there was a small selection of casinos, and with the exception of Crystal and Golden Palace, all the largest and most famous ones were located on New Arbat (Crown, Metelitsa, Arbat, Mirage). The Metelitsa casino was the very first to open in Moscow, and it was also the most popular. But I know this now, but then I knew nothing except Metelitsa. When we went to the dacha, we drove along Arbat and I saw thousands of lights shining, a man in a tailcoat opened the door for the guests, music was playing and the casino emblem in the form of three cherries on a branch shimmered.

It was these childhood memories that floated through my mind in the summer after finishing my 4th year at the institute, when an acquaintance of mine, with whom we lived in the same house, found somewhere an advertisement about recruiting applicants for a croupier school at Metelitsa. It must be said that besides Metelitsa, only Crystal and Golden Palace had their own school, one for two, because they had one owner. I didn’t have any special plans for that summer and I decided to go with Igor for company. I didn’t seriously expect to get there because my parents didn’t believe it was free, I didn’t communicate well with strangers, and I didn’t want to work in a casino. But we went for an interview...

We arrived at Arbat, a small group of accomplices had already gathered there. We entered through the service entrance and were taken to night club, in which Natasha Korolyov, Natalya Vetlitsky and the Ivanushka group perform at night, and during the day they talk with various brats who look and listen with one eye and ear to what they are told, and with the other they shoot everything around... it’s interesting. While I was turning my head, they gave me a math test on adding two-digit numbers and multiplying two-digit numbers by one-digit number. Don’t feed me bread, let me matatize at your leisure. Kidding. But I was okay with math. 20 examples, pencil, head and stopwatch. Two mistakes and the phrase “We’ll hire you, come on Monday at 9:00” forced me to sharpen my focus on the current situation. On the way home, Igor also helped me sharpen, who was also hired and who showered me with arguments for and put all my “against” on my shoulder blades. And we went...

The training period was announced as 10 weeks, 5 days a week, 8 hours a day, including breaks and lunch. The training was conducted in a specially equipped room in the casino itself. The room had 4 roulette tables and 8-10 card tables (poker, Texas, blackjack and switch). We had 3 coaches - two Russians Max, Olya and Stuart - an Englishman. In general, in Metelitsa all the top managers were from Europe and the fact that one of our teachers was English did not surprise us, and besides, he spoke Russian very well.

The selection for the group was gentle and, as we realized later, this had its own meaning. The group consisted of about 40 people, so it was a bit crowded. The course program was not announced to us, and we did not ask. Everyone's eyes were sparkling with anticipation of something magical and interesting. To begin with, we were forced into a dress code. We definitely had to have them classic pants, shirt with any sleeve and tie. Girls wear a skirt (no pants), a dress shirt and heels. All this was monitored very strictly. I once forgot to take a shirt with me and they sent me home to get it. Plus, the guys had to have a clean-shaven face, no mustaches, everyone had to have no piercings (girls were allowed a pair of earrings in their ears), tattoos in visible places and a ridiculous haircut on the head.

The first 3 days there is no theory. We were immediately given a stack of chips (20 chips of the same color) and we performed the same exercise. It was necessary to spread this stack across the table so that the chips were close to each other and collect them for a while. This process of collecting chips was called chipping (from the word chip - chip). The first day we raced one stack, the second and third days - two stacks. A little later we finally reached the goal - two stacks of one color and two stacks of another color. It was necessary to first collect one color, then another. At this moment, many of the burning eyes dimmed a little. Someone left the group. As the coaches later told us, in these 3 days 50% of all those who leave in one way or another leave. Plus, chipping is the main exercise for developing finger motor skills for this work and it is a conscious learning step to weed out the weak ones. The fourth day was diversified with new exercises with tricks - cutting in and cutting down. These are two ways to divide the stack into parts. You need to take the stack with one hand and, with cunning finger movements, divide it into parts of 5 chips, collect, then 4 chips, collect, 3 (with a tail), 2 and 1 each. Then do the same with the other hand. At this stage, the remaining 50% of those who left in the end disappeared, because doing this exercise working hand It’s not easy, and what can we say about non-working. One girl had a miniature hand and her entire stack could barely fit in her hand. But she finished her studies and either her fingers stretched out, or her hand accepted the required form, but she was already able to firmly hold 21 chips. In general, everyone was groaning and sniffling.

The video shows chipping of two stacks of the same color. Each casino has its own rules and training strategy, but by our standards, it’s lame in the video, because... The chips lie on top of each other and this greatly simplifies the process. I couldn't find another correct video.

Starting from the second week, we began to be raced against time. It looked like this. One of the coaches walks between the tables with a stopwatch and commands: “Mixed”... “To the start. Attention. March”... “10 seconds”... “15”... “20”... " 25"... "Stop"... "Mixed." Whoever did it raises his hand. At first, the results were at the level of 26-28 seconds for the best and we did not understand how we should reach the credit 18 seconds by the end of training. We were encouraged by the fact that the trainers themselves collected 10 times out of 10 in 16-18 seconds. I, as a sporty and passionate person, was fired up by this process and distillations with a stopwatch were my favorite. As a result, I was the first of the group to chip in 16 seconds two times in a row, which was quite surprising, because... Before that, I only chipped in 20 seconds 3 times out of 5.

From the very first day they started asking us about mathematics. We were given special multiplication tables. They are special because they show the multiplication of numbers 5, 8, 11, 17, 35 by numbers from 1 to 20. On roulette, these numbers correspond to winning odds depending on the bets. When playing roulette, there can be a lot of bets from different players. With such active game a number that is lucky for the players may appear and its winning coefficient may be as follows: 5x9 + 8x5 + 11x18 + 17x3 + 35x5. The client scattered 40 chips around the winning number and they are all winning, you need to calculate the total number of chips won. There is no calculator in the game, no paper and pencil, all this is calculated in your head and very quickly, because... you think faster more games, more bets, more profits, more salaries. And this is what the entire learning process is designed for. Everything should be done quickly, efficiently and with a smile. To do this, you had to learn this special table. And according to this table, we were given daily tests for 20-25 examples per
time.

In the third week, the game itself was finally added to the math and chips. Roulette has begun. They explained to us the rules, betting options, each field, introduced us to cash chips, showed the sequence of actions of the dealer (namely the dealer, not the dealer, since the dealer is the one who plays the game, and the dealer is collective image: dealer or chipper or inspector), etc.

We taught where what number is on the field, which one is red or black (because if the table is filled with chips and a number comes up, then you can’t find it with your eyes, you need to know where it is and what color it is), the sequence of numbers on the roulette wheel according to clockwise and counterclockwise, special combinations of French bets, which hand you should give your winnings to and how to take 10 stacks with one hand to the other edge of the table. One of the main rules in a casino is the rule " clean hands" (Clean Hands). Before touching the player's pieces and after that, you need to carry out the "clean hands" operation. This is similar to the movement of your hands when you get your palms dirty and try to shake them off. We learned all this in games with each other. We 4-5 people stood up at the roulette table. One driver is the dealer and makes 3 spins (spin is the rotation of the ball on the roulette wheel), and the rest are scheming, playing the role of the player and making all sorts of bets. Basically, everyone tried to knock down the dealer, like a teacher knocks down in an exam or came up with and immediately tested their strategy to win their million at roulette. No one has ever found such a method, because it doesn’t exist in principle, and the competitive environment was the best incentive for our growth. And we understood this perfectly well.

Roulette was good for me. I counted better than anyone else in the tests, chipped well, visual memory didn’t let me down, attentiveness often helped me out, because... The “players” tried to slip chips onto the field after the number came up, which is prohibited by the rules. For some time, spin became a turning point for me. A spin for a good roulette dealer is the basis. The harder you launch the ball, the longer it will spin and the more chances you will have to fix the mess on the field, and there is always a mess. Plus, a long spin allows players to bet more chips. Well, I couldn’t spin, especially with my left non-working hand. He spun, but not for long. I had to devote extra-curricular time to this element.

In this place there should be a paragraph about cheating and various magnets on the roulette, but there is nothing to please me here, there is nothing like that in Metelitsa. Yes, and this is not necessary. All casino games are designed so that the casino wins 51% of the time and the player wins 49% of the time. A player can win big on his first visit to the casino, but if he doesn’t take them and leave... =)) then he can lose them and even more. And in general, someone wins, someone loses, for roulette it doesn’t matter who makes the bets, its mathematical model for 1000 spins will divide the money in the ratio 51 to 49. On blackjack, instead of manually mixing cards, which took a lot of time, they bet a shuffle machine that itself mixed 6-8 decks (blackjack is played with more than one deck). So here, too, the players managed to come up with the name “sharp machine” for it, hinting at its intelligence. I declare with authority that this is not true, it is as stupid as a shoe. By the way, a shoe was the name given to the device where the blackjack cards were located before the introduction of the shuffle machine.

Shuffle machine

At week 6 we were already starting to worry. Half of the training passed, and we didn’t touch the cards. It turns out it's much easier with cards. The rules are simple, there are no colored chips, only a cache, minimal work with the cards - lay out, stir, deal. We were given poker hands and rules. We started with oasis stud poker, then Texas, blackjack and at the very end, in week 10 there was a switch. Cards is a less dynamic and more predictable game. You can take a break after roulette, but this is where many mistakes arise. In cards at a lower threshold of attentiveness, when determining winning combination at the casino or the player, errors appear more often than counting chips won on roulette. Although it seems that this is much easier than adding three three-digit numbers in your head.

As a result, in the last 2-3 weeks, when there were no plans to explain anything to us, our school day looked something like this: roulette, break, math test, poker, break, blackjack, lunch, test (for poker combinations, converting the cache to chips, standard betting combinations), roulette, break, Texas, break, working with chips (everyone decides for themselves what to improve), announcement of the results of daily tests and homework. Home.

We were fed lunch in the common canteen, and there was an assortment of soda for free. During the break you could go smoke, drink something or hang out in the relaxation room. It was common and there were already existing dealers hanging out there, who looked at us like animals in a zoo. With our questions we tried to get an answer to the question that interested us all: “Well?! How is it up there?” They tried to create a casino atmosphere for us in our enclosure, we tried to imagine something ourselves, but still we had complete ignorance of how we would work, where we would work. One thing was firmly drilled into our heads, that it would be very difficult and uncomfortable for us. Actually, this is “hard and uncomfortable” that we tried to recreate in the training room. We, as I already wrote, were given a dress code, the girls were put on heels, the guys were forced to shave every day. I was once sent to the store to get a machine and foam so that I could trim poorly shaved areas in the toilet. All day long, loud music was played in the room, the repertoire of which was rather flimsy. I’ll remember Palast Orchester’s covers and Mumiy-Troll’s album for the rest of my life. We really asked them to bring something new, offered us our CDs, but they smiled and said that everything was according to plan and we should feel nauseous even from the sound of music. While playing cards or roulette, one of the coaches tried to talk to the dealer about what was for lunch, whether I had watched football, what my favorite movie was and what I thought about it now. It was necessary not only to remain calm, to play the game correctly, not to make mistakes, but also to keep up the conversation nicely. I think that this criterion was the main litmus test of a student’s readiness for full-time work.

By the end of the 8th week, I finally became the leader of the group both in test results and in working with chips (in 16 seconds no one chipped). It’s difficult for me to objectively judge the conduct of the game, since there were no tests on this matter, but I didn’t have any serious mistakes and there were no complaints from the coaches either. One day a certain man came to us, they freed one of the tape measures, gave him a chair and brought him coffee. My heart began to pound, my cauldron of adrenaline began to boil, because... I realized that this was the same terrible exam that we had heard about, but they didn’t tell us anything specific. As soon as I understood all this, I heard my name. Crap! I went first. I think each of you knows what it is to be the first to go where you don’t know how or what will happen. I was shaking, I felt 20 pairs of eyes on my back, which were approximately in my same position. I vaguely remember what was there. I made 3-4 spins and accepted various bets. On the last spin I fell over. They gave me a bet that we didn’t work out, but which theoretically could have happened. I paused for a while, made sure not to crash the game and made a bet after the spin (this can be done if the player throws the cash into last moment back). This was the end of my exam. I was sent to lunch, where Max (the coach) told me that everything was fine and these bets were also part of the plan (Damn their plan!). The fact is that the majority of the group already knows and can do everything, but the training is still designed for a week or two, and they decided to spur us on so that we would not relax, so that we would have something to do.

After two weeks, our training ended. Igor and I passed it successfully and practically with honors. Igor was the best at working with clients. He communicated easily and naturally during the game, and I have already written about my advantages. At the end of the training, we were unexpectedly paid a bonus of $150 each. We agreed that we would take 100 bucks each, and throw 50 into the dorm and arrange a graduation party, which we held at the B2 club. Separately, I would like to say about the team of coaches who were strict, tough, but always fair, cheerful, kind and cool guys, who were able to train discipline in us, strengthen our willpower, could support us when something didn’t work out and who didn’t disdained to drink beer with us in the Old Arbat courtyards on Fridays.

Even before the interview, I had no intention of going to training and generally doubted that I needed or was interested in it. Moreover, around the third week, both Igor and I received very tempting job offers. They basically offered me what I wanted and have been trying to achieve for the last 1.5 years. But we had already managed to get involved, we started to like it and really didn’t want to give up everything at the very beginning of the journey. I chose for a very long time and painfully, wrote out all the pros and cons. And ironically, it was all passion that decided it, I wanted to finish my studies and see what would happen next. As you already understand, I refused the offer. And even though I didn’t have a long-term relationship with working at the casino, I didn’t regret my decision one bit. I can say that I consider that very summer to be the best and most interesting vacation. I have developed qualities in myself that are difficult to acquire in life just by looking around.

I will remember my first trip to the gaming hall for the rest of my life. My first shift was on the night from Friday to Saturday, and this is the trashiest. I was nervous all day, didn’t eat anything, arrived 2 hours before departure. The first shift was at blackjack. I got to the table in a fog, and then the old machine turned on: “Hello, I’m your new dealer... place your bets" and off we went. The table was all occupied and among the others sat two women who apparently guessed that I was new. They supported me in every possible way, called me by name and smiled sweetly. And I gave them back nice black- Jacks, one after another. They made a lot of money and tipped off 70-80 bucks for the tip. This very first table of mine became the highest tip ever during my entire time working in the casino. After that there were crazy brain-loading nights, wildly boring morning hours, dads playing in casinos while their children are in school, the smell of cigars hated since then, mistakes in games, perverted insults, expensive prostitutes near money bags, rich Indians, the size of the bonus for a royal flush is the size of a three-room apartment somewhere in a neighboring house on Arbate. I saw why we were driven to chipping, when you are one chipper on two tables and mountains of chips of eight colors. I saw how quickly you can spend a small fortune, literally in a couple of spins or in a couple of hands on blackjack. I appreciated the European approach to working with staff. I realized how psychologically difficult work can be.

I learned all this, I saw and learned all this when I became a croupier.

The casino is a completely special world, reluctantly allowing outsiders into it, inaccessible to the understanding of those who are not included in it - this is the world of green cloth workers. Another dimension, a temporary gap in life. And the days, or rather the nights, are forever etched in my memory. What is the fate of the croupier?

Learning is light...

First shift

What's good about being a croupier?

What's bad?

Should I work in a casino?

05.01.2016 NewsOfGambling

The profession of a croupier looks very exotic from the outside. The croupier in a casino is the person who runs the game, and his responsibilities include seemingly opposite things. The dealer must be customer-oriented and maintain a friendly atmosphere at the table, guided by the principle “the customer is always right,” while being tough when necessary. In everything related to mathematics and the rules of the game, mistakes are unacceptable - after all, we are talking about the money that the client or the casino wins.

An attempt to optimize these functions has led to the fact that, on the one hand, some casinos already have robotic croupiers that work much faster and cannot play into the client’s hands or make mistakes due to inattention. On the other hand, online casinos that are gaining popularity are proving that observing hand movements beautiful girl, which shuffles cards or spins a roulette, is much more interesting than looking at a soulless machine. No less important is live human communication.

Perhaps we will see how this issue will be resolved in the future, but for now, traditionally, the duties of a dealer in a casino are performed by people, and such work has its pros and cons.

Disadvantages of being a croupier

1. Stress

The most important thing for a dealer is stability nervous system, because the stressful situations- a common occurrence in casinos. At quick game bets are paid every 1-2 minutes, so the brain is constantly working.

It is the dealer's responsibility to monitor situations when a player is trying to cheat, that is, to play dishonestly.

The dealer must be able to manage his mood so as not to aggravate the conflict when casino visitors behave aggressively under the influence of emotions. Sometimes players use these obscene expressions, which even the shoemaker from famous saying. Having calmed down, the same person can ask for forgiveness for rude behavior and leave a tip.

When moving to another table, the dealer must instantly switch, forgetting everything bad emotions to joke, compliment and create good mood other players who came to the casino to have fun and not to argue.

In decent casinos, aggression of players towards the dealer is suppressed. There is a metal detector at the entrance, there is always security in the hall, and players who do not control their actions can receive a blacklist, which means a temporary or permanent ban from visiting the casino.

However, dangerous situations do occur. In the early nineties, there were fights and gang violence with weapons in Russian casinos. They could throw cards, chips, and anything else they could get their hands on at the dealer. In Turkey, gambling establishments were banned in August 1997 after a patron opened fire. Currently, Turkish casinos operate only in large hotels, and local residents are not allowed to enter them.

2. Shift work schedule

Working at night or on a flexible schedule is hard enough in itself. There are also overtimes - additional hours of work after a shift, when the casino is “busy” (a slang term from English word busy - ed.).

3. Bad habits

Often croupiers smoke or drink too much coffee or alcohol in the morning after a shift with colleagues. Of course, this largely depends on the individual, but when they usually get into a casino at a young age, many succumb to the herd mentality and then cannot stop. Some people are tempted to play for money. Almost all dealers have at least once, out of curiosity, tried to be on the other side of the table, but sometimes this turns into a real addiction, when they lose their entire salary every month and live in debt. Working in a casino, like a drug, can break a person if he does not have a goal and an inner core.

Benefits of being a croupier

1. Luxery atmosphere

IN good casino It’s nice not only to play, but also to be at work. High-quality music, specially selected by a DJ, plays in the hall, and performers perform on stage famous dancers, musicians and showmen. There is always a holiday at the casino, and the staff, when they come to work, leave all their problems at home, plunging into a carefree atmosphere of entertainment and excitement. Famous designers are working on the interior of the halls, and you can find out from the casino chef how to properly prepare the best delicacies of world cuisine (although, of course, he will not tell all his secrets).

2. Stable income and confidence in the future

If we talk about Russia, workers have the highest salaries gambling business were at the beginning of its formation - in the nineties. Then, with the increase in the number of casinos and qualified personnel, the level of salaries in this area began to decline. The same trend can be seen in many countries where gambling establishments exist. On cruise ships for last decade earnings of gambling staff fell several times. However, the income level remains quite high.

On average, depending on skills, experience and place of work, a croupier can now earn $1,000 per month or more. There are countries where the monthly income of a casino dealer is between $3,000 - $4,000, but even locals find it difficult to get this job due to the lack of staff turnover.

The profession of a croupier is international, that is, the same standards apply in any country, and the differences in technique and game rules are insignificant. Therefore, if legislation changes or economic situation in the country, the croupier will not be left without work.

Knowing one or two common languages ​​at least at an elementary level, it is not difficult to get a job in one of the African countries, Northern Cyprus, Laos, Philippines. If you have a work permit in the European Union or America, as well as decent experience and Fluency languages ​​- you can count on more earnings than in the above places.

Don't need to know foreign languages to get a job in Russian gambling zones, or in casinos in countries such as Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Armenia. For those who for the sake of big money ready to put his life in danger, there are options in such politically unstable territories as the Congo and Kurdistan.

How additional bonus- in all casinos in the world, the employing company pays income tax and quite often compensates for accommodation and meals for the staff of the gambling establishment.

3. The profession of a croupier promotes self-education and personal growth

In any job related to communication, a person is constantly developing, but in a casino the situation is special. The players at the table, succumbing to emotions, do not hesitate to point out to the dealer his shortcomings, and not only external ones. For example, one famous TV presenter, who periodically played in Moscow casinos, is, without a doubt, a successful and well-educated person, but not distinguished by tact. Without choosing words, he reproached the dealers that many of them are stupid children of “limits” who came in large numbers from the village, without any education and personal experience, that I would like to see on the other side of the table a mature person with whom there is something to talk about, as is customary in European countries. Of course, it’s not always pleasant to hear this, but it motivates well - after all, it’s never too late to fill gaps in education.

Or another example - the general manager with whom I had the opportunity to work at the Moscow Golden Ring casino. He is so skilled in the art of negotiation that he could make a career in politics. There was a lot to learn from watching how he built a dialogue with the most different people and could convince his interlocutor of anything.

One of the players, an intelligence officer, once asked me if croupiers are taught the basics of NLP. In fact, of course not, but a person learns a lot in the process of work, if he wants. Any casino employee - from a dealer to a general manager - thanks to his breadth of views, erudition and sense of humor, can gain authority among casino guests and even control the behavior of players - very wealthy and influential people who will not be surprised by anything. Such a person enjoys communicating with players and receives much less unpleasant epithets addressed to him from losers large amounts. Many people have found these skills useful in other professions.

4. Working in a casino is one of the social elevators and the opportunity to choose freely

The croupier profession is one of the few where they make a career thanks to their skills, and not family connections, necessary acquaintances and kickbacks. Without spending a lot of time on croupier courses (from one to several months), you can master the profession and grow in it according to career ladder or get the education of your dreams while working.

Night shifts are ideal for students, many of whom view casino jobs as temporary. True, in the end, by the end of their studies, some do not go to work in their specialty, having done brilliant career in the gambling industry.

In the 1990-2000s, there were cases when teachers, doctors, lawyers, translators, and researchers worked part-time in casinos because they did not have enough salary at their main job. One of my colleagues, having exchanged music for gambling, currently runs a poker club at a reputable casino abroad. Lizzie loves club poker and plays it successfully. And she sings better than some popular artists, which she demonstrated with pleasure when she entered the casino stage at new year party. Another colleague, who combined two professions for quite a long time, had a better career in medicine. Now she is a psychiatrist and head of the department.

In the minds of many people, casinos are associated with vice, and this is partly true. Here they gamble for big money, drink alcohol and smoke. But the staff on the other side of the table sees it differently. Regardless of whether the player comes to fulfill his need for excitement in a legal way, get a dose of adrenaline or lose negative energy, the croupiers are trying to do their job on the highest level, helping players experience vivid emotions and enjoy the game.

Many modern people regularly visit gambling establishments. Let's remember how casinos are presented in films. Of course, what appears before your eyes is a luxurious hall, gorgeous women, expensive alcohol and a lot of money - all these are traditional attributes of gambling establishments.

A casino is a place where those who want to have fun and have a good time playing games gather. Nowadays it is almost impossible to imagine a gambling establishment that does not have roulette. While playing roulette, you will experience the whole range of emotions - from the bitterness of defeat to the intoxicating taste of victory. It is difficult to find a person whose heart does not skip a beat at the sight of a ball jumping on a roulette wheel.

It is quite natural that the owner is the dealer. At the gambling table he officially represents the gambling club. Mr. Croupier controls the roulette wheel, deals the cards, accepts bets and gives out the desired winnings. This profession is shrouded in an aura of mystery. People not connected with the casino world invent various tales about the fabulous earnings of the croupier.

In reality, this work is practically no different from other specialties in the service sector. To become a professional in your field, you must undergo special training and a very strict selection process. After reading this article, you will learn how to successfully interview for a dealership position.

Stickman's mission

Of course, the same person does not have physical ability be at several tables at the same time. A dealer is a casino employee who is directly involved in a specific gameplay. Naturally, one employee will not be able to manage the table alone, because it is practically impossible to keep track of everything that is happening around.

Therefore, croupiers are divided into dealers and chippers. The first ones play the game, and the second ones collect chips. In Russian gambling houses you rarely see a chipper; as a rule, their functions are performed by pit bosses who monitor compliance with the rules and resolve controversial issues.

Who can become a dealer

The average casino visitor, first of all, must have a high income. Let's try to figure out what the staff of a gambling establishment should be like.

• Mostly, people of fairly young age who are capable of fast learning. Typically, their ages range from 22 to 24 years.
• No less attention is paid to the external data of applicants. Of course, here you don’t need to be the owner of a model appearance.
• One of the mandatory requirements is the presence of dexterous hands, a “bright” head and endurance. The dealer must be able to competently manage the game, be friendly to the players and in no way scare them away.
• In most foreign gambling establishments, female croupiers are required to wear branded trousers so as not to distract visitors’ attention from the game. In Kazan gambling houses, female dealers still wear miniskirts.
• Casino staff must be neat appearance. The croupier's clothes must be clean and well-ironed, the hairstyle must be neat, and the manicure and makeup must not be provocative and modest.
• Dealer uniforms should not have pockets.
• The main requirements for applicants for a dealer position include the ability to quickly perform complex mathematical calculations, but this does not require a higher education.

Training of new employees is carried out in a fairly within strict limits. If you believe the stories of one girl croupier, then in the process of training she acquired professional habit add up in her mind the numbers that come into her mind.

Applicants with excessively gloomy or depressed behavior are 100% denied the desired position.