How would i want to learn to become a poker dealer in western washington? (1 Viewer)

[frondaro]

Hello, i would like to become a poker dealer, i have heard that there is a manpower shortage in the poker dealer space (i don't know if that's true but it's what i have heard) and as such i would like to learn how to become a poker dealer

however i reached out a few card rooms and they told me to reach out to a school in renton about a poker class, i contacted them and they are no longer offering that class anymore

so i would like to know how i can learn to be a dealer and what people on this forum suggest,

thank you

 

[Machine]

Well you're question has layers.

To deal in a casino you typically have to have a license to deal from the state. I'm not sure what the requirements are but typically this has nothing to do with skill or ability and all about control, from the state =)

Secondly there is the knowledge and skill aspect.

Anyone can 'move' cards from a stub to another location lol.

I would say you should know the game(s) NLH, Omaha, stud. Pick up a rule book or 3 and read them all, understand the action and more importantly you have to know and understand how to handel situations where things go wrong.

To learn how to actually 'move' cards, you should find a deck (plastic) and setup matchboxes and chips on the table, practice 'pitching' to each location, and once you can put 2 cards under each matchbox, you're ready to look for a job.

If you can find a casino that will train you, they will walk you through each of these step by step.

There is some limited stuff out on youtube to get started. Posting on this site, would infer you're interested in poker, and not house games like blackjack or roulette. That is a different set of skills.

 

[LotsOfChips]

A few things come to mind:

1) Is there really a shortage of dealers in WA? I would confirm this by asking at a variety of different locations in your area. You don’t want to spend a lot of time and money training yourself for a job that doesn’t really have much demand.

2) Further to the above, if there really is a shortage of qualified people to fill the jobs, then most places would probably be willing to provide some sort of training program, provided that you can show at least some degree of ability, enthusiasm, interest, knowledge of the industry, etc.

3) I know a few casino dealers, and it seems to take a particular type of person to thrive in the job. Standing (many table games) or sitting for long periods, having to be polite and friendly to a bunch of drunk strangers at all times, being able to deal with very repetitive tasks, etc. are all part of the workplace requirements. You may want to think long and hard about whether this is something that really appeals to you. If possible, try to have a conversation (away from the table) with a few different dealers and ask them what they really like and really hate about the job.

4) If you decide that there is a demand for dealers in your area, and that dealing is something that you really want to do, and there’s no training facility in your area, there’s lots of dealer schools in Nevada that would be happy to take your money and provide you with at least a solid basis of knowledge that would look good on your resume when you’re applying to your local casinos and card rooms.

Best of luck!

 

[ekricket]

Get an issue of Cardplayer magazine or go to their website. Look in the ads and classifieds.

 

[trever]

https://www.wsgc.wa.gov/licensing/apply-license/card-room-employee-dealer

This might help get you started