Croupier school vs. Poker dealer course

I remember it as if it was yesterday. We used to go there like to school, five days a week, eight hours a day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., for whole two months. This is how the course of a casino croupier looked like approximately 12 years ago. The plan of the entire casino croupier school was designed to be efficient to the maximum.

First week we only learned how to correctly chip the chips into stacks with a feeling of 20 pieces in a hand. Later on it was five stacks within a set time with a precision rate of 100 pieces. It was so boring almost annoying, but it was the basis of the technique of working with chips. The goal of the course was to train quality casino croupiers. Only about 15 people finished the course from a 60-member team. And only nine passed the final exam. After the course the casino hired six of the best. That´s how my life linked with the casino lifestyle forever.

In my opinion you can become a good croupier within 2 years. For the first six months you throw jerky spins and build your confidence behind casino tables. After a year you might think that you are great. Your level of confidence is much better and your dealing technique have improved. If we add another six months, we achieve the level of world champion. But it is questionable, if this is indeed so! Maybe you see yourself as amazing only through your own eyes. You aren´t good, because you still cannot place chips on Voisins du zéro and handle 3 call bets during the spin.

You should be fast on the table (more spins, more money for the casino). You have to have elegant style and constant control over the game. Smooth running of the game should go without saying. I would add a great mood and smiles, which you should hand out behind the tables. The client of the casino has to constantly feel good and welcomed. It doesn’t matter that the gentleman stinks and regular personal hygiene is in the taboo land. The croupier is about to throw up with each push of the stack in his direction. Also in these cases the following applies:

“Always with a smile! The customer is always right!“

Today  some casinos will finish the casino croupier school in a week. Not to mention new poker dealers. It’s enough on the go (e.g. 2 hours before the tournament in one unspecified club). Then it looks so miserable in our poker clubs and casinos. The standards are low, even though the club has modern equipment and looks classy. Let’s talk about the poker and tournaments. The main problem was always that the dealers were trained on the go. No initial training of technical and theoretical rules. Other region, other manners! We could count poker clubs with made up rules without any logic. Poker clubs used to paid little attention to these things. But these are the most important details of this casino – poker mosaic.

Especially these little things make a perfect whole. Perfectionism was always a road to success, wasn´t it? To do things in a way no one else does. To be exceptional, to capture the interest and attract a mass of players, so they wouldn’t want to play anywhere else, because we do it great here! We value our players of all levels!

This is just my personal dispute about the level of professionalism connected with the approach to game (or when people without talent do managers.) In Slovakia the poker situation was very poor. Low standards, behind the scenes machinations in the clubs, overrakes, players for the house + other invisible scams. Luckily, things have moved on, or did they?

Do you know a poker club, which did understand the formula of success and professionalism? Should poker clubs ensure accuracy of croupier courses?