Casino dealers, or croupiers to give them their French name, are the workers that run and oversee casino tables. They ensure that all of the rules and procedures observed at a particular casino table are adhered to and also ensure that the game is fair. If you've ever been to a casino, then chances are you will have seen a dealer in action. You can also find professional casino dealers in top Australian online casinos.

Your typical casino dealer's day starts early when they arrive for work around 8 am. After registering with security, they'll be shown to their break-out room, where they set up their equipment, don their uniform and prepare for an average day dealing cards or spinning roulette wheels. After allocating time for tasks such as preparing decks of cards and stocking chip trays, they will begin their work and continue dealing and overseeing games for an average of eight hours. For convenience, some MGA licensed casinos provide croupiers with a room to sleep in after their shift ends.

Here are 5 surprising facts about these dealers:

1. No formal training is required;
2. Dealers are easy people to impress;
3. Their jobs are risky business;
4. They can make a quick buck on the side;
5. You need a cool head to be a good dealer.

No Formal Training Required
While a croupier's job is extremely important, on a busy day, a single dealer will oversee over 50 tables. This means that on any one shift, the likelihood of mistakes being made is pretty high. You may think that casinos would have to ensure that only the most qualified and experienced people are employed as dealers, but this isn't always the case. In fact, there are no formal qualifications written on stone for becoming a casino dealer – all you need is eye-sight good enough to distinguish between cards of different values and some manual dexterity.

While casinos do provide some form of training for their dealers before they take up their role, many new employees pick things up by watching more experienced colleagues at work. It has also been shown that experience gained by handling chips helps dealers to deal with cards quicker.

Dealers Are Easy People to Impress
Casino dealers work in a hectic environment, and they're on the front line if things go wrong on a gamble, but unlike other casino workers like pit bosses, dealers actually earn less than their cocktail waitress counterparts. This is because, unlike pit bosses and hostesses who receive tips, tip giving isn't part of playing at a table. The same goes for security staff – it's not very common for someone to slip them an extra $20 as they walk out of the door. Most dealing jobs pay minimum wage or about $10 an hour, which isn't that bad if you consider that some croupiers can work up to 300 hours a month!

Their Jobs Are Risky Business
Casino dealers are exposed to the negative effects of stress, both physically and emotionally. This is because dealing cards for 8 hours a day in a high-pressure environment takes its toll on you, not just in terms of physical appearance but psychologically too.

Dealing cards in front of people who have just lost their life savings doesn't exactly help matters either. Studies have shown that casino employees who work with problem gamblers are more susceptible to anxiety, depression and even suicidal thoughts when compared with other hospitality workers. A big fraction of casino staff are offered mental health services after they leave employment, so if you lose your job as a dealer, it's worth checking out what sort of support you may be able to get.

They Can Make a Quick Buck on the Side
One of the most frequent questions people ask about casino dealers is whether they are allowed to gamble themselves. While casinos might not mind if you play for fun, staff are forbidden from gambling whilst working.

This isn't exactly surprising, given that many gamblers with large amounts of cash want to ensure they're getting maximum value for money when playing, and their mind will tell them that it's always better to stick with someone who hasn't had any hands-on experience at the table before. Luckily for these dealers, their uniform gives them an air of expertise that most punters would assume means that they must know everything there is about cards dice and roulette.

You Need a Cool Head to Be a Good Dealer
If you've ever been to a casino, you might have noticed that dealers seem pretty calm while they're working, despite there being hundreds of people watching them from all angles. In fact, this is vital for anyone wanting to get into the job because it means that you don't go crazy from all the pressure and stress. If dealt a bad hand on your own vacation in Las Vegas, just remember that the chances of catching shrimp on chips are higher than actually winning big money at a casino.

You Can Become a Casino Dealer Almost Anywhere
For those of you thinking about becoming a casino dealer, best to jump online and check out the job descriptions at local casinos first. Many jurisdictions all over the world have different sets of rules for dealing cards, so it's important to know what qualifications are needed before you apply because if you don't meet the requirements, then your application may not even be considered.

Again, while no formal qualifications may be needed to work as a casino dealer, most casinos prefer dealers with at least a high school diploma. GED would also certainly work for you. It is important to keep this in mind if you're considering getting into this as your career.

It might feel like people who deal cards in Vegas or Macau earn more because they're gambling capitals, but this isn't true – all dealers earn exactly the same no matter where they work. The only exceptions are dealers working on cruise ships or for Native American casinos. Dealers at these locations must be Indian tribal members or an employee of a Native American-owned and -operated enterprise and their families.

Final Thoughts
Casino dealers are one of the most important parts of a casino, but you can see why they can have their own challenges that may not be faced by security staff, VIP hosts or even cocktail servers. Many people who work in this industry report feeling burnt out after less than three years at the tables because it's tiring being constantly surrounded by gamblers. However, if you're really passionate about gambling, then maybe this is just the job for you.