How to Become a Top Casino Croupier

Becoming a casino croupier can be a rewarding job not only for gaming enthusiasts but also for anyone who likes to be surrounded by a fast-faced, fun yet highly professional environment. Once you are fully trained in the art of croupier tricks and techniques, you can then start hunting for these glamorous jobs and travel overseas, safe in the knowledge that you are a part of one the world’s biggest industries.

Job description

As a trusted member of a casino, a croupier must provide an all-round service to ensure the fast flow on the casino floor is maintained. The job will entail multiple duties which will require the croupier to have a full understanding of casino games such as roulette, blackjack, craps and stud poker. The croupier must first welcome the guests at the table and prepare the table for the next game. This is usually followed by an explanation of game and in-house rules to players and collecting chips and shuffling cards as the game progresses. Other tasks include calculating payouts efficiently and looking out for cheating behaviour at the table.

Requirements

All croupiers must be 18 or over and need to be licensed by the Gaming Commission to carry out their work. You must not have any previous criminal convictions and you should have a good general education which will often require you to have at least three A-C GCSE’s including maths. Potential croupiers also need good hearing as well as verbal skills due to the nature of the work. Full colour vision is also a necessity when dealing with chips and coloured boards.

Training

Many hopefuls complete a course to increase their chances of becoming a trainee croupier within an established casino. There are three UK colleges and one university which offer the training: Blackpool and Fylde College, North Warwickshire and Hinckley College, the London Gaming College and the University of Salford. The three main courses which are provided are foundation degrees in either gambling and leisure management or casino operations management and NVQ levels 2 and 3 in casino gambling operations.  However, a lucky few can get their foot in the door by becoming a trainee croupier straight away – 14% of workers within the UK gambling industry have no qualifications.

Whilst you are training, take advantage of some online resources like free sign up offers, bonuses and promotions such as a UK Casino Club bonus promotion. You can then supplement your course by learning a few tips, tricks and odds at home.

In order to gain your gambling license, you must complete a programme of training which can either be provided by your employer or a private organisation. This course will usually last between six and eight weeks, although this may vary depending upon your country of study.

Skills

During the course of your training, you will learn a mixture of basic skills and in-depth knowledge in order to become a top croupier. A lot of your training will be devoted to building your customer service skills, your attitude and your ability to handle customers. You will also be taught techniques with chips and cards including shuffles and calculating odds.

In order to maintain speed and accuracy, your training will also focus on improving your mental arithmetic and calculation speeds. Once you are an established croupier, you will also be able to learn certain kinds of behaviours to read your players and maintain a calm demeanour.