A highly skilled casino dealer from The Barracuda Grosvenor Casino on Baker Street has played his cards right to be named the UK’s best croupier.
Fighting off stiff competition from 650 other dealers in the UK and 18 finalists, he came out on top in all three areas of the competition: customer service, technical skills, and game control. Ray, who originally hails from Hungary, demonstrated his exceptional talent by scoring the highest in all the competition rounds.
41-year-old Ray won over the judges after going head-to-head in a series of skills challenges in Grosvenor Casinos’ annual ‘Dealer of the Year’ competition final held in Coventry. Ray fell into his job as a dealer by accident, but then after a week or so of dealing, including at the roulette table, he fell in love with the role. Ray has worked at many of London’s top casinos, including his current role at The Barracuda for the last one and a half years.
PAYOUT: RAY SCHNEIDER FROM LONDON NAMED THE UK’S BEST CASINO DEALER
Ray finished the competition with a score of 21.267 across all challenges. The skills that wowed the panel of judges included his strong customer service, technical abilities including chip dexterity and chip payout, and also game control, including the close down of betting, and ensuring everything on the table was in the right positions.
18 finalists from all corners of the country were tested by a panel of 18 judges in their aptitude and skills to deal traditional table casino games including blackjack and roulette.
Speaking after his win, Ray, said: “I think I am still in shock. It’s been a great event and the competition has been fierce, so I am thrilled to have been awarded Dealer of the Year. It’s such an honour to be crowned the best in the business and show off my skills.”
Dave Allen, Gaming Performance Manager, commented on the Dealer of the Year competition: “The competition is such a fantastic platform to see first-hand the level of talent amongst our team. We have so many passionate experts at Grosvenor Casinos; the competition really highlighted this this evening. Ray stood out to all the judges in all areas of the competition including his exceptional customer service and technical skills.”
Nicci Smith, Managing Director of one of the sponsors, TCSJOHNHUXLEY, also commented on the win: “We have loved being sponsors of this fantastic event over the past eleven years. We understand the vital role dealers play at casinos – from giving outstanding customer service to wowing players with skill and professionalism. It’s been a pleasure to witness so much talent at the competition.”
Ray plans to return to The Barracuda and show off his trophy, but he also plans to keep performing well in order to enter the European dealer competition next year to show off his skills on a larger scale!
Adam Fenyves from Birmingham Hill Street was the runner up in the competition, wowing judges with his chip dexterity and his professional manner in the three categories.
