So I want to be a dealer

[NYCNative]

I like poker but don't feel like I have the skills to become a pro poker player. How does one go about becoming a dealer? How easy is it to get a foot in the door? How is the pay and hours? Aside from knowing the rules of most poker games and how to shuffle and deal, I also have much experience in the service industry - restaurants and record stores. I have long hair and I'm a guy, is that a problem in some casinos? Do I ask too many questions? /images/graemlins/smile.gif

I also believe it's in the rules that someone needs to post about what a horrible job it is and how much I will hate it.

[closer2313]

Try this (http://www.latimes.com/classified/jobs/counselor/la-counselor-052005,0,3762206.htmlstory?coll=la-class-employ-counselor)

[Hold'me]

Interesting. According to the article the dealers keep their tips. I was always under the impression that the casino took them.

[clutch]

[ QUOTE ]
Interesting. According to the article the dealers keep their tips. I was always under the impression that the casino took them.

[/ QUOTE ]

If the casino took them, why would anybody ever tip?

[jclin]

I've seen a couple threads on this. Expect to be sitting on your butt, getting hassled by folks all day. You keep all tips, it doesn't go to a bigger pool that everyone shares later. It obviously doesn't have much potential of raises. Even the 10-20 NL games tip a buck a hand at most, where hands can last a lifetime and pots in the thousands.

Good luck if you wish to try.

[BISCO]

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You keep all tips, it doesn't go to a bigger pool that everyone shares later.

[/ QUOTE ]

this is not true at foxwoods

[housenuts]

i would rather deal coke than cards.

[NYCNative]

You act like the two are mutually exclusive...

[Photoc]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
You keep all tips, it doesn't go to a bigger pool that everyone shares later.

[/ QUOTE ]

this is not true at foxwoods

[/ QUOTE ]

This is because foxwoods pools their dealers as well as the tokes. Quite a few of the dealers rotate through the poker room.

Not to mention F. Woods, as I like to call it, screws their dealers and players because they are the only (legal) game in town.

[bustedchucks]

repost this in B&M and youll get more, and better responses.

[imported_touchfaith]

I'm a dealer in New York and the environment is pretty competitive, I must say, just because everyone wants to be a dealer right now. With that said, I started with no experience and after three months, I'd consider myself a pretty damn good dealer. You're just going to have to be willing to work shifts that other might not, and be able to come in with little prior notice.

That said, the pay has been pretty phenomenal. We don't get salaried, but I average around 15-25 dollars per down (a down is a half hour shift in the box). If you're willing to work long hours, it's a really lucrative profession.

The best dealers, in my opinion, are diligent and patient. You have to be able to keep the action moving without being annoying while keeping the players in line and avoiding mistakes as much as humanly possible. I enjoy it a lot. Some others I know didn't like it so much and the pressure from managers and douchebag players got to them so much that they didn't last long. If that's something you can handle, I'd say go for it. If not, keep trying to step your game up.

[danzasmack]

i was a dealer for over a year. you learn a lot about poker, reading players, and the poker community. Whether or not you should become one is another story. You will not get a job in a casino as a dealer with no experience - that is one of the better gigs in a casino and you can make good $. As far as dealing at clubs in NY i do NOT suggest you consider this.

#1 - clubs have been raided lately, dealers were arrested.
#2 - hours are long and inconsistent. A lot of those bigger places will call u when they need you and just make you stay when they want you to. A buddy of mine was a "dealer" at one of these clubs for over a month. He did not deal one hand, and was only asked to "help get the games going".

BUT if you still want to be a dealer, here is some advice from one dealer to another:
1) keep your mouth shut. The only things you should be saying are "nice hand", "raise", "action is on you sir/miss", or announce the winning hand.
2) deal FAST. assume ~$1/hand. practice dealing fast but not so fast that you make mistakes.
3) don't ever be scared to call the floor over - let the players get mad at the manager, if they get mad at you tips will suck.
4) if you are gonna stay, stay late - the guys there until like 5am are the ones with some gamble and usually tip the best.

best of luck to you, PM me if you need any advice.