Secrets of a Croupier: ‘I saw an American lose $50 million at the poker table in one night’ – iNews

Stefano Melani has worked as croupier for nearly 30. He has worked in top London casinos, super yachts, stayed in seven-star accommodation and helped everyone from kings to the destitute to have a bet. Here the 50-year-old reveals the secrets of his trade.

Ive been working as a croupier since 1991. My motivation for becoming one was basically that I liked to travel, and that I didnt want the normal routine of a regular office, or being closed in some specific place.

No, I wanted to discover the world, and to have the opportunities of a career because, in Italy, where Im from, we have the wrong mentality towards careers. But in England, in a sector like this, which is linked to tourism and the entertainment industry, and is very well organised, theres lots of opportunity.

Ive worked all over the world, but have spent a lot of time in London. The basic training is fast you learn within six to eight weeks and then you get your licence from the Gambling Commission, and then you can work in any casino.

Its dynamic, itinerant and unconventional work. For example, in London casinos are open 24 hours a day, so there are three shifts: 6am to 2pm, 2pm to 8pm, 8pm to 4am. In London, Ive worked in casinos in Leicester Square, South Kensington and Mayfair, which is where the biggest casinos are, and which are dedicated to VIPs, and to sheiks.

While of course you will always have some gambling addicts, youll find that everybody likes to gamble from time to time. I would see VIPs alongside people coming back from the market, from work, people with some change in their pockets. You can play roulette for 50p, for a pound, so its not just for the rich.

We have very strict rules to constrict the financial movements of our customers. If a player is not yet a member, the maximum [they can bet] is 1,400 before the checks are triggered. If theres any suspicion of money-laundering, we make a report immediately, and the gambling stops. More generally, a normal gambler might play 100-200 a night, but for rich people, it can be 3m, 4m, or 5m.

The croupier is trained to stay as neutral as possible. We cannot show excitement. But I do enjoy it when I see the customers win, because they transfer to you very good feelings, their excitement. We also stay neutral when the customer loses. Its never nice to see a customer lose money. If they lose big, they dont come back, and the casino loses a customer.

I remember a man coming in once, he looked very poor, perhaps homeless. He took out his last 5 note, and placed it on black on roulette. He won! It was only 20, but he was so happy, and I was happy for him because I understood what it must have meant.

At the opposite end, I saw an American lose $50m (40m) at the poker table in one night. That was 16 hours gambling. But he left the table singing and smiling; it was almost as if he had won. Hed enjoyed himself, and now he had a fantastic memory. More importantly, he could afford it; for him, this was just recreation. Another time not at my casino, unfortunately an Arabian princess tipped casino staff $1m after a good night at poker.

Its a much healthier workspace now than it used to be, the casino: theres no smoking any more, for starters. But its something you have to get used to. You have to have a different metabolism, because youre eating at night. In my spare time, I like to be outside. I play a lot of sport; its my dream to become a motorbike racer.

During summer months, Im often hired to work on superyachts that have private casinos on board. The clientele here are sheiks, kings and VIPs, and they want a personal casino for privacy reasons, mostly. All of them are high rollers, and can spend up to 10m on poker. For us, its a lot of fun and very comfortable: the accommodation is seven star.

The only aspect of my life [thats disappointing] is that Im always single and without a family, perhaps because theres so much shift work involved? But I work in fascinating places, Ive been around the planet, in castles, on boats, and Ive got to know many people of all nationalities, and learn from other cultures.

Do I gamble, myself? Occasionally, but only for fun. I dont like to go to the casino, because I know the risk. I know how to spend my money in other ways.

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Secrets of a Croupier: 'I saw an American lose $50 million at the poker table in one night' - iNews