When visiting a casino, real world or live online, one of the most important interactions a visitor has is with the croupier. Croupiers provide an absolutely essential service, one that can easily make or break the entire experience.
Interestingly, a croupier that does his or her job perfectly will often not even be noticed by players, other than for being friendly and giving smiles. But the actual tasks performed by the croupier are far more complicated than is assumed. It is not just a case of understanding the game being played, but also knowing how to perform the needed tasks in the correct way. After all; players must be comfortable at all times with someone handling their money.
So what are the official qualifications needed in order to be a croupier, and what sort of training must be completed? It may be surprising to some just how steep the qualification requirements are.
Specialised Training
A croupier must, first and foremost, obviously be 18 years or older, plus have a license from the regional equivalent of the gambling commission. In order to get such a license the person will have to submit to various background and skill checks.
Once a gambling license has been obtained, the applicant will then have to be taken on by a casino as a trainee. In order to be accepted as a trainee, the applicant will have to demonstrate exceptionally skill in mathematics. It helps a great deal if the applicant already has an official academic mathematics qualification. Those who do not have official qualifications will have to undergo various tests to prove mathematics skills, and may well not be accepted at all.
Depending on the casino and training regiment, the training period may last anywhere between 8 and 12 weeks, after which the trainee may get paid shifts. This depends greatly on the croupiers social interaction skills.
Essential Social and Job Skills
Being quick with mathematics is foremost on a croupiers list of required skills, but interacting with players is just as important. Officially listed social skills for a croupier are;
- That the croupier behaves in a polite, and friendly manner
- That the croupier has the ability to handle complaints, and otherwise difficult or tense situations
- That croupier can stay focused and alert for long periods of time
Upon the croupier demonstrating an aptitude for the above mentioned skills, he or she will eventually be considered for prime time shifts during the busiest casino hours. At an the best croupiers will be given the shifts when the most visitors are expected.
Working for Tips
In many situations a croupier makes most of their money off tips from players. For this reason it is also in a croupier’s best interest to smile, be pleasant, and otherwise endear themselves to players. It is rumoured that in the best casinos croupiers can make enormous amounts of cash, simply from being given tips by grateful players. Of course, croupiers must also be ready to deal with salty players who endure big loses, so the job is what is often referred to as a double edged sword.