Month: May 2025

The argument can be made that no matter where you play blackjack, so long as you find the best rules (blackjacks paying 3 to 2, re-splitting aces, dealers standing on soft 17), it is essentially the same game. And, yes that also holds true for craps, roulette strategy, Three Card Poker, and just about everything else that a casino might spread.

But if you’re going to gamble, why not do it in the nicest surroundings possible? Hopefully, the upgrade comes with tastier cocktails, more comfortable seats at the gaming table, friendlier dealers, and a nicely designed hotel room in which to crash when the card-playing is completed. That all puts you ahead of the game before your first bet gets made.

Considering that anything worth doing is worth doing in style, we present an opinionated collection of the planet’s poshest casinos, places where gambling can be a cushy experience you won’t forget.

Gambling with the Panache Of Bond, James Bond – Casino De Monte Carlo

Exuding a tuxedo-worthy, big-money vibe, Casino de Monte Carlo is something to marvel at. If you doubt the coolness of Casino de Monte Carlo, remember that it was featured in two James Bond movies – Never Say Never Again and Golden Eye. Red flock wallpaper, wood paneling, and the satisfying sound of chips colliding remain in full effect.

High rollers play baccarat or blackjack or roulette and sip from bottles of fine wine brought up from the hotel’s wine cellar, with roots that date back to the 19th century. Sport jackets were once de rigueur here – shorts and flip-flops remain verboten – and upon entering you will encounter a statue with a horn full of coins. Most everyone entering the casino rubs the horn for good luck that they hope will turn gambling sessions under chandeliered illumination into profitable endeavors.

Sometimes it works!

High-Roller Haven on the Las Vegas Strip – Wynn Las Vegas

Ever since its 2005 opening, Wynn has ruled as the best place to bet (and do everything else) in Sin City. The restaurants are top notch – whether it’s sushi at Mizumi, Italian fair at Sinatra (where the menu allows guests to eat like Frank), or SW Steakhouse for prime beef that can take you from the US to Australia to Japan with the sweep of a knife.

Best of all, the gambling is just as good as the food.

With around 160 well-appointed gaming tables, Wynn’s casino is a magnet for well-heeled and famous visitors to Vegas. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who qualifies as both, was recently spotted gambling it up at the poker tables there. Master magician David Blaine plays a different kind of cards. He performs his mind-blowing sleight of hand at Wynn’s Encore Theater.

To get beyond the casino, book a round of golf on the resort’s course. The property offers the only links on the Vegas Strip. If you want to splurge – or if you gamble high enough at the tables and your host throws you a coveted comp – you can secure one of the casino’s six villas for yourself and a posse of pals.

Gamblers traveling the global circuit will eventually make their way to Macau. And when you are in the Chinese gambling hub, you’ll do well to check into a room in the Venetian on the famed Cotai Strip. For starters, the surroundings are gorgeous: like its sister property in Las Vegas, Venetian Macao offers an inspiring vibe that transports visitors to Venice.

If gambling is your thing (of course it is), you will have no shortage of opportunities. The casino boasts 500 gaming tables and 2,000 slot machines. When in Macau, the game to play is baccarat and the thing to drink is milk tea served in a glass with a napkin around the bottom to keep it from burning your fingers. You can also work on your craps strategy in a truly opulent setting.

After you strike it rich on the gaming floor, you will be in the perfect place for blowing gambling proceeds. Shopping at Venetian Macao is second to none. Cartier, Chanel, and Dolce & Gabbana will get you going. And if you need a new suitcase in which to bring home your booty, don’t forget to hit Louis Vuitton.

Time-Trip to 19th Century Gaming – The Kurhaus of Baden-Baden Casino

If anyone needs a reminder that casino gambling is a venerable pastime, a jaunt to the Kurhaus will do the trick. The place launched in 1820 and inspired Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky to write The Gambler.

But you don’t have to be into the literature of chance to appreciate the Kurhaus. There’s great food at The Grill (order steak and sushi), thermal baths and old-school spas reside in close proximity, and the gambling at the roulette wheel or blackjack, punto banco, and poker tables are well entrenched.

The casino is intimate and luxe with antique chandeliers, golden walls, red carpeting, and players who dress up for nights of taking their chances at the tables.

Providing it All – Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

The three waterfront towers of Marina Bay Sands serve as a prime spot for opulent gambling, top-notch dining, luxe shopping, and supreme relaxation at a state-of-the-art spa. But the distinctive towers have also served as a striking landmark ever since Marina Bay opened in 2010.

Besides all the classic games, spread in luxurious surroundings, Marina Bay offers a skyscraping observation deck, a rooftop infinity pool, and 80 restaurants.

Like everything else here, the casino, which takes up four floors, is second to none. Ordinary punters take their chances on 3,000 slot machines and 600 table games (offering baccarat, roulette, sic bo, blackjack, and poker). Those playing for the highest stakes repair to discreet salons and gamble beyond prying eyes.

Finally, after all is said and done, you’ll be all but guaranteed a good night’s sleep. Rooms at Marina Bay boast mattresses made by the high-end producer Savoir. Each one is expertly constructed from horse tail, Mongolian yak wool, and cashmere. They sell for $30,000 and rank among the world’s most comfortable sleeping surfaces.

Despite how things go in the casino, you will not be gambling on a sound snooze.

Craps is a game with numerous bets available and can be intimidating for those hitting the table for the first time. Dealing the game also comes with quite a learning curve as potential casino workers learn the ins and outs of a game that is fast-paced, has some mathematical considerations, and involves thinking quickly on your feet to keep the action moving.

As one of the most difficult casino games to deal, those who can master the skill of dealing craps can be desirable employees in competitive markets.

So what does it take to deal craps and what are some of the skills necessary to pursue this as a job? Keep reading to answer some of these questions.

Going to School

One of the best ways to learn the game is to attend a dealing school. These training programs and trade schools are more prevalent in locations like Las Vegas and Atlantic City where there are numerous casinos. But the growth of the industry around the world means that these skills can often be carried over to work in other regions.

Schools vary by price, but taking a course on craps can be more costly than learning other popular games like blackjack and roulette. For example, the Casino Career Institute in Atlantic City charges $1,089 for a 96-hour course to train in craps dealing, almost twice the cost of other popular games and also twice the number of hours required.

That’s because there is just so much to learn in comparison to other games. There are the more traditional bets to keep track of, such as the Pass Line and Come Bar, but dealers must also have a grasp on how to pay out the proposition bets and understand the jargon of the game as well.

New dealers must have a deep grasp of the game’s rules. Training academies offer plenty of practice dealing and making payouts to build speed and accuracy. Beyond simply learning the mechanics and payouts, trainees learn four differing dealing positions, including:

• On base dealers – Two of these are located at either end of the table facing the players and usually have chips in front of them for payouts. They manage the more popular bets like the Pass Line, Don’t Pass, Place Bets, Come/Don’t Come, Field Bets, Craps Lay Bets, and others located on either end of the table.
• Stickman – This dealer is located in the middle of the table on the same side as the players and manages the proposition bets in the center of the table. The stickman uses a stick to position these wagers for players, hence the name.
• Boxman (or boxperson) – This dealer is on the opposite side of the stickman in the center of the table and is usually seated in front of stacks of chips. This casino employee manages the entire game – settling disputes and ensuring all players are paid out correctly.

Many dealer schools also feature job placement to help graduates find employment. In some locations where there aren’t as many casinos, there may not be dealing schools to serve potential casino employees. In these cases, a casino may offer their own training courses. Beyond being trained, new dealers usually need to be certified by a gaming commission in most jurisdictions.

Skill Sharpening

Looking to take a spot in the dice pit? There are some skills that definitely help in being a successful craps dealer. Some of those qualities include:

• Solid math skills – Calculating odds and payouts quickly is critical in this game.
• Great communication – Letting players know how to play and the payouts available is a big part of the job, while also keeping the action moving and communicating with other dealers and casinos personnel
• Patience and customer service – Staying calm and friendly in a pressure-filled environment can make you a better dealer – and bring in more tips.
• Adaptability – A dealer wears many hats and must be able to be friendly and helpful while also controlling game and paying out players.
• Physical stamina – Dealers may be standing for long periods of time and the job can be physically demanding. Having some stamina will make the job much easier.

Beyond all this, those manning the dice table must also work to keep the action entertaining. In a sense, dice dealing is part gambling and part public relations.

Those famous sayings like “Winner, winner, chicken dinner” add to the fun and spirit of the game. Successful dealers must also be friendly and knowledgeable – always ready to answer questions, help players with bets, and keep a smile on their faces, despite what can appear to be some seriously stressful situations at times.

“No other game tops the complexity of craps, that comes from the number of rules and the rich lingo players use,” Business Case Studies notes. “Add to that the fast playing pace, and you’ll get a game that’s nearly impossible to understand during the first few tries. Rolling 7s or 11s sounds easy, but things get more complicated once the dice hit the table’s edge.”

Dealers must not only understand how the game is played and craps strategy, but can oversee all aspects of play. No matter the frustrations, demands, or bad attitudes players must have, great dealers stay professional and work to make the game entertaining and inviting.

Cashing In – Craps Dealer Salaries

As with most dealing jobs, tips can be an important part of a dealer’s salary. Dealers with a good attitude tend to do better in this regard. Some bettors will even make wagers for the dealers, giving them a chance to win even more.

Among the top nine dealing jobs listed by ZipRecruiter, craps dealers ranked the highest in salary at an average of $40,500 to $47,000. The site reported that the average hourly pay for a craps dealer equated anywhere from $16 to almost $24. That rate may vary in other countries, but still may be among the higher rates in a casino.

However, tips can make this much higher and some dealers have reported earning an average of $200 per day in “tokes” (tips in casino jargon).

The property a player works at can see this salary increase as well. Most dealers usually start at lower-level properties, before moving on to higher-end casinos that may have higher limits and better locations. This gives dealers a chance to rack up even better pay and craps dealers tend to accrue more tips than other games in a casino, with the possible exception of blackjack.

Beyond simply the dice pit, successful dealers have a chance to move on to other in-demand positions with higher-paying salaries. Some of those include supervisors, table games managers, and more. Like any profession, those who excel and have a knack for leadership can rise up the ranks.

Casino dealers are certainly in demand as countries and jurisdictions continue legalizing gambling – from the U.S. to Europe to Asia and beyond. Job postings can easily be found online and on the websites of individual gaming companies. Some casinos even offer signing bonuses for new employees. Free training for prospective employees may also be available at some properties.

“Your salary is based on the number of games you know,” Bally’s Chicago Vice President of Community Engagement Monica Scott said recently at a job fair to fill dealer positions. “So here at Bally’s, we have the highest base rate in the area for dealers, so it’s a good profession, it’s a good opportunity.”

If this article interests you, keep reading. Alternatively, explore other topics like blackjack strategy.

Bright lights, big money, major entertainment, and plenty of casino gambling. While many may think of Las Vegas when it comes to testing out some blackjack strategyorcraps strategy, and dropping a few bucks in a slot machine, there is another huge American destination that helped move casino gaming beyond Sin City.

New Jersey legalized gambling in Atlantic City in 1976 and cemented a long history of underground gaming into a new regulated industry. For a time, “America’s Playground” even gave Las Vegas a run for its money.

The southern New Jersey city is still home to several casinos and has been in the gambling business since the first property opened in 1978. Here’s a quick look at the history of Atlantic City casinos.

Underground Gaming

Legalized casinos in the Garden State didn’t come without some setbacks. A voter referendum in 1974 to legalize casinos in Atlantic City was initially defeated, but a second effort passed two years later.

The approval came after the state had a long history of underground casino gaming. That included a local sheriff offering some gambling and entertainment, despite it being illegal, right on the Jersey Shore.

“America’s Playground, Atlantic City, was for decades a ‘shore bet’ for illicit gambling,” David Schwartz notes ub the book Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling. “Though it was promoted as a family resort, as early as the 1860s those who knew where to look could have some very adult fun gambling.

“Under the de facto rule of Enoch “Nucky” Johnson, who rose to power as the sheriff of Atlantic County in 1908, wide-open gambling was viewed as a boon to the tourist trade.”

Later, a federal investigation revealed that Johnson allowed gambling and bootlegging run by the mob in return for a 10% cut of the proceeds. The investigation found that as many as 25 underground casinos were in operation offering casino games before he was finally sent to prison in 1941. However, many casinos stayed open, but became more concealed.

The legalization of casinos in 1976 changed that and Atlantic City’s first casino, Resorts International, opened on May 26, 1978.

Legalized Casinos Flourish

Atlantic City has a lot of things going for it when it comes to legalized casinos. The location on the ocean and beautiful beaches made the city a great getaway for families looking for some summer fun. The boardwalk allowed for some beautiful views and offered plenty for vacationers including shopping, dining, amusement park rides, and more.

Adding casinos allowed for parents to bring the kids – hitting the beach and boardwalk with the family by day and then allowing some time for the adults to head to the casino by night to play roulette, hit the dice tables, or take in a show.

Seeing that the voter referendum might pass, Resorts International purchased tracts of land in the city including the Chalfonte-Haddon Hall resort complex.

The company also owned a casino in the Bahamas and when the referendum passed, Resorts hit the ground running and opened a casino quickly. Caesars Boardwalk Regency (later known as Caesars Atlantic City) followed a year later with The Brighton, later renamed the Sands, opening in 1980.

Harrah’s and the Golden Nugget also opened in 1980s, followed by several more throughout the ‘80s including the Tropicana, the Claridge, the Hi-Ho, Trump Castle, and the Showboat,

The current U.S. president and former New York City real estate developer had a major impact in Atlantic City, opening Trump Taj Mahal in 1990 and billing the property as the “eighth wonder of the world.”

“The scale … is what brings the people,” Trump told ABC News in 1990. “The opulence, the size, the everything is really what’s going to make the Taj Mahal the most successful hotel anywhere in the world.”

Trump took over the project after Resorts couldn’t complete construction and Michael Jackson was a guest of honor at the property’s grand opening. The Taj Mahal became known as the best place to play poker for a time, The Taj was a regular home for poker legend Phi Ivey and hosted the U.S Poker Championship from 1996 to 2010. Trump’s footprint extended even further in Atlantic City and he also owned Trump Plaza for a total of three casinos at one time.

Rapid Growth & Decline

Until Atlantic City legalized casinos, the only place to legally gamble in the U.S was in the state of Nevada. Attracting gamblers from across the eastern seaboard became an economic boon for the city beginning in the 1980s.

Gaming revenue increased from $325 million in 1979 with just two casinos to almost $1.2 billion by 1981. By 1987, AC had become the most-visited city in the U.S. with over 20 million visitors annually. The town by the Jersey Shore was now on the map, and gamblers kept flock to the gaming tables and slots.

Atlantic City was a major competitor with Las Vegas, almost equaling the city’s revenue of $2.4 billion by 1987 with far fewer casinos. According to the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Atlantic City gaming saw average growth rates of an astounding 55% from 1978 to 1985.

By the 2000s, however, that rate had slowed significantly. While the industry peaked with 12 casinos, the 1990s and 2000s saw some changes as other regions began legalizing casinos. States like Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Missouri brought in riverboat casinos in the 1990s and gamblers no longer had to book trips to Las Vegas or Atlantic City.

Other states, such as New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, and others around the country now offer full-scale casino resorts. The Atlantic Club, Showboat, Trump Plaza, and even the Taj Mahal all eventually closed and the city now boasts just nine casinos.

In 2013, New Jersey officially legalized online gaming and online poker, becoming a leader in the industry in the U.S. However, in recent months online gaming has eclipsed live casino gambling.

In March, the state’s casinos produced $230.9 million in revenue, falling 3.7% from $239.8 million the same month in 2024. By contrast, online operators brought in $243.9 million, up 23.7% compared to $197.2 million for March 2024. That trend has led to some concerns among legislators and casino employee unions about what can be done to keep gamblers coming into their properties.

“As lawmakers continue to proceed with the annual state budget process, representatives in the New Jersey Legislature must understand the perilous economic situation at hand for my members, and indeed all workers in Atlantic City,” Unite Here Local 54 President Donna DeCaprio said in 2024.

“Not only is the overall in-person revenue troubling — but the size of the declines at some of the individual properties portends some serious instability for thousands of workers. The legislators need to take this into consideration as they consider policies that could compound the downward trends.”

Where does the industry go from here? Atlantic City has an uphill climb now faced with so much competition for some of American gamblers’ bankrolls. It seems almost every state has a casino industry, with just a few exceptions. Even more are considering expanded gaming and gamblers can also now easily place sports bets on their phones from almost anywhere.

While the gambling mecca may not be what it once was, Atlantic City can be remembered as the outpost that kick-started the American casino boom. And the Atlantic City boardwalk and beautiful beaches can still be a great spot for a casino vacation getaway.