Becoming a dealer in the GTA
Seems I've got a lot of time on my hands these days (laid off), and thoughts through my head are turning into a desire to become a casino dealer. Plenty of times I've sat at a casino game and thought "I can do better than this person."
I've already done a little bit of research and see there's two dealer schools operating in the area. So before I go throwing money at these places, would love to hear some insight from any of you with experience as to whether this is the path to getting into the front door of the local casinos as a nice time-filler type of job. In this current job environment of "it's not what you know it's who you know" I wonder how hard it would be to get started. Thoughts? Experiences? Tell me your stories!
I've already done a little bit of research and see there's two dealer schools operating in the area. So before I go throwing money at these places, would love to hear some insight from any of you with experience as to whether this is the path to getting into the front door of the local casinos as a nice time-filler type of job. In this current job environment of "it's not what you know it's who you know" I wonder how hard it would be to get started. Thoughts? Experiences? Tell me your stories!
Comments
I got lucky with my dealing job as the casino itself (Red Shores in Charlottetown, PEI) offered training. I started on Blackjack, then moved to Poker and a few of those other silly games. Eventually we got Baac (easy) and Roulette (difficult) so or training was continuous.
My basic advice would be:
-Sharpen your math skills. You will need to compute numbers quickly and accurately.
-Develop a thick skin. Players who are losing can be assholes and you will be the target of their hate. It's a constant barrage of whining meanness and you can't really fire back. (although I did many times...you have to pick your spots)
-Be super nice to the good players. I worked with many dealers that didn't and it cost us tip money.
-Remember that help is on the way. If you're stuck with a bunch cheap, dickhole players don't sweat it. You will eventually get tapped off the table.
-Mistakes happen. Learn and move on.
-Learn to hustle-the base pay is garbage, so you gotta work for those tips!
-Be prepared to be fatigued at work. Late night shifts suck.
-Have fun! When you're on a good table, it doesn't feel like work, You are playing games for a living.
Let me know if you have any other questions.