Casino Hands-per-Hour: How to Calculate Game and Dealer Speed

Hands-per-hour (HPH) is a measure of how many hands are played during an hour. It can be useful for dealers, game designers, casino players, casino operators, and anyone evaluating a table game's speed. The results are necessary for regulatory compliance and revenue generation.

In this article, we will share with you the Vegas Aces testing method for measuring Casino Hands-per-hour. It is based on math, and we will provide you with the steps on how to deal faster. Let's get started.

How Do You Calculate Hands-per-Hour?

Deal the game to six imaginary players for 15 minutes. Count only the hands dealt to the players (not the dealer’s), then multiply by four to estimate the hands dealt per hour.

Hands-per-hour = hands dealt in 15 minutes × 4

This measures your total throughput, every player-hand you push out per hour across the table, also known as decisions-per-hour.

Follow these steps:

Step 1: Set up six imaginary players

Step 2: Set a timer for 15 minutes

Step 3: Deal the game normally

Step 4: Count player hands. Do not count the dealer’s hand.

Step 5: Multiply the total by four

Step 6: Record your result

Hands-Per-Hour Example

Deal 75 player hands in 15 minutes: 75 × 4 = 300 hands-per-hour (total).

If the house edge is 0.5%, and there are over 300 hands at, say, $100 each, the house is expected to make $150 per hour.

$0.50 per hand at 300 per hour = $150

What it keeps is the house edge applied across all that action, which is why volume matters.

Hands-per-Hour vs. Rounds-per-Hour

These two get confused, but they measure different things. A round is one complete cycle of play; a hand is an individual player’s hand. Rounds per hour counts completed cycles, while hands-per-hour counts individual hands. For example, if six players each receive a hand in one round, that’s six player-hands but only one round

Casino Hands-per-Hour Chart

These numbers are estimated. Figures vary with the number of active players, the game type, online vs land-based, and dealer experience.

For example, if the table is full of people, there may be less hands-per-hour, however, if there is only one player there may be more hands-per-hour. And keep in mind that some players play slowly while other players play quickly.

Casino Game	Approximate Hands-per-Hour	Relative Speed
Blackjack	Around 300 - 450 hands-per-hour per player; online/electronic play can go higher	Fast
Carnival Games	60 - 100 hands-per-hour	Moderate
Craps	60 - 100 rolls-per-hour	Moderate
Roulette	60 - 75 spins-per-hour	Slower
Slots	Several hundred to 1,000+ spins-per-hour	Very Fast

In the chart above, "hands-per-hour" is used depending on the game's mechanics. In slot games and roulette, spins-per-hour are a common measure. While craps uses rolls-per-hour. Spins-per-hour and rolls-per-hour are the same as hands-per-hour, it just more accurately describes the mechanics of the game.

How Many Blackjack Hands Are Dealt Per Hour?

A live blackjack table delivers roughly 300 to 450 hands-per-hour, depending on the casino. The exact number depends on the number of players, dealer speed, player decisions, shuffling method, number of decks, side bets, buy-ins, chip transactions, and procedures.

Every casino is different and they each require a certain number of hands-per-hour. Local casinos or break-in casinos will require their dealers to deal 300 hands-per-hour, as they are adjusting to being a dealer and new dealers generally deal slower than experienced dealers. More high tier casinos that employ experienced dealers will require 400 to 450 hands-per-hour. The casino audits their dealers on a yearly basis to make sure they are dealing the required hands-per-hour. Audits are done on a full or nearly full table.

Note the difference from the measurement above: those per-player figures aren’t the dealer’s total. At a full table, with 6 players, each player sees around 52, but the dealer is still dealing around 300 or more hands-per-hour across everyone.

Blackjack Hands-per-Hour With One Player

In heads-up blackjack, only one player plays against the dealer. Therefore, its gameplay is faster. For example, if the dealer normally deals 300 hands-per-hour to a full table of 6 players, then with one player they may deal about 400 hands-per-hour, because there are fewer decisions to make and fewer cards to deal.

Blackjack Hands-per-Hour With a Full Table

With six or seven players, each individual sees only about 52 hands-per-hour the pace per player slows because the dealer works around the whole table and each player waits their turn to hit, stand, double, or split, with splits and doubles adding hands to resolve. The dealer’s total throughput, though, is still high (~300+ hands-per-hour).

Does a Continuous Shuffling Machine Increase Hands-per-Hour?

Yes a CSM raises hands dealt per hour by about 10% versus a hand shuffle, because a freshly shuffled deck is always ready and the dealer never pauses to shuffle.

What Affects a Casino Game’s Hands-per-Hour?

The following affects the casino hands-per-hour:

Number of Players

More players generally means longer rounds and fewer hands are dealt per hour. If there are 6 players at a blackjack table, the dealer has to play against each of them.

Dealer Speed

Experienced dealers record more hands-per-hour compared to new dealers. They become faster through repetition and efficiency in the game procedures. At a heads-up blackjack table, a new dealer can average like 300 hands-per-hour, while an experienced one can reach up to 450 hands-per-hour. But there is a point where the dealer doesn’t want to go too fast. There are some dealers who think the faster they go, the better of a dealer that makes them and this is not the case. If the cards are dealt so fast that the eye-in-the-sky, the players, and the floor supervisor can’t keep up, this is bad for game security, readability, and comprehension. All people involved will be confused and that is not the result casinos want.

Player Decisions

In table games like blackjack, players must decide whether to stand, hit, split, double down, or sometimes surrender. The more actions required of players and dealers in a table game, the greater the impact on the game’s speed.

Additionally, gameplay actions affect the number of hands played per hour in different ways. For example, if a player stands, it can be resolved immediately. The dealer quickly moves on to the next hand. But decisions like splitting on hand values like 8s can slow the game because such hands become two (4,4), opening more decision steps.

Shuffling

A dealer who shuffles manually and one who uses a shuffling machine would attain different hands-per-hour. Using an automatic/continuous shuffler increases casino game speed by 10% compared to hand shuffling.

Side Bets

Table games often feature side games. These additional bets may require separate procedures and payout calculations from the main bets, slowing down the game.

Complicated Payouts

Casino table games like craps feature various payouts, some involve more complicated payouts then blackjack. For example, the don’t pass/come odds bet is the inverse of the pass/come odds bet. This is why a game like craps only gets about 60 rolls-per-hour, because of the payouts involved. If the dealers know the payouts like the back of their hand, this will speed the game up. That is why a craps payout chart, with all of the odds, is so valuable to new dealers.

Buy-Ins and Chip Handling

In table games, it is normal to pause the game for buy-ins, cash that is exchanged for chips of identical monetary value, before a wager can be placed and the game can be continued. This also includes when a player colors-up and leaves the table, if the player wants a marker, or if there is a credit or a fill at a table. All of these procedures will slow down the game, resulting in less hands-per-hour. You can learn more about these procedures in our dealer courses.

Why Hands-per-Hour Matter to Casinos

Casinos track dealer hands-per-hour via surveillance because more hands means more money for the casino. But there are multiple factors involved when determining how much profit the casinos will get, including average bet, house edge, hands-per-hour, the drop, and the hold. Here is an example of how hands-per-hour is factored into the equation. If a player is betting $100 a hand with a 0.5% house edge (using basic strategy), this gives the casino an expected $0.50 per hand of profit. At a slow table dealing 300 hands an hour, that’s $150 of estimated profit per hour off that player. At a fast table, dealing 450 hands an hour, it equates to $225 per hour.

Hands-per-Hour and the House Edge

House edge and hands-per-hour measure two completely different casino metrics.

House edge measures the casino’s mathematical advantage on wagers. In simpler terms, house edge indicates the percentage a casino expects to win.

Hands-per-hour measures game pace, or in other words, determines how quickly wagers are collected.

Because the house edge is often built into the game, increasing the number of hands is the most efficient way for the house to increase profit without coaxing players into betting more money.

Casino’s Expected Profit = Amount Wagered × House Edge Percentage × Hands-per-Hour

Does a Faster Casino Game Make More Money?

Technically, yes, a fast casino game can make more money for the casino because more decisions-per-hour can create more opportunities for the house edge to operate. However, as stated earlier, game speed alone doesn’t determine casino revenue. Average bet, house edge, number of players, game occupancy, rules, side bets, and operating costs are all important factors.

For example, on blackjack the house edge is 0.50%. If a player was betting $100 at 450 hands-per-hour, the casino is expected to profit $225 per hour. However, on a double zero roulette game, the house edge is 5.26%. If the player was betting $100 at 60 spins-per-hour, the casino is expected to profit approx. $315 per hour.

Even though roulette is slower at 60 spins-per-hour, compared to blackjack’s 450 hands-per-hour, the much larger house edge determines how much money the player will lose during that hour. This is why the house edge matters and it is so important to know the house edge for casino games and try to only play games with the house edge that is closest to zero.

How Casino Dealers Can Increase Hands-per-Hour

To gain speed in dealing table games, do the following as a new dealer.

Recognize that Speed Comes with Time

First and foremost, it is more important for a new dealer to deal a clean and accurate game, even if that means you deal slower. Do not try to deal at the same speed as a veteran dealer, who has been dealing for 20 years. I guarantee that you will make a ton of mistakes while dealing a sloppy game. Speed will come with time. You will deal thousands of hands every day and if you deal a clean and accurate game, you will gradually become faster while still dealing a clean and accurate game. Casinos understand this and that is why break-in houses have a much lower hands-per-hour compared to high tier casinos. You will get faster the longer you deal.

Know the Game Procedures

This is part of the “deal a clean and accurate game” that was mentioned in the last section. Each casino table game has its own policies and procedures. For example, two blackjack games positioned right next to each other may have different rules or blackjack payouts. Know the procedures for the games you deal so you don’t have to waste time as the floor supervisor fixes your mistakes.

Learn Payouts Until They’re Automatic

Knowing payouts and handling them quickly and efficiently will increase your hands-per-hour. Dealers who don’t know the math, or use their fingers to calculate the payout, take forever while losing precious time. Calculating payouts quickly is one of the characteristics that distinguishes an experienced dealer from a new dealer. The payout for each table game varies by bet type. You have to learn them all, depending on what games you deal, from blackjack to craps, to roulette, and baccarat. It takes practice, but you can master them. Vegas Aces offers different payout charts, flashcards, and worksheets that will help you with the math.

Keep Chip Handling Efficient

How you handle chips can either slow or speed up the pace of dealing. Knocking stacks of chips over or wrong stacking of colored chips is sloppy and slows down gameplay, causing the number of hands played per hour to decrease. To prevent this, learn proper chip handling procedures and practice becoming efficient.

Player Interaction

You’ll meet all kinds of players at your table, and talking to them is an important part of your job. But not if it interferes with your hands-per-hour. Dealers must be able to keep up their speed while also entertaining guests. It takes time for new dealers to develop this skill. So if you are a new dealer and you are wondering which one to focus on first, always make sure you are keeping up with your required hands-per-hour.

Avoid Unnecessary Movements

When I became a craps dealer, I learned that the best dealers complete payouts and transactions with the fewest moves possible. Even on blackjack, you will hear your floor supervisor tell you to reach into your bank as few times as possible. Extra moves that are not needed, waste time and slow down the game. Too much unnecessary hand movements are also bad for game security and table protection. If the eye-in-the-sky is like, “WTF is this dealer doing?” and they have to spend time figuring out why the dealer just did what they did, it takes their attention away from other things. Follow casino procedures and keep your actions short and sweet for the eye-in-the-sky and your floor supervisor.

Keep the Game Moving Without Rushing Players

This is especially important on games like baccarat, where the players take their time studying past hands to predict future hands. Baccarat dealers need to give their players time to make a decision, but they also need to keep the game moving. Roulette dealers have to include timing into their game as well. Knowing when to spin the ball and when to call out “No more bets”. While you aim to increase the table game hands-per-hour, it is important not to rush the players. Players' gameplay experience matters a lot. You have to ensure they understand the house rules and answer any questions they may have.

Dealer Speed vs. Dealer Accuracy

Fast doesn’t mean good. A dealer who’s quick but miscalculates payouts, exposes cards, misses bets, or loses control isn’t efficient. It takes more time to stop the game and fix a mistake than to deal a clean game slowly. It is so incredibly important to deal as accurate a game as possible, even if this means you are dealing slower. Remember, speed will come with time and repetition. Accuracy must come first. Combining the two, a clean and accurate game with speed, makes you a genuinely efficient dealer.

How Fast Should a New Casino Dealer Be?

A new blackjack dealer, dealing at a break-in house, will deal approximately 300 hands-per-hour. This speed is subject to how clean, or accurate, they are dealing. A new dealer shouldn’t obsess over immediately matching experienced dealers. Speed must always remain secondary to accuracy. Prioritize mastering game procedures, maintaining accuracy, and consistency in dealing first. Your speed will naturally improve as you practice and deal in live games. With time, you will be able to deal 450 hands-per-hour.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does hands-per-hour mean in a casino?

Hands-per-hour (HPH) is a measure of how many hands are played during an hour.

How do you calculate hands-per-hour?

Deal the game to six imaginary players for 15 minutes. Count only the hands dealt to the players (not the dealer’s), then multiply by four to estimate the hands dealt per hour.

Hands-per-hour = Hands dealt in 15 minutes × 4

How many blackjack hands are dealt per hour?

The number of blackjack hands dealt in an hour can range from 300 to 450 hands-per-hour, depending on the dealer, the casino, and on how full the table is.

How many blackjack rounds are played per hour?

A 6-player blackjack table, plus the dealer, averages around 42 to 64 rounds-per-hour, while a heads-up blackjack game can range around 150 to 225 rounds-per-hour.

Does the number of players affect hands-per-hour?

Yes, it does. The less players at the table, the more hands are dealt per hour.

Do continuous shuffle machines increase hands-per-hour?

Yes, CSMs increase game speed by about 10%, so more hands are dealt when a CSM is used.

Why do casinos want more hands-per-hour?

Casinos want dealers to deal more hands-per-hour to increase their profit. The more hands are completed, the more money they make.

How can a casino dealer deal faster?

Focus on being accurate and dealing a clean game first. Speed comes with time and practice. Master game procedures, chip handling, and how to maintain accuracy and consistency. Your speed will naturally improve the more you deal.

Should a new dealer focus on speed or accuracy?

A new dealer should focus on accuracy over speed first. Dealing a clean and accurate game is more important than speed. Speed increases with time and continuous practice.

What casino game has the most hands-per-hour?

Among table games, blackjack at 300 to 450 hands-per-hour. Overall, slots, since they can exceed 1,000 spins-per-hour.