Craps Dealer Average Salaries

While casinos are known for their high cash flow, this does not guarantee that their employees all receive a nice share of the profits via their salaries. Candidates who are looking into becoming a craps dealer may be surprised to find out that the position’s pay is not exactly top tier material. Those who are more serious about being a craps dealer already know this and it’s often the combination of all the other advantages that come with being a craps dealer that keeps them going.

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Average Craps Dealer Salary Rates

The average yearly rate for all Craps dealer jobs that are accrued by job sites and salary analysis sites is $14,000. By itself this average seems rather measly. When only considering hourly rates paid to casino craps dealers, this low average is generally spot-on. Hourly rates for a craps dealer will range from $6.00 to $9.00 with many places starting out at or just below their state’s minimum hourly rate.

Receiving Tips as a Craps Dealer

The job of craps dealer is similar to being a waiter, where the majority of the income comes from tips provided by customers. The average yearly bonus outcome for all dealer positions in the United States is around $15,000. This means that on average, a dealer is likely to make as much or more in tips than their assured hourly rate. Combining the average hourly income salary and average bonus income nets a sum of about $30,000.

However, it’s important to remember that this is all an average. This means that there are outliers in the population that are receiving $10,000 per year on hourly rates along with $10,000 in bonuses that sums up to a somewhat paltry $20,000 per year. A portion of this disparity comes down to location and quality of the casino. Prestigious casinos often garner more income for craps dealers in tips on top of a higher hourly rate compared to smaller casinos.

Receiving Player Tips

Since the total salary of a craps dealer depends on tips, there is a high variability factor in how much one can earn at any given time. Craps dealers can maximize their tips income in several ways. The very first is knowing the ins and outs of craps and proper etiquette. Experienced players and employers alike appreciate dealers that can keep tables running smoothly, particularly those who know how to transition into a game of craps when coming off their work break.

Players in craps games are usually more than talkative and are willing to make relationships with dealers, so it’s important for a dealer to extroverted and to be able to recognize experienced players who are willing to make bets for the dealer and who are relatively successful at the game.

How Tips are Earned

As noted, players will often make bets for the dealer that are equal or lower to their own personal bet that they are placing on the table. Other times, players will make a bet that is to be shared with the dealer. Tips, also known as a toke which refers to the casino’s token currency, can also be received by providing players with table information regarding the position of the odds and bets on the table during a given game.

The in-house regulations on dealer tips vary from casino to casino. Some casinos require tips to be checked by a regulatory department that partitions the earnings based on the number of hours worked by each dealer. Other casinos allow the main dealer at a given craps table to be the sole recipient of any tips that are handed out by players during their work shift. Additional discrepancies vary on whether or not the box man, the person who is supervising the craps table, receives a portion of the tips. Often, box men do not earn a part of the tip as craps dealers are rotated between several positions in a single work shift that includes working the box man and dealer positions.

The type and amount of table information that a dealer is allowed to divulge to players is often covered during training. Violations of in-house policies are often met with strict consequences such as job termination. Often, the box man and dealer will look to earn more tips when other floor management personnel are not around.

Experienced craps dealers will eventually be able to divulge certain information to players without saying anything and instead do so by reading a player’s betting pattern and leveling the playing field on occasions where a player’s betting pattern happens to not be the best for the situation. Additionally, craps dealers who are working in a prestigious casino are more likely to encounter high rollers, who can bring in hefty tips for a dealer. In such situations, it’s not uncommon for an experienced and well placed craps dealer to rake in $50,000 to $90,000 in total yearly earnings.

Other Benefits of Being a Craps Dealer

Craps dealers, like most other casino dealer positions, will usually receive other benefits afforded to them by their employers. Candidates who fit the exact profile of a casino’s hiring department may have their entire training fee sponsored by the casino. Full time dealers receive health care and retirement benefits.

On days that have a lull in activity, casinos often run an early out list where dealers can sign up to leave early or waive an entire shift if there simply isn’t enough players around. With the boosts in casino revenues often provided during national holidays and during popular vacationing weekends, there’s usually time to earn extra income via overtime. Nearly all casino resorts offer their employees free meal or meal tokens, allow dealers to grab a bite after their work shift is over or during their mandatory breaks.

Additionally, the opportunity of becoming a craps dealer is accessible to older adults who are looking for a change of pace. With little focus on youth related requirements, this means that even senior citizens can become craps dealer provided they have the required license and qualities to perform the job. Occasionally, this results in a yearly salary that is greater than other white-collar job averages.