KEY POINTS:
What: National Games Dealer level three (NZQA)
Where: SkyCity Auckland
Contact: Phone 363 6000 or visit www.skycityauckland.co.nz.
Prerequisites: Must have a clean police record, be well presented/groomed and have a reasonable grasp of English. Applicants sit a basic mathematics test and undergo a dexterity test for chip handling skills and so on
Course cost: No cost to employee
Starting salary: $16.09 an hour (for a dealer with one major game)
New dealers working at SkyCity in Auckland are sent off to "blackjack school" before they start on the casino floor.
They spend two weeks learning blackjack and then seven days covering electronic roulette, tai sai, money wheel and Caribbean stud. Electronic roulette theory is taught and tested in training, but the practical aspects (dexterity and learning to spin the ball) take place after initial training has finished.
Last year SkyCity Auckland introduced the National Certificate in Casino gaming (Level 3) for new dealers. The qualification includes assessments on areas such as communication and customer service skills; knowledge of casino rules and procedures; and laws relevant to casinos and the operation of various casino games.
The casino has been operating for 11 years and is open 24 hours a day. It employs 450 full-time dealers, 72 part-timers and 80 casuals.
Career progression opportunities involve moving from being a dealer through to a manager. Dealers train in minor and major games, so they can switch during the day. This keeps things interesting and fun - for them and the patrons.
The employee
Sindy Um
Age 26
Table games dealer, SkyCity
Finished training in June last year.
I had finished my degrees at uni and was working in a clothing shop at Manukau. Some of the people talked about going to the casino, playing the games and winning the money. I asked if I could join them. I came to the casino but I didn't play as I didn't know how to. But it was fun; I was looking at the tables and the dealers. It looked so interesting, interacting with people, entertaining them. And I thought maybe I could be one.
I'm now a two-major games dealer, the first major is blackjack and the second major is baccarat. My minors are tai sai, money wheel and Caribbean stud. I deal blackjack and baccarat mostly.
The training was not easy for me everything was new information. After high school, I didn't study mathematics so for me it was a little bit of extra work. The counting, the blackjack payout - my trainer helped me a lot and my other fellows. You are adding all the time.
I work a fixed roster. I have Wednesday and Thursday off; and I work 11am to 7pm, which is good.
I do think of the chips as actual money. I remember my first time, after training. It was my first player at my first table and he changed $20,000 into chips. They were $100 notes and I was counting; I was nervous and my hand was shaking.
Now I have been working one year and I am more confident and give customers good service. I can make a joke and entertain them more.
Studying Asian studies at university has helped me a lot, working here, to know about the cultural difference. Plus our training is NZQA recognised and it is free. I think that is awesome.
The manager
Stuart Anderson
Table games operations manager
Sindy obviously displays the attributes that we look for - outgoing, bubbly, customer-service orientated, and she has an understanding for the cultural diversity that we have in our customer base.
The training is critical as we are a highly regulated environment. People look at the way you deal blackjack and they think it's easy. But one of the hardest things is just the timing of pulling the cards out and making your hands touch each other without looking, so that hand-eye recognition is important and that all works towards the efficiencies of the game.
The procedure of how to deal, the rules of the game, how to pay and take, procedure when a player wins, how much blackjack pays, all those rules are learnt in those first three weeks. And then it's just repetition.
It's all about mechanics; we give people easy ways of remembering things picture recognition. Our procedure around cutting chips helps you add up, how many chips are in a stack is easy and that's all about memory.
You have to be confident; you have to have excellent customer service focus. We deal with the public and that has its high and lows. You have to be enthusiastic, motivated. It's not a tough job to do but you do have to have that willingness to learn.
The best thing about this job is that there are casinos all around the world. You can arrive in a city and have a well-paid job.
