Is it possible to get a job dealing cards without casino school?
Probably depends on where you’re thinking of working. I know I used to work as a cashier at a casino, and when they were hiring another dealer they offered to train people for some internal hires…it was about a two week course to learn to shuffle, deal and not get scammed. At a local place dealing blackjack may not be too stressful, but at a bigger casino they really want to make sure your deal is “tight” as in, secure and in control. So anyway, if you’re thinking of working at a local casino then you will probably have better luck than at a resort casino as far as getting hired. If you’re really lucky, a place just might send you off for some paid training since you have some experience already.
In Las Vegas, you’re not going to get hired without actually going to dealer school. Even if some places did it in the past, right now unemployment is high, so all jobs are highly competitive, so they’re not going to waste their time on someone without dealer school when they’ve got 10 more applicants who actually did. I have heard that in other states they may send you to dealer school or train you “on the job,” so I wouldn’t give up if you really don’t want to do the school. It’s worth applying for jobs and seeing if you can get an interview/audition. As they say, it never hurts to ask. The schools aren’t really that big a deal though. It doesn’t really take that long, and you can get financed if you don’t have the cash up front.
