In general, the most common casino dealer shift starts at 8pm and ends at 4am. This is because the casino tends to be busiest at those times, even if it’s a 24 hour casino.
Night shifts are especially common for senior dealers. Trainee dealers may struggle to deal the games if there are too many players at the table, and again, this is more likely to happen at night.
So generally speaking, experienced dealers will be assigned night shifts, while beginners will work mornings and afternoons, when the casino isn’t as busy.
What are casino shift hours?
This totally depends on the casino you work at.
Obviously, most customers will play in the evening, or at night, so that’s the time of the day dealers tend to work.
A typical shift for a casino dealer is 8pm until 4am, or 4pm until midnight. This is when the casino is busiest.
Assuming the casino is always open, then there will be three main shifts — mornings, afternoons, and nights — with the majority of casino staff working late.
So for example, there could be a few dealers working 4am until 12pm, a few more on the 12pm until 8pm shift, and all remaining dealers clocking in at 8pm and leaving at 4 in the morning.
In some casinos, night shifts can start earlier or later, too.
As a dealer who’s worked in a few different casinos in the UK, I’ve seen 6pm until 2am, 7pm until 3am, 8pm until 4am, and so on, 11pm until 7 being the worst one.
How long are casino dealer shifts?
Usually, casino dealers work eight hour shifts. But I’ve seen dealers work ten hour or even twelve hour shifts, although in that case they had three or four days off a week, instead of just two.
Honestly, I could never deal casino games for twelve hours. I’d be way too tired, and the extra day off wouldn’t make up for it.
But to each their own, and one of the advantages of working in a casino is that management tends to be flexible with shift patterns.
So if working really late, or really early, or working ridiculously long shifts, fits your schedule — then you can let management know and they’ll usually try to accommodate your requests.
Why do casino dealers get so many breaks?
Casino dealers have frequent breaks because they need to be mentally alert at all times. Unless the casino is understaffed, if the shift is quiet dealers may get a break every 40 minutes, or even 30 minutes.
Surprisingly, getting so many breaks can actually be a disadvantage as the shift may go slower.
But if the tables are busy, on a Saturday night, and there’s a bunch of people shouting and celebrating every time they win a hand — it can be very draining, and frequent breaks are definitely needed.
Especially if you work ten hour or twelve hour shifts.
How many hours does a casino dealer work?
In terms of hours worked per week, that’s usually the same as most jobs: 40.
But as mentioned, shifts can usually be negotiated in casinos, so if you’re a dealer and want to work part-time (or full-time, and do more hours), then you’ll probably be able to do so.
If you’re lucky enough to work in a casino where tips are really good, then you may only work, say, 30 hours a week and still be comfortable.
