Casino dealers are lumped right in with waitresses as servicemen who work with small base salaries, relying on tips alone to bring in most of their daily take. We’re talking minimum wage plus tips here. I’ve heard it all my gambling life (along with the message that you have to tip even if you lose), and I’ve always wondered how accurate this is, and how much an average or good dealer really makes in a year. I’ve never tried to be a dealer, nor do I have any close dealer friends, so I was outside looking in on this one.

It turns out, much of the comparisons to waiters is accurate. Like any service industry, the amount of your salary is somewhat tied to the quality of the establishment in which you’re working. A waiter in a diner is going to make a fraction of what a waiter in a high-class restaurant in the city is going to make. The same holds true for dealers. And while the current state of the economy has taken a bite out of every service, dealers at higher-class establishments can expect to make about $250 a shift. A “regular” casino will yield less than that, though, probably around $150 per shift. And at low-stakes, off-the-beaten-path venues, a dealer will be lucky to clear $75 a shift.

I’m hearing that in some casinos in Atlantic City, the hourly tip-earning rate is around $14…so that, coupled with minimum wage, brings their hourly total to around $20. Certainly enough to make a living on, but other casinos, like Caesars Atlantic City, pay a few bucks more per hour on average.

So, here’s the question. We all love to play cards (or whatever your game of chance may be), and we all enjoy being in a casino. That said, would you consider doing it for a living? I couldn’t do it, even for $50 an hour, but that’s just me. It’s hard enough having to answer a couple calls a day from the public in my line of work, but having to be face-to-face with them, possibly drunk, for hours on end – while on my feet the entire time – forget about it. These dealers no doubt earn every tip they’re fortunate enough to make. Keep that in mind next time you’re ready to kill the messenger. But, like in the other service industries, you only should feel the need to reward good service.