Poker Dealer, Dealers please respond

[JaneTheHot]

Dear Poker Dealers:
I am current in my third year of college and I dislike what I am learning and I feel that the major that I've chosen is not right for me. On the other hand, I love cards, I love to shuffle cards, I love to play poker, and I am currently thinking about giving up college and pursue a career in poker dealing. First of all, I would like to know how hard is it to get a job. How long are typical school training sessions and how much do they cost. I live in Brooklyn, New York and it would take me about 1 1/2 hours to get to Atlantic City. Please help me feel in the blanks.

P.S. I am 20 years old, can I deal?

Thank you for all of your responses, they are TRULY appreciated.

[sharkscopeaholic]

theres a 2+2 book on how to properly start a career as a dealer and i'm sure it has all the info you're looking for

[sharkscopeaholic]

this site may help you too...
http://www.playwinningpoker.com/articles/01/24.html

and in particalr this...

Poker Dealing in the 21st Century

The first thing we need to understand when talking about poker dealing today is that dealers are not generic -- they differ greatly in training, ability and desire.

Incredibly, most casinos do not train their dealers. This betrays a lack of respect for their employees and their customers. Casinos must take responsibility to train dealers -– and protect them from abuse. Imagine Chrysler putting a people on the assembly line without training them. Imagine McDonalds putting a person in front of a stove without training. Yet these multi-million dollar businesses do just that. The casinos rely on dealer schools, which, to say the least, don't teach dealers what they need to know to do their job.

The first responsibility of a dealer is to "run the game." Those words don't even seem to be spoken at these self-accredited schools, which often are nothing more than a rip-off. They do an adequate job of teaching relatively unimportant skills (how to shuffle, pitch the cards, drop the rake), but do virtually nothing to prepare a dealer for the "real world" of a poker game.

Another issue to be faced is the fact many new dealers have limited English skills. With the exception of most higher-stakes games with all experienced players, the single most important tool a dealer has to do a good job is their voice. This goes back to running the game. If a higher-stakes game runs smoothly on it's own, a dealer should just "dummy up and deal." But a game with any glitches (a player who’s had one too many, a novice who never is quite sure whose turn it is, a bully, an angle shooter) needs a dealer who will speak up and keep things moving smoothly. Someone who can't clearly understand or speak English simply isn't qualified to do a job where "English only" remains the rule.

Sadly, the large number of semi-incompetent dealers leads directly to increased abusiveness from players. Dealers get paid minimum wage and are thrown to the lions. Some crybabies complain because a dealer dealt them a losing hand. This is just foolishness that dealers need to ignore, and casinos need to police so it doesn't get excessive, but other dealer abuse stems directly from poor performance -- a result of the cumulative effect of poor work done by some of their fellow employees.

So what can be done? First, players need to bring pressure on the casinos to train their employees. Second, dealers need to ask for training, and police their comrades. Nobody wants to deal at a table left chaotic by the previous dealer. Third, most importantly, and by far most controversially: unionization. It's time to bring poker dealers and casino employees into the 21st Century. A union like the Teamsters or the Service Employees International Union needs to be persuaded to organize these unorganized laborers.

Unionization will inevitably lead to greater casino accountability which in turn will lead to better training, more stringent standards, an almost sure reduction in kickbacks and extortion payments... and finally a higher base wage. The higher wage will certainly be passed along to customers in the form of a higher rake, but that will reduce or eliminate the propriety and need to tip. These days the responsibility for keeping good dealers working is entirely on the players! Excellent dealers won't deal if the "stiffs" cause their income to drop to the point it isn't worth it. (Funny how the stiffs tend to be the biggest whiners about dealer quality.)

The effects, the branches, of unionization lead many directions -- almost all in everybody's long-term interest. The absurd minimum wage-based triangle of (player) abuse, (company) no-responsibility and (dealer) incompetence simply cannot endure the test of time. A change is gonna come. For all our sakes, let's work to make it "sooner" rather than "later".

[dudemanjack]

If you want to deal in Atlantic City you have to move to New Jersey. Only residents can get a gaming license.

[youtalkfunny]

[ QUOTE ]
If you want to deal in Atlantic City you have to move to New Jersey. Only residents can get a gaming license.

[/ QUOTE ]


If that's true, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

[chucky]

Really? Cuz the dumbest thing I heard was Michael Vick apologizing after pleading guilty.

[Photoc]

[ QUOTE ]
Really? Cuz the dumbest thing I heard was Michael Vick finding Jesus after pleading guilty.

[/ QUOTE ]

FYP

Everyone says they're sorry after getting caught, not everyone magically finds the holy son!

[TheJunkyardGod]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
If you want to deal in Atlantic City you have to move to New Jersey. Only residents can get a gaming license.

[/ QUOTE ]


If that's true, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's 100% true.

you'll want to move to NJ after commuting for a few months any way. Think of the money you'll save getting out the BK anyway.

[schwerd2]

I was in a similar situation. I went to college to be a teacher then realized my senior year i really didn't want to teach. I moved down to atlantic city and went to dealer school in August 2006. Dealer school will run you about $400 and most schools are around 4 weeks long. A casino gaming license is $350 and it may take months to get processed depending on your record.

I didn't get my first dealing job until May 2007. Your best bet is to get a job as a temporary dealer for when the tournaments come to town, ex. WSOP circuit events, WPT at borgata. If you do well as a temp they will hire you as a part time dealer.

Yes you can deal at 20, you only need to be 18 to deal. I do enjoy dealing but I hate the hours that I work. I work the grave shift (anywhere from midnight-noon) and have a lot of trouble getting a good nights sleep. Count on working every weekend and holiday as well.

Might as well finish college though since you have made it so far, it doesn't hurt to have a degree.

[pfapfap]

First off, I'm very glad my path has taken me to where I am, and I'm pleased that dealing is one of my many skills and trades. But I am also thankful every day for my college degree and my time spent in other careers. It has opened up more doors than you can possibly imagine. Just going through the process will help you as a person, even if you're like most people and don't do anything related to your major.

We force kids to pick a career far too early. If you don't like what you're studying, pick something else! Travel! Drive to Mexico! Work in Alaska! Sleep with hot French women! Whatever! You can always come back and do dealing, but why not live it up while you're young? Besides, dealing isn't a long-term career choice anyway, what with electronic tables coming in. There will always be dealers, but not nearly as many as there are today.

If anything, listen to this: hot, flexible, sexually open, emotionally available women are turned on by smart, educated, well-rounded men.