The Interesting Role of a Croupier
Possibly the most underestimated role in a casino, the croupier has the knowledge and training to make sure your game runs seamlessly while offering up strategies to newcomers when asked. It’s easy to think that their role involves the simplistic act of wrist flicking and card shuffling, but the training that it takes to fulfill this unique role is both comprehensive and extensive.
A croupier is the backbone of the industry. He or she provides a lively experience while counting bets, controlling actions, calculating payouts as well as monitoring and reporting any unlawful acts.
Casino Croupiers
In all major casino cities such as Las Vegas, you’ll find traditional croupiers donning formal outfits. They’ll have skill sets like chip handling, card shuffling and quick mental arithmetic. They will possess the ability to control games like roulette, Texas Hold ‘em poker, baccarat, blackjack and even craps to compete with the Vegas slots machines.
It’s hard to attain this position because it’s quite challenging to keep a game moving effortlessly, without making mistakes. A simple slip and a player could lose huge amounts of money — it’s imperative that the croupier prevents mistakes. This role involves more than accuracy, however, because the movement is a big factor in the playing of any casino game.
And what about entertainment? If you’ve ever found yourself at a blackjack table in a casino, then you’ve also likely noticed the lighthearted, fun aspects of a croupier. Their job also consists of maintaining the temperature of the conversations and atmosphere — as the player experience suffers when they appear too focused and controlling during the game.
Internet Croupiers
There’s a new category of croupiers these days: the internet croupiers. They operate behind a screen, sometimes hundreds to thousands of miles away from the players. It’s a recent development that commands more engagement from the croupier to be able to enhance the players’ experience and help them feel as if they are in a brick-and-mortar casino.
The same strategy exists, only with webcams. The players place bets, then the croupier deals the cards. Any wins will reflect by the system when it credits cash to the players’ accounts. The role of the online croupier is to chat with the players, appear attractive and engage in such a way that the players forget about playing from a virtual perspective.
Training and Life of a Croupier
Training to be a croupier typically involves a full-time course, lasting eight weeks or longer. In that course, a trainee will learn the rules of each game, how to control and run each game in the environment of the casino, how to collect bets from players and how to open and close the tables between each session. They’ll also learn more about mental dexterity, the regulations and legal framework of the industry, the psychological aspects of players and how to provide excellent customer service.
Once they complete the training, croupiers keep a flexible schedule. Casinos are usually open 24/7, which aids in the scheduling needs of an employee who may go to school and needs to work odd hours. In addition to the flexible schedules, they make most of their income from tips while reaping the benefits of health and retirement plans and time-off opportunities.
Croupiers can search for casino positions, online positions and even work on cruise ships. With enough experience and dedication to their role, a lot of employees also find that they have expansion opportunities. They might move between venues, become supervisors, become a pit boss and much more.
It’s no easy task to become a world-class croupier. Some of the most skilled people in the role are those who have previously been poker players and wish to transfer the skills they’ve developed from experience. It’s a tough undertaking to keep players entertained and happy with the services. Thankfully, whether you’re looking to play in a venue, online or on a cruise ship, you can trust that the croupier will be the one making your experience as enjoyable as possible.