Blackjack Dealer Salary – How Much Do Blackjack Dealers Make On Average
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Last Updated: January 7, 2022
Blackjack Dealer Salary – How Much Do Blackjack Dealers Make On Average
Do you love playing blackjack and are considering delving deeper into this world and becoming a blackjack dealer? Then this detailed article is just the thing you need to read!
We’ll extensively discuss the financial aspect of being a blackjack dealer and go into the nitty-gritty details of how much blackjack dealers earn on average.
We’ll also go over other aspects of this job that you need to know, besides the blackjack salary itself. Read on to find out how much do blackjack dealer makes, how big the tips are, and more.
How Much Do Blackjack Dealers Make?
Most blackjack dealers work under an hourly contract, meaning they get paid based on how many hours they work during the week or month.
That said, as a blackjack dealer, you’re a part of the service industry, much like a bartender or a delivery person. Knowing this, we can comfortably say that your monthly wage depends more on the tips you get from customers than from your base hourly wage.
But, before we can dig deeper into the numbers and discuss how much money you can expect to earn, it’s important to go over your responsibilities as a blackjack dealer.
In other words, the duties you’ll be tasked with for the money you’ll earn.
To put it as simply as possible, as the blackjack dealer, you are the host, and all of the players are your guests. You deal the cards and direct the action. Additionally, in some casinos, you also trade the casino chips for money and vice versa.
That said, you don’t actually need to know any of the strategies involved in the game. All you need to know are the basic rules that make the game so you can follow all of the action and make sure everything goes on without a problem.
So, how much can you expect to earn for this job? To make it simple, if you’re working forty-hour weeks, you can look forward to a salary of at least $15,000 in most parts of the world.
However, the blackjack dealer pay can go up to $100,000 or more depending on where you work and your experience.
As you can see, there’s a huge difference between the low and high numbers. This is why we should dissect these more thoroughly to better understand the discrepancy. This leads us to the next key part of this article.
Blackjack Dealer Salary by Country
Besides the basic blackjack dealer salary you can expect to come with the job, the size of your paycheck will also heavily depend on the country and even the city you’re working in.
For this reason, we’ll take a closer look at how much blackjack dealers make around the world.
Average Blackjack Dealer Salary in the US
As casino gambling is widely spread in the US, blackjack dealers in this country can earn a nice salary.
That said, the biggest thing that influences how much you’ll earn is where you’re working. By this, we mean both the casino you’re working for and the state you’re working in.
For example, a blackjack dealer working in Alabama or Iowa will, on average, earn just about $32,000 a year. On the other side of the spectrum, a dealer in Massachusetts or Hawaii will earn closer to $44,000 on average.
However, it’s also important to consider the specific casino you’re working for. For instance, the average salary for a blackjack dealer in Las Vegas, Nevada, is just over $40,000. But, these numbers will vary significantly based on the employer.
More specifically, if you find a job as a blackjack dealer in one of the largest casinos like the Bellagio or the Wynn, you can expect to earn $80,000 or more per year on average.
If you work for a casino off of the Las Vegas Strip, the average blackjack dealer salary drops significantly, to about $40,000 a year.
Lastly, if you find a job with a downtown Las Vegas casino, you’ll earn from $30,000 to $40,000 a year. Of course, these amounts are more realistic and more common than the well-paid gigs we’ve previously mentioned.
Still, averaged out across all casinos in all US states, blackjack dealers make between $30,000 and $40,000 a year.
In other words, an average blackjack dealer earns between $15 and $20 an hour. These numbers are well above minimum wage but still far from the average US salary amounts, ranging between $55,000 and $65,000.
Average Blackjack Dealer Salary in Europe
When it comes to European casinos, the salaries are very different from country to country. So, to give you the clearest possible perspective, we’ll focus on three European countries where casinos are widespread and reliable data is available – France, Germany, and the UK.
Out of these three countries, France offers the lowest salaries for blackjack dealers. On average, entry-level blackjack dealers earn about $24,000 a year, while more experienced dealers can earn up to $30,000. This includes the salary and all of the tips.
In comparison, dealers in Germany fare a bit better. The average blackjack dealer salary is around $30,000 or a bit more. Additionally, more experienced croupiers can earn closer to $40,000.
Lastly, blackjack dealers in the UK have the biggest paycheck out of these three European countries. UK blackjack dealers can earn between $40,000 and $50,000, sometimes up to $70,000 or more, depending on the venue they’re working in.
Still, this is primarily when talking about casinos in London, which generally pay the most. So, it’s crucial to keep in mind that casinos in other UK cities pay a lot less.
Tipping – A Blackjack Dealer’s Bread and Butter
As you can see from the information we’ve shared with you above, in European countries, blackjack dealers earn around the average wage, or sometimes slightly above average.
In the US, this wage is significantly below the national average. Because of this, dealers supplement their salaries with the tips they receive from generous customers and big casino winners.
So much so that the tips, especially in countries with a heavy tipping culture like the US, make up a significant portion of a blackjack dealer’s yearly pay.
In most US casinos, the dealers actually earn minimum wage and the rest of the money that comes on top of it is all from tips.
Focusing on the US in this context, tips can often bring in more money to the dealer than they earn through their salary. A blackjack dealer in a well-known casino on a high-traffic location like the Las Vegas Strip can make anywhere from $15 upwards to $50 per hour.
Of course, the latter number is an outlier, and only a tiny percentage of blackjack dealers actually bring in such massive amounts of money through tips. Still, the lower number is very realistic to achieve.
It’s also important to mention that, like in many other professions, blackjack dealers actually have to share their tips with other dealers working that day or during the same shift. While this might not be the rule in all casinos, many have such an agreement in place.
The Biggest Pros and Cons of Working as a Blackjack Dealer
Besides the blackjack dealer salary, which is obviously one of the primary factors, you also need to consider all of the other aspects that make a blackjack dealer’s job.
Doing so will help you gain a realistic perspective on whether the paycheck is worth the effort. With that in mind, here are the most significant things to consider, besides the paycheck itself:
- The Customers – As a blackjack dealer, you’ll always be interacting with gamblers from all walks of life. And, it’s important to know that this can be the biggest advantage or disadvantage of the job, depending on what customers you get on which day.
- The Nature of The Game – Blackjack is an extremely fun and entertaining game to experience when you’re the player. But, when you’re playing it for hours on end, almost every day, for weeks and months, it can be tedious.
- Most Casinos Work 24/7 – This can be a big advantage if you’re a night owl, as casinos often have trouble filling up their night shifts. Plus, there are fewer customers overall during late night hours, so you’ll have an easier task if you have no problem working nights.
- Long Breaks – If you’ve worked any corporate job, you probably know how tedious the shifts can be, especially as the breaks are not nearly as long as they should be. That said, this is far from the case when you’re working as a blackjack dealer, as you’ll likely get up to four half-hour shifts during an eight-hour workday.
- Health Aspect – In most casinos worldwide, people are still allowed to smoke. If the smell of cigar smoke bothers you, this can be a deal-breaker. On the positive side, in the context of health, casinos often offer great health insurance benefits, paid time off, and other advantages through their human resource departments.
How Much Do Live Casino Blackjack Dealers Make?
Some people prefer doing online live blackjack gigs instead of working at real brick-and-mortar casino blackjack tables.
While there’s no precise information on this that we can share with you, there is one aspect to keep in mind.
Online live casino blackjack dealers generally make less money than dealers in land-based casinos. The logic behind this is that online live casino blackjack dealers aren’t working directly with customers like their land-based casino colleagues.
Because of this, there are fewer things they need to pay attention to and less pressure. So, the salary is also automatically less competitive.
Moreover, live casino blackjack dealers don’t work in crowded rooms filled with people. Most often, their tables are set up in separate rooms.
Sometimes online live casino tables aren’t even in a casino but in the gaming company’s studio. As this makes the job much easier, the average blackjack dealer salary is understandably smaller than that of the employees working in a regular casino.
Of course, online live blackjack dealers still always have to be on top of their game and maintain a light mood at the table.
While their job is a lot less intimidating, as there are no players physically present, they are still expected to maintain a pleasant atmosphere and act professionally and responsibly.
How to Earn More Money as a Blackjack Dealer
If you’re looking to commit to a career as a blackjack dealer, know that there’s always room for improvement and getting a bigger paycheck.
The most effective way to put yourself on track to earn more money is to always work on improving your skills.
This includes improving both your blackjack knowledge and social skills. As a professional blackjack dealer, you should know how to read the players that come to your table.
Know which players are in it just for fun and want to talk all of the time and which want to keep it to themselves and not engage in any small talk.
Moreover, you should know how to handle winners and losers, as this will ensure some nice tips over time.
Additionally, you can also try to get into the high-stakes blackjack tables. When you’re working low-stake tables, the casino will pay you less money than the dealers that work with VIP customers.
Plus, when you’re dealing cards to rich people, the tips will be immeasurably more generous.
Lastly, you can earn more money by expanding your skillset beyond blackjack.
For example, if you’re willing to learn how to deal for poker and baccarat games, you’ll be a much more valuable employee for the casino, and they will be willing to pay you more for your time and service.
How Much Do Blackjack Dealers Make – A Quick Summary
If you’re a social person and generally enjoy playing casino games and hanging around gamblers, becoming a professional blackjack dealer might just be the right thing for you.
You can stay close to the game without risking any of your money and root for other players that are up for big wins.
The job itself isn’t overly complicated, and the hours aren’t too long or demanding. Of course, there are some drawbacks, as we’ve mentioned above, but the blackjack dealer salary and the tips make this a fairly lucrative career.
You can expect to earn a solid wage, and if you put effort into advancing your career as a blackjack dealer, you can make a very nice living doing this job.
