How Much Do Poker Dealers Make?

Have you ever wondered how much money a poker dealer makes in casinos? Many of you, especially those who love to play poker, might even perceive being a poker dealer as your dream job.
This article will cover all the monetary aspects of being a poker player, including salary, perks, tips, responsibilities, etc.

What Is the Average Wage for a Casino Dealer?

The average wage for casino dealers is around $2,400 per month if they work 40 hours a week.
Therefore, the average yearly salary is around 30,000, which is not great, but this salary excludes tips. The tips are the more prominent source of income for casino dealers.

The Perks and Drawbacks of Being a Casino Dealer as a Career

Dealing with live customers gives both perks and drawbacks to casino dealers.
The biggest drawback of a casino dealer is that what is a leisure activity for everybody else becomes a work activity for them. They have to stand in a place for hours, and dealing with the same game for 40 hours a week makes it a drag.
A primary perk of this job is that you do not require any educational qualifications as such for this job. For the ones who identify themselves as night owls, the job of a casino dealer must be perfectly suited to them.

Different Compensations That Casinos Use

1. Compensation Through a High Hourly Rate Without Tips

Some casinos can pay a high hourly rate and ask the casino dealers to distribute the tips among other workers. In this case, the average hourly salary is around $20 an hour, making $800 weekly for 40 hours of work.

2. Standard Hourly Rate with Universal Tip Pool

Another compensation technique from online casinos is to provide a standard hourly rate to the casino dealers and allow them a common tip pool. The average standard hourly rate for a casino dealer in the United States is around $12 to $18 per hour.

3. Reduced Hourly Rate with Specialized Tip Pool

Maintaining the minimum wage rate, some casinos may offer reduced hourly rates to casino dealers. In compensation for that, they allow a specialized tip pool for them. In this case, the money casino dealers revive through tips is much higher than their hourly wage.

4. Reduced Hourly Rate with Keep Your Own Tips Policy

This is one of the compensation done by casinos that is certainly very beneficial to the casino dealers. Casinos may pay a reduced hourly rate, but as most of the money for casino dealers comes from tips, it is excellent if casinos allow keeping their own tips.

5. Tipping Isn’t Mandatory But Expected

Tipping is not mandatory. A player can tip a casino dealer if they feel like it. However, as casino dealers rely primarily on the tips players pay, tipping becomes expected.

Job Responsibilities as a Casino Dealer

Casino dealers are the backbone of casinos as they are the ones who host the games and without them, running the establishment is impossible. Apart from providing players with the cards, their responsibilities include correctly setting a bet, ensuring the right way to every pot, taking the rakes out of the pot, etc.
They also help out players who are amateurs with the rules of the games. Overall, the driving power of casinos lies in the hands of a casino dealer. Being a casino dealer is a skill that ensures that the casinos run smoothly.
However, the core salary given to casino dealers in most casinos is not that satisfactory, and they have to rely heavily on the tips they receive from players.

Conclusion

Being a casino or poker dealer is not at all an easy job to do. It requires skills, passion, and enthusiasm to run a casino smoothly and ensure that the enjoyment factor always remains high. The average salary of poker players may not be that enormous, but if someone is compassionate with their job and invests enough time of their financial career in this field, there are good chances to grow. Casino dealers’ primary monetary source is the tips they get from players. So, tipping the dealer becomes an obligation if you are a poker player.

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