What makes a great live casino dealer: the skills you don’t see

When you think of a real life casino, what can often set the mood and atmosphere on the casino floor are the dealers and how they interact with casino guests.

Often it is the dealers who embody the spirit and meaning of a casino brand and reflect what the casino stands for and although a live casino doesn’t allow for players and dealers to meet face to face, the interaction of dealers in a live casino space is still paramount to the experience that is offered.

Let’s take a look in more detail at the different kinds of skills that a live casino dealer needs, some of them you may not even see.

Professionalism 

At the top of any list of requirements as to what makes a great live casino dealer, one of the key fundamentals is the ability to be professional. 

Whether it’s a live casino or a real casino environment, when players encounter a dealer they expect a certain level of professionalism and it is essential that every live dealer lives up to professional standards. 

At times due to the fact that interactions are made via a chat room, players might feel they have more licence to be abusive or push the boundaries of acceptable levels of interaction. Whatever is being said, it is important that dealers don’t react personally and they remain calm. Live casinos have strict rules in place for players to adhere to and it is essential that dealers try not to take anything personally and flag any criticism to their superiors. 

In real life casino scenarios, it is the dealer that sets the tone and atmosphere of the table. It is essential that the same is true within a live casino. Live dealers should feel licensed to acknowledge any table wins, but also act in a sympathetic and professional fashion should losses occur.

Card handling skills need to be high

When you visit a real life casino it can often be mesmerising to see how skilled the dealers are when it comes to handling cards, shuffling cards and the speed in which they deal. The same needs to be true for those specialising in dealing within a live casino.

Many players turn to live tables due to the speed that blackjack and roulette games often take. In most circumstances, game play is far quicker in a live environment and it is up to the live dealers to ensure that the pace of play is kept high. In order for this to happen, live casino dealers need to have all of the skills that their real life casino counterparts have.

In order to hone their craft, dealers will often spend hours practicing their card handling skills, they possess skills that very few can match. Working in a live casino environment as a dealer can be a pressured environment, with the need for the action to be fast and flowing it is essential that the dealer has the skills to overcome any challenges and keep the gameplay moving along.

Adaptability

Live casino areas boast many different games that can be played and most live casinos offer up roulette, blackjack, poker, baccarat and game show games that can be played. 

Whereas some games may need dedicated dealers who only work on that particular game, it is more likely that dealers will need to work across many different games – therefore their skills need to be adaptable. 

Different games will require different skills. For example when working on the blackjack tables, dealers will need to be quick when dealing the cards and their maths needs to be on point in order to work out who has what. When it comes to roulette speed is often the key and a dealer needs to ensure that a new game is ready to be played at the end of the timer.

Game show games require dealers to be enthusiastic and upbeat, these games can often last several minutes before the game resets.

In order to flourish across the many different games within a live casino, dealers need to work on their skills and elements of their personality to ensure that they succeed across every game. 

Rounded personalities

Arguably the most important skill that any casino dealer needs to have, is the ability to talk and adapt to different players. Due to the nature of table games, there will be occasions where emotions run high or there could even be instances where dealers need to give players the space to make decisions. 

A dealer that can interact well with the players on their table will often see the mood being lighter and can generate a fun and welcome atmosphere. However, that shouldn’t always be the default position to take.

On high roller blackjack tables, there will be occasions where players need the mental space to make tough decisions and the dealer should be able to read the room to see what levels of interaction will need to be required. Good dealers should know when to talk and when to stay in the background. 

Dealers also need to be accountable. Mistakes can happen and if a dealer does make an error, they need to hold up their hands and do their best to rectify the situation in a professional and timely fashion. 

As well as being light-hearted and bubbly there will be times where dealers need to remain firm. There could be instances where tensions boil over between players at the table and the dealer needs to ensure that a line isn’t crossed when it comes to acceptable language or behaviour. 

Dealers are in charge at the table and they need to enforce the rules and boundaries to ensure that everyone is safe and has fun. 

Throughout a shift it is likely that a dealer will need to don many hats, they need to have many layers of their personality to really thrive and excel.