What Do Dealers, Pit Bosses, and Drink Hostesses Make?

In general, what do casino dealers, pit bosses, and drink hostesses make in terms of income? Thanks for the opportunity to ask.

[Editor's Note: We haven't heard from our "man behind the curtain," Andrew Uyal, for a while, but he's the perfect expert to answer this question, having been a dealer, pit boss, and cocktail runner for many years. (Just kidding about the cocktail runner.)]

It's a little tough to generalize an entire occupation, let alone three, but we can give you an idea.

Dealers can make anywhere between $30,000 and $100,000. At lower-end casinos with few tables and low limits, a full-time job could pay $30K-$40K. But if they pay their dues in a place like that, dealers can move up to a mid-range place, like Red Rock or the M, or a lower-end Strip property, where they can make $55K-$65K. The next step is to high-end places like Cosmopolitan, Wynn, and Resorts World where full-time dealers can make $80K or more.

Full-time dealer jobs are hard to come by at that level, so a lot of dealers take two part-time jobs and make over $100K. Another popular option is to maintain a full-time job at a low or mid-range place to maintain benefits for the family, then take a high-end part-time job to try and make some more money.

Dealers are a money-hungry bunch, but they sure do work hard!

For supervisors, it's similar, actually. The floor salary is a bit higher, at about $40,000 a year at worst. Pit supervisors think about pay in terms of daily earnings. So on the low side when they start out, they're likely making about $150 a day (my first supervisor job was $144 a day in 2009). This is pretty low, though, and these jobs have high turnover rates in cities with options like Vegas. A decent off-Strip property might pay around $190 per day. Once you break $200 per day, you're probably on the Strip or close to it.

Lower-end places on the Strip pay their supervisors between $200 and $250 a day. This is where you'll find the lower-end MGM properties and most of the Caesars properties. Once you break $250 a day, you're working at Caesars Palace and the high-end MGM properties like MGM Grand, Bellagio, and Cosmo. The big "you-made-it" threshold is the $300-a-day mark. If you pass that, you work at Wynn, Resorts World, or Venetian (where my sources tell me they pay their supervisors a staggering $349 per day).

This is where I want to stop for a second and thank you for the question, which gave me a chance to mingle and catch up with some of my favorite cocktail waitresses. Cheers to you, question-asker.

Cocktail waitresses have wildly volatile incomes. On bad days, they make less than $100. Then another day, a high-limit player might get on a roll and tip them over $1,000 in a single shift or more. Working for your own cash tips can be a stressful thing day to day, but over the course of the year, it pretty much evens out. The range is roughly the same as the other positions we've discussed. For a full-time position at a smaller or low-end property, a waitress might make $40,000 or so. At a big-time high-end Strip property, they might get close to six figures.

As always, it's hard to pinpoint it exactly. Early outs, personalities, working on the day when the big tippers happen to come in -- there are many variables to daily income, but over the course of the year, it'll likely be within that range or close to it.

No part of this answer may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the publisher.

Have a question that hasn't been answered? Email us with your suggestion.

Missed a Question of the Day?

Have a Question?

Tomorrow's Question

Has Clark County ever considered legalizing prostitution?

Comments

Kevin Lewis Jun-30-2023

Cocktails!

For many, many years now, there have been two jobs that unskilled/uneducated women could come to Vegas and perform and out-earn someone with a master's degree: 1) cocktail waitress and 2) hooker. And I think the former is more lucrative. I knew several waitresses who bought a new car after working less than a year and a house after working three years. Think about it: they make what, three drink runs an hour, and deliver 6-8 drinks each time? Even back in the good old days, that was $5-10 in tips every trip; x 24, + minimum wage, and you had a $150+ a day job. I guarantee there ain't no cocktail waitress making less than $200 a day now, even in the worst dust joint--the average tip has to be much more than the $1 it was when I was working in the industry (Stone Age). 
And the cherry on the sundae is that until very recently, they were taxed as if they were earning minimum wage. Now, they pay an estimated tip tax--still ridiculously low.

CLIFFORD Jun-30-2023

NONE OF OUR BEESWAX?

I JUST HOPE THEY ARE HAPPY IN THEIR JOB  AND MAKE ENOUGH MONEY TO HAVE A CONFERTIBLE LIFE.  ISN'T THIS TRUE FOR US ALL?

rokgpsman Jun-30-2023

Parking valet

Years ago a good Vegas job that didn't take a lot of skill was being a parking valet at a mid or high-end place. Those tips they got for a few minutes work of parking and retrieving a car really added up. The RJ newspaper did a story years ago about a young man working at the Bellagio parking cars, he was making over $75,000 per year and was going to UNLV as a student at the same time. But a lot of those parking valet jobs have now been outsourced by the casinos to independent companies that handle the parking and things have changed, I don't think it's as good as it used to be.

Dave Jun-30-2023

EX DEALER

Worked at Indian Casino in San Diego in between jobs a few years ago. We made minimum wage ($10 or $11 an hour) and we shared tips. Tips could range between $15 an hour on the low end for the week, up to $18 or $19, so you could make close to $30 an hour some paychecks. Here is the kicker, most dealers sign the EO list the minute they walk in (early out). Mostly the younger ones. So  a lot of them only worked 34-36 hours per week. I would sign the last out list, so I would make overtime $15 an hour) plus my tips, and would sign up to work an extra day once or twice a month. I was making over $60,00 a year comfortably. The pit bosses made $25 an hour but again, they would work some overtime and extra days, and take their $37.50 an hour for those instances. So they do well also. I believe the drink person (this casino does not sell alcohol on the floor) and the change personnell, made decent money from what I heard in speaking with some of them.

David Jun-30-2023

Benefits?

Are these all union jobs? If yes, what are the typical benefits?

Dave_Miller_DJTB Jun-30-2023

Vegas Aces

I’m surprised you didn’t contact Heather from Vegas-Aces.com
Her website has all kinds of dealer resources including an anonymous salary survey. 

That survey is located here:
https://www.vegas-aces.com/tokes/nevada/
Although some of the data is rather dated, it’s still quite interesting.

Lotel Jun-30-2023

Cocktail waitresses $$$$$$

Cocktail waitresses  can make a lot of money. I knew a couple  at Caesars palace and the were making 100K+  You can remember that when you tip

Doc H Jun-30-2023

wait!

'And I think the former is more lucrative. I knew several waitresses who bought a new car after working less than a year and a house after working three years. Think about it: they make what, three drink runs an hour, and deliver 6-8 drinks each time?'

Unfair, unfair I tell you! It's 'rampant social inequality', front and center, how DARE they make that much money while many others don't! We need to address this 'inequality' and quickly to take money from others and give it to others, and like, you know, I mean, right? Everyone should be earning the same or at least very close to the same, don't matter what ya do, everyone should be earning 'fair' wages just because, well, ya know, it's like, well, like, kinda, you know, the thing, well, fair, not like, uh, well, 'rampant social inequality'.

CMU Jun-30-2023

Hey "Doc"

Is your real name "Dick"?

Carl LaFong Jun-30-2023

For those who are paid by the day...

How many hours do they work in a day or week and is there overtime?

Doc H Jun-30-2023

Hey "CMU"

No, it is not.

And that's really the best you got, a 1st grader response?

shintylad Jul-01-2023

Brit Tips

As a traveller from the UK ,I'd like to know how much I should tip a hooker ?

Question of the Day - 30 June 2023

Comments