At-Home Dealer Training Guide

How do you learn how to deal roulette if you don’t have a roulette table in your living room? Luckily, there’s plenty of homework that will help you on your journey of learning how to deal this game. You can even make a game of it, by setting goals and rewarding yourself when you’ve completed those goals. The rewards don’t have to be big. It can be something small, like your favorite coffee from Starbucks or a piece of candy that you love but don’t get to eat often.

Math

Let’s start by breaking down Roulette to its core elements. The first of these core elements is math. Roulette is heavily based on math and that is what we are going to begin with. Practice memorizing your times-tables. You will want to study your 35 times-tables, followed by your 17 times-tables, then 11, 8, 6 and 5. Focus on one times-table at a time, as this will make it easier for your brain to memorize. Learn 1 through 10 first, and when you’ve mastered that, you can work on 11 through 20. When you feel proficient with one number, move on to the next times-table. There are a few methods that will help you during this process. Since everyone learns differently, pick the method that best works for you.

The first method is reciting numbers, which benefits auditory learners. Auditory learners are people who best absorb information by hearing it. Begin with 1 and end at 10. For example, if you were reciting the 35 times-tables, you would say out-loud, 35, 70, 105, 140, 175, 210, 245, 280, 315, 350. Then say it again… and again… Until you know it by heart. When you feel like you have a good grasp on it, quiz yourself. Say out loud, “5 times 35 is 175”, “9 times 35 is 315” and so on. Or you can ask a friend or a loved one to quiz you. When you can do that with all of the numbers, without making a mistake, on multiple occasions, then move on to the next times-table.

The second method will benefit visual learners. People who best absorb information by seeing it or writing it on paper. We’ve provided worksheets that you can print out and write the answers down on. Or copy what we have on a whiteboard so you can use it over and over again without wasting paper. We’ve also provided the answers, so you can see if you were correct or not. Start with 1 through 10 and when you are ready, push yourself to learn 11 through 20.

The third method is for tactile learners; people who learn by doing or experiencing what they’ve been taught. Gather a few stacks of playing chips together, to help you with this exercise. Keep in mind that each stack has 20 chips in it. On a piece of paper, draw out a few boxes to represent a roulette table. Then place a chip in the appropriate area, whether that is straight up, a split, a corner, and so on. Pay the wager as you would if you were on a roulette table. Practice each wager, from 1 to 20, until you can run through these drills without making a mistake. If you don’t have any chips you can practice with, you can buy some on Amazon. The link is in the description below.

The fourth method uses flashcards. You can make your own flashcards or use our flashcards. The beginner set of flashcards focuses on the times-tables, from 1 to 20, for every wager. When deciding whether to use the dollar value or the units, we recommend units, as this can be used for any value roulette chip. You have the option to go in order, or you can click the random box to mix things up a bit.

But flashcards can be used for learning things other than times-tables. Vegas Aces offers roulette flashcards so students can learn patterns and advance math. Dealers look for patterns made by specific cheque combinations to help determine how much they should pay. Instead of doing math, the dealer will see these patterns and know immediately how much they pay. This makes figuring out the payout much easier. The advance flashcards show a roulette table similar to a busy night where every number is covered by multiple chips. You can either pay per unit or by dollar amount. If you decide to do the dollar amount, you will have to figure out the payout for $1 chips, $5 chips and $25 chips.

Pushing Chips

The second core element is pushing chips. First things first, let’s talk about what supplies you will need to make this happen. Of course, a roulette table would be nice, however most people don’t have a roulette table in their living room. We will need to mimic a table instead. The closest household item most people have, that mimics a casino table, is an ironing board. It is waist high and padded, which is exactly what we need. If you don’t have an ironing board, then you can fold a blanket and place it on a hard kitchen table. Only fold it once, as too much padding is just as bad as no padding at all. Secure the blanket onto the table using clamps, to keep it from moving as you practice. If you don’t have clamps, then you can zip tie the corners of the blanket to the legs of the table. You will also need chips to practice with.

Now that we have everything we need, let’s get to it. You will be practicing the correct stack formation, finger placement, and the direction you will need to push the chips. You can find a drawn diagram of the roulette hand placement guide here. This will help you immensely. Start with your dominant hand, and when you feel comfortable, switch to your non-dominant hand. It’s good to learn how to use both your right and left hand when pushing the chips, as Roulette dealers are expected to deal on both a right and left-handed roulette table.

When pushing chips, you never want to turn your back on your bank or the roulette wheel. It is very important for the dealer to keep their body square with the table. This means that the bank must always be in view, and in order to accomplish that, the dealer must pay the player their chips without turning their back to the bankroll. If the dealer pays the winnings with one hand, then he can keep his body square to the game and the bankroll in sight. If the dealer uses two hands to pay the player then this forces him to turn his back on the bankroll leaving it vulnerable. That is why roulette dealers learn how to push stacks of chips with one hand.

Snapping the Ball

Besides practicing math and pushing chips, the only other thing a new dealer can practice is snapping the ball, and that can only be done in the casino. During your break, go to a dead roulette game and ask the floor supervisor if you can practice snapping the ball in the wheel. More than likely, they will say yes, unless they are busy or they have a high roller in their pit. If they say no, try again on another break. Go to the table and let the dealer know you are there to practice. Most dealers will teach you what they know and try to help you the best they can. Don’t spin the ball, because that requires you to flip your wrist. This might be fine a few times, but if you do this hundreds of times during an 8-hour shift, for years, you can easily get carpal tunnel or a cyst in your wrist. We want to teach you the proper way of snapping the ball so you can deal roulette for 20 years and never have any medical problems because of it. You want to keep your wrist as straight as possible. You are snapping the ball, not flicking your wrist. If you do this right, there should not be any added pressure or exertion on your fingers or wrist. Go ahead and snap your fingers a few times. This is how you snap the ball, except you will have a roulette ball placed between your middle finger and thumb. Don’t expect a perfect spin on your first try. It’s normal to mess up several times before you get the hang of it. You can even expect the ball to fly out of the wheel a few times. This is why you are practicing on a dead table and not a live one with players. You don’t want to accidentally hit a player in the eye as the roulette ball flies out of the wheel. When you get the hang of snapping the ball with your dominant hand, practice snapping it with your non-dominant hand. You don’t want to be caught unaware if you are placed on a left-handed, or right-handed, roulette wheel.

Snapping the ball isn’t the only thing you can practice on a dead roulette game. You can also practice pushing chips. Try pushing the stack to the furthest end of the table, while keeping your body square with the table. You want to have the bank and the wheel in view at all times. If the casino has an in-house school, you can go there during break and practice the entire process, from people placing their bets, to snapping the ball, to making correct payouts. If you diligently practice for hours, on your own time, you will be confident and ready to deal when you are on a live game.