The UK Dealer Championship Returns at the London Casino & Gaming Show

This week, the UK Dealer’s Championship takes place at the London Casino & Gaming Show (LCG) at ExCel London.

On Wednesday, 14th January, the best dealers in the industry will go head-to-head to determine who is the UK’s best dealer.

The contest is not just a test of how quickly someone can deal. It assesses their hosting ability, mental agility, and more. The dealers will compete in final heats, with the winners being determined by a team of expert judges and dealing veterans. Operators have been invited to nominate dealers following internal competitions.

The event is organised by Murat Salih from the Hippodrome Casino, with the venue hosting the awards night on the same day. The top three dealers will receive £2,000, £1,000, and £500 in prize money, respectively.

So, what exactly distinguishes a great blackjack dealer from a poor one? Or a strong roulette croupier? The following skills will all be on display in London this week:

What skills does a blackjack dealer need?

If you want to be at a dealer at any one of the UK's top casinos, these are the skills you are going to need to master.

• Customer service: First and foremost, any good blackjack dealer is going to need good customer service. Land-based casinos are renowned for providing a high level of customer service, and a large part of that is due to the dealers. This requires having an extensive knowledge of blackjack and the casino itself. Of course, patience is also a virtue when you’re a blackjack dealer, with the game often eliciting unpredictable reactions from players.
• Card handling and shuffling: Precision with your dealing is an absolutely essential skill for dealers. It is essential that a dealer’s hands are visible at all times in order to promote transparency. This means you need to be an expert at cutting and shuffling decks, with even the slightest slip-up raising concern among players.
• Pacing the game: A good dealer needs to be efficient. Blackjack is a fast-paced game, and you need to ensure you can keep the action moving and the players engaged. The last thing a dealer needs is a big queue of players forming or players getting frustrated at how long a game is taking.
• Mental arithmetic: Being able to instantly calculate card hands is one of the most essential skills of a blackjack dealer. A dealer may be dealing with multiple players at one time, so an inability to calculate hand values and payouts can be costly.

What skills does a roulette croupier need?

While some skills, such as strong customer service and strong mental arithmetic, are required for a roulette croupier, the role also requires more game-specific skills.

• Attention to detail and control: There is a lot going on at a roulette table. If a croupier can not control the table and monitor everything that is happening, things can quickly become chaotic. A good croupier needs to stay focused on the game, monitor all bets placed, and keep an eye out for any suspicious behaviour. They also need sound knowledge of  roulette rules and to understand any customer calls.
• Picturing bets: Calculating bets and payouts in roulette can be extremely difficult. Experienced croupiers used a technique known as ‘picture bets’ to help them out. This involves memorising certain betting patterns and their outcomes using pictures. This ensures the game keeps moving at a quick pace and that players are paid out correctly.
• Understanding chips: Croupiers should not just keep an eye on the chips on the table. They need to be able to keep track of the chips they have in their hands. Of course, they can not just keep stopping the game to count these. The best of the best can count them on their hands as they play, with 20 often cited as the maximum they should have.