Make it a double

I worked last night at the WSOP and was scheduled to deal satellites but got moved over to deal the $330 Nightly No Limit tournament. I worked 5 hours and then had a few hours to kill before my 2am shift at TI. I ended up dealing there for 4.5 hours until the mixed game that a bunch of 2+2'ers were playing died, for a total of 9 hours. Once the link goes up on 2+2, I'll put it up...but there was quite an episode there last night at their table. One guy who was extremely intoxicated ended up vomiting all over himself and the table. They got pics. I was back dealing 1/3NL on table 8 and the smell from this instance was bad enough that even our table had trouble functioning properly. The cleaning crew did a good, quick job fixing it and they were all in there with masks and intricate cleaning apparati. Mr. Tim Caum (local pro Steve O'Dwyer) and the 2+2'ers moved their game to another table and the drinking decreased significantly, although Steve and some of them left which I believe was to go check up on his friend. The guy got taken away to the hospital and hopefully recovered from most likely some alcohol poisoning.

On www.pocketfives.com there is a thread detailing the interest of poker dealing from a n00b named BurgerLT so I will answer a few of the questions:

What do dealers average per hour with tips included? No shift is quite ever the same. Out here in Vegas, we keep our own tips. We get paid an hourly wage but due to the IRS, we get heavily taxed on this wage because of the Tip Complience agreement. I won't get into that because it would, more than likely, bore you.
I've had a night where I averaged as low as $12 an hour (an example of when no game is running, you sit on deadspreads most of the time, and barely got any downs) but have also had nights where I have averaged over $50 an hour.

Let's look at last night's two shifts, which overall was definitely an above-average night. Here's a partial breakdown by the numbers:

9.5 hours worked (5 hours at WSOP @ $6.41/hr) (4.5 at TI @ $7.75/hr)
8 tournament downs at WSOP (last week's average was $28 a down...a 'down' is a 30 minutes session in the box)
$127 in tips at TI ...add it all up and you've got $44 per hour on average (note: before taxes)


How hard is it to get into the good casinos? It isn't easy. Unless you are in the right place at the right time, know the right person (and possibly have the right amount of $$$)...don't expect to get a job dealing at the Wynn, Bellagio, MGM, or an upper-end room. I'm very satisfied with my work situation although it is a rather odd one. I deal at Imperial Palace and Treasure Island, so I work for both Harrah's and MGM. It is very difficult to get full time...in a nutshell, these companies do what they can to avoid hiring full-timers in order to avoid having to give benefits. There are also several slow times of the year for poker which also make it hard to get a job, depending on when you are looking. On the good side, there are tournaments that casinos will hire extraboards for throughout the year, and there's always the WSOP for a guaranteed 6 weeks of work.


Is dealing school necessary? YES imo. That is, unless you want to be one of the several dealers around town who has horrible technique, doesn't know correct procedure, etc. etc. I wouldn't be where I am now if it wasn't for Glenn Deno, poker instructor and dealer at the Mirage. He has become a great friend of mine and has taught me so much and has even got me investing money now, got me to build 2 different 401K's, and just really goes out of his way to make sure that his students are on the right path and helps them find jobs. He teaches over at www.americanschoolofdealing.com


What kind of benefits do dealers get? Must be hired on full-time, and good luck with that. I've actually been offered full-time at IP several times but have turned it down so I can keep my job at Treasure Island. At least part-timers/extraboards are offered the option of opening a 401K which you all hopefully realize is a must.

What is a dealers work schedule like? Full-time dealers usually have the same schedule. The either work day (11am-7pm), swing (7pm-3am), or graveyard (3am-11am). These hours aren't exact, but give you an idea. I personally have one of the craziest schedules you'll ever see. Just ask my friends. I don't like monotony. Therefore, I make myself available for all 3 shifts, any day of the week. My schedule is rarely ever the same.

7 day schedule (9 shifts):

Friday (already worked WSOP, got 5 hours)
Saturday (already worked TI shift, 4.5 hours), WSOP 6pm satellites
Sunday 2am, TI.
Monday 2am, TI. 6pm, WSOP.
Tuesday 2am, TI. 4pm, WSOP.
Wednesday OFF
Thursday 6pm, WSOP.

Surprisingly, I gotta get ready for work. More later.