Blackjack is a card game that pits players against the dealer. The player with the highest ranking hand total wins. The game is played with one or more decks of cards, and the values of each card are printed on the card itself – two through 10 for the face cards, and 1 or 11 for the aces. Blackjack dealers have many responsibilities at the casino table, including dealing the cards, taking and paying bets, and completing all appropriate paperwork. Dealership skills are essential to success in the game and to a positive customer experience.
The first step in becoming a blackjack dealer is to find a local dealer school. These schools typically last from eight to 12 weeks and offer hands-on training in the casino environment. Once you have been trained, you can apply your knowledge of the game at a casino table and become a professional blackjack dealer.
Dealers must change money for customers, and this requires a high level of math competency to quickly count cash or checks in order to swap it for chips used to place bets at the table. In addition to changing money, a blackjack dealer is also responsible for placing and shuffling the cards before dealing them to the players. They must also be able to identify counterfeit money.
As the dealer gives each player their cards, they have the option to hit, or take another card, or stand (refrain from taking more cards) based on specific pre-determined rules of the game. The dealer must also deal himself two cards and can choose to draw or stand based on these same rules. He must also pay individuals who win the hand according to predetermined payout amounts.
A player who gets an ace and a ten-value card, or a “blackjack,” on their initial two cards is paid one and a half times the amount of their original bet. However, a player who has 18 with an ace up against a dealer who doesn’t have blackjack will receive a payout equal to their bet amount only (not one and a half times their bet).
Some casinos will allow the players to make an insurance bet against the dealer. This bet costs half the original bet and pays 2-1 if the dealer has blackjack. This bet is not recommended by most experts, as it is an expensive way to lose the game.
After the players have all acted, the blackjack dealer completes all necessary paperwork and cashes in any tips given to her by winning players. Then, she takes her tip box (“toke box”) out of the blackjack pit and escorts it to a safe location under the watchful eyes of security guards. She then returns to her seat at the blackjack table to begin her shift again. This is a demanding job, but it is a very rewarding career. And remember, tomorrow it all starts all over again.