5 Easy Steps to Improve Your Dealing Skills

Learn five easy steps to improve your dealing skills today. Let's jump right in!

Step No. 1. Have Fun!

This might be a no brainer but you wouldn’t believe how many people would forget this. Have fun. Like enjoy yourself.

You are going to be on that table for eight hours a day, five days a week. If you don’t enjoy yourself, if you are not having fun, if you are not having a good time, you are sorta going to be a sour puss. Nobody likes a sour puss, right? When you are on the table, have fun. Enjoy yourself. Talk about topics that interest you. So if you are a really big Golden Knights fan, talk about Golden Knights. If you are watching a football game that you are really into, maybe the other people on the table are interested as well and you guys can talk about it. If you talk about your interest and what excites you and what is fun for you, you are going to find players that agree with you. You are going to find they come to your table more and more often and you guys will have really good conversations. You will enjoy yourself, you will have fun.

Now having fun, being friendly, being personable, all of this is not only going to make you a better dealer, but it’s also going to improve your tokes as well. You are going to make more money. The casino loves it because not only are you are making more money, the casino is making more money. Part of being a casino dealer is being an entertainer. So, we are entertainers. We are there to entertain. If you are grumpy, you are not much of an entertainer, right? So go out there, tell stories, have fun, talk about stuff that interests you, and that you find fun. Tell people about what you are doing.

Also, ask them about themselves. Players love to talk about themselves. Actually all people like to talk about themselves, not just players. So ask them about themselves, where they are from, what do they enjoy, what do they do for a living. And then you can find common interests that way and you can talk about your common interests. You will be amazed about how helpful this is. Because if you have fun, you are enjoying yourself, if you are talking about things that interest you, that night is going to just fly by. You are just going to have so much more fun. You are just going to enjoy the job so much more.

Step No.2 A lot of at home practice!

I know you guys have heard me say this before, but dealing is a lot of at home practice. A lot of muscle memory.

So what you have to do is you have to practice at home. For example, if you are not good at pitching the cards on a single or double deck game, then practice at home. Spend time actually pitching the cards. You could pitch the cards to your dog or your cat, if your cat is even interested in that. You could just sit there on your bed and just pitch the cards. It’s usually good, for example, to have something to shoot at. So you would have a bottle of windex or a bottle of dish washer soap. You would sit there and practice hitting each of those. You would do it at home. It’s a lot of at home practice.

Muscle memory is a big part of that. Practice what you are weak at. If you practice at home you will be a much better dealer when you are on a live game.

No.3 Learn as many games as possible

So I know this is something that I talk about a lot, but the more games that you know as a dealer the more valuable you are to the casino. Especially in areas where hiring dealers might be a little bit harder. If you know a lot of games, every casino is going to want you. You are going to have a pick of what casino you work at. So you could work at the casino where they are making the most money or the most tips. Learn as many games as possible. One way that you could do this is when you go on break, instead of actually going into the break room, go to a game that you want to learn and actually sit there and learn it. Ask the dealer that is dealing the game to teach you how to play and deal the game.

Read the rack card. Sit there and ask them questions. When you feel comfortable enough, like you know the game, you feel comfortable enough to deal it, then ask to be shadowed. You would go up to that floorman who is watching the game. You would ask the floorman who is watching the game, “Hey, I’m on my break, I am learning this game, is it ok if I am shadowed on this game for my 20 minute break?” And normally the floorman would be like, “Yeah sure go ahead.”

You will go and the dealer who is supposed to deal that game will shadow you. And they will make sure that you are doing what you are supposed to do. That is one way to learn more games, where you don’t have to pay any more money. Instead the casino is paying you to learn that game. A lot of people think that they have to pay money and go to school. The casino will teach you how to deal the game. They will pay you while you are learning to deal the game. You just have to do it on your breaks.

No.4 Learn game security table protection

This is very important. There is so much out there that you can learn. I would probably sit here all day talking about it. One of the most important things that you should keep in mind to help you be a better dealer is to always case your layout. Always, always, case your layout. Now what does that mean? Every single time you start a new hand, before that first card comes out, you look at every single bet that is on the table, and you know what they are playing. You memorize basically what everyone is playing. You make sure that there are no bets over the table maximum, or under the table minimum. You also make sure that there are no high value checks on the table. This will save you later on in case someone tries to press or pinch their bet.

Also, make sure there is nothing on the table, there are no cell phones on the table. Watch the players' hands. Make sure for example, if they are on a double deck blackjack game they are not touching the cards with both hands. Make sure that the cards never leave your sight. Be very vigilant. Watch your game. I know that there’s a lot of dealers out there who sorta get bored being on their game and then their eyes sorta wander and they are looking around. They are not focused on their game. That is not a good dealer. A good dealer is focused on their game, and they know everything that everyone is doing and they are aware and attentive and nothing would catch them by surprise.

Another way to be a better dealer. I have noticed that not many dealers clap out any more. Especially in casinos that are in the Midwest, and East Coast area where the policies are probably more relaxed. That is something that is very crucial to being a good dealer. You need to clap out. You need to clear your hands. So it is not exactly clapping, that is what is needed. What you need to do is show your palms face up, that way the cameras can see both the front and back of your hands. That part right there is important. Clearing your hands. Make sure that you clear your hands. Make sure you case your layout. Make sure that you memorize your bets. If you can, check up and see some game security protection things on YouTube and the internet. Learn about card counting, handling angry players, and how to how to properly cut the deck here on the site.

No. 5 Follow all policies and procedures to the T

I know that a lot of dealers don’t do this, but this is one way to make you a better dealer. Every casino has their own policies and procedures. Dealers need to follow those policies and procedures exactly! To the T all the time! Never stop. Never fail. Nothing like that.

Now the reason why is mainly for game security and table protection. When floormen are looking for dealers who are cheating, and players who are cheating, what they are looking for is a break in procedure. They are looking for people who are not following policies and procedures exactly to a T. That is what indicates that there is possibly some cheating going on. As a dealer, if you want to be a really good dealer, follow policies and procedures to show the floorman and security that you are a good dealer. They don’t have to watch you as much for example. If there is a dealer and they never follow policies and they never follow procedures, the floorman and security surveillance will keep a closer eye on them, especially if they are sloppy. If they are sloppy they might even get written up or fired because of that. It is just so important to follow all of the policies and procedures exactly. When you get hired they will give you a dealing instruction manual. That is to have all of those policies and procedures on there.

Also, this is a fun one, every single floorman is different. Sometimes some floorman will want you to do policies and procedures one way, and another floorman will want you to do policies and procedures another way. You have to remember which one is which. And then you have to follow what they want you to do.

Q & A

Q - How do you become a dealer? Same way you get into Carnegie Hall.

A - Nice!

Q - Why are there dealers on craps when they are not dealing I wonder?

A - Are you talking about being on a dead game? Sometimes there are tables that are open and the dealers are not doing anything. This is known as being on a dead game.

Recap

The five easy steps to improve your dealing skills.

1. Have fun, talk, enjoy yourself. You are going to be there for eight hours so really have fun with it. Talk about what interests you.
2. Lots of at home practice. If there is anything that you are weak at or not good at, you maybe need more help with, practice at home. Always good!
3. Learn as many games as possible. The more games you know, the more valuable you are as a dealer. You can learn those games while you are on breaks so you can get paid while you learn.
4. Case your layout. Always, always case your layout. Know your game. Know what people are betting. Know what’s on your table. Be vigilant.
5. Follow all policies and procedures to the T. Don’t be sloppy. This is due to game security, and game protection. We want to make sure we do all of the policies and procedures, so that way if there is ever a break in policy and procedure that will attract the floorman and surveillance attention. You don’t want that. You want to be a good dealer.

Filming at Viva Cafe in the Boulevard Mall