Well, the makers of the 1998 film ‘The Croupier’ have stayed true to the last inch in its understanding of the casino environment. Casino games, smoke, distinct neon lights of yellow and red, and gamblers in the quintessential dress code making their bets – yeah, the Al Capone-esque scene gets aptly reproduced in the film!
And amidst all the smoke and humdrum affairs of the casino sits the central character of the movie, Jack. Sure, he has a lion’s heart, and when the cops call him to identify his fiance’s corpse, he knows he is shattered, and that’s what life’s all about.
After having lost everything, he wants to reach the top of the ladder and seal the decision by signing up for the job of a croupier, one that he manages to do with the help of his dad. As the movie deals extensively with the casino life, we shall follow this film to understand the life of a croupier as well as to reveal the truths and bust all myths surrounding the profession.
Code of Conduct: Rules of the web called ‘Casino Games’
It’s not all fun and games inside the casino, and definitely not so for a croupier. They spend long hours at work, and night shifts are part and parcel of the job. Moreover, it isn’t a quite amiable atmosphere to look forward to, as the alcohol-ridden ambience of a casino can get you anxious.
Many casinos have strict rules about dating, courting, and developing relationships among colleagues, as disputes may lead to a conflict of interests. And that could spell doom for the casino business, as everything depends on strict calculations and their execution.
Life of a croupier is worse. Most casinos don’t prefer croupiers befriending gamblers. They can make really poisonous partners in crime, who are aware of all the backdoors and alleys to the money! Still, when Alex Kingston enters the scene, Jack had to hit up a conversation over a toast. Although in real life, things would’ve been different with the croupier getting an instant warning call from his seniors.
Who becomes the best in the casino games?
One who catches most of the cheats is the best croupier of the lot. And that demands not just acumen, but also a whole lot of patience and meticulous knowledge of the hundreds of casino games as well as its shortcuts.
But, frauds and cheats are also a part of larger criminal organisations, as shown in the film. And as it turns out, it’s Jack’s father who plays a dirty trick on him. The film does a good job of including the concept of large-scale money laundering as well as the involvement of secret organisations in playing dirty tricks and winning a whole lot of dough.
Also, Jack’s salary is shown to be a bit higher than the average real-life dealer. His first weekly wage that gets delayed stands at 450 pounds, and it’s not even a high-end casino where he works. A mid-range, not-that-reputed casino could afford a weekly payment of 340 pounds, including the inflation hikes.
And if you think a good physique and decent appearance doesn’t matter for a croupier, think again. Jack gets ahead of his game with his nicely trimmed appearance and regular manicure.
Good customers are those who lose the casino games persistently
Casinos base their income on people’s failures. That’s why a popular saying goes that the best customers are those who fail to win consistently. But that’s not always true, as shown in the film. You can become a regular customer without losing too much but by just being mindful of your expenditure.
Croupiers can make you lose
A dealer knows the table by heart. That means they also need to be more attentive to prevent any uninvited plot-twist or distraction from the punters. But does this denote they are heartless creatures who just care about the money they can prevent from going to the punter’s pockets? That’s so not right, and as we see in the film, they’re empaths with those who try so hard, yet can’t win! But in the end, they got to do their job with the utmost honesty.
The light-hearted attitude of the film leaves with one last bit of wisdom that’s true for all casino games. And that is, the wisest time to quit a game is when you’re ahead. The 90s had an entirely different scene of gambling and casinos, a time when crime rates used to be lower, and the casinos far less vicious to attract customers.
To save yourself from the gambling rush, you can either invest in bonds which you can’t really gamble, or you can keep separate bank accounts for gambling and refuse any credit cards for it. That’s all. Sayonara!