Hey everyone, I have been hosting a weekly home game every Thursday. After about the second week, I decided I would be the dedicated dealer to make the games go smoother. A few of the people that play don't know what the heck they are doing, not knowing how to deal Holdem, when to burn, flipping up cards when dealing hole cards, etc. So I decided to take it on myself to speed up the game a little.

I am curious if that puts me at a disadvantage considering I'm not able to focus on the hands as much as someone who isn't dealing??

What are your opinions on this?? Do any of you deal always and how do you fair??

Thanks.

I offer to deal sometimes when I'm not playing (usually after busting out of a tournament), but I'd feel pretty weird being a dedicated dealer in a game in which I'm also playing.

People learn to deal by dealing. I think you should let them, even if it slows down the game right now. Have patience and be willing to help; they should get better at it over time.

It may or may not hurt you. But since you are playing against newbies it's probably not going to make a huge difference. As Jimulacrum said, the best thing you can do is make them deal. It will boost there confidence massivly plus if you were to play in a different environment you dealing every hand for them may not be appropriate.

If making the game flow faster is your main objective here, something we have done in the past is have two decks - One red, one blue for example

Player one deals out the entire hand - upon finishing the hand he gathers up the cards and shuffles them and passed them to Player three.

Once the first hand is over player two starts dealing with the second deck. Once that hand is over he passes the cards to player four and so on.

Obviously you don't want to risk two decks getting mixed but overall this really speeds up the amount of hands you get to see

It was weird at first, mainly dealing to myself first depending on where the button is. But now that I'm used to it I don't mind really.

I'm just wondering if I'm at a disadvantage by doing it. Mainly because I'm on a downswing. But I'm trying to figure out if it is variance, or because I'm dealing every hand... I have gotten some pretty crap cards the last few games however, so I'm leaning towards variance..

Just curious what others thought and if anyone else does this with their home game..

Thanks for the reply.

Yeah, we use 2 decks also. Except instead of a pass the deal it's a pass the shuffle. Whoever had the button for that hand shuffles those cards used in that hand. Then I immediately start dealing the next hand as soon as the last hand is over. then they hand me the shuffled deck so I can deal the next hand when it's ready..

As far as you being at a disadvantage, yeah, it probably nibbles at your potential earn just like it would if you were dedicated to any other activity while you're playing. Your attention has to be divided during every hand, and your opponents' attention doesn't.

on the flip side, you've got a chance to build good dealing habits.

look at http://truepoker***********/ to learn some pro tips on efficiency, ergonomics, and generally good stuff. also look through this forum if you haven't already, and ask questions if there are areas you're not sure about.

Then maybe grab one of the better candidates at your game and ask them to deal for you once in a while, so you can do some other errand, or get a break, whatever. Give tips in public and perhaps everyone will see what it means to deal properly and take an interest in doing it right.

It should not make much difference in your results unless you are very easily distracted by dealing the hands. I can see that you want the game to flow smoother and quicker with less foulups and delays. But , in the long run, your group would do better if some of the other players took their turns dealing and improve their skills. Actually dealing the cards is the only way to get better , kinda like driving a car or roller skating!

fyp

I've been playing with one guy for about 10 years and his dealing has not improved in all that time.

From my experience yes you are. Often times I am a dedicated dealer while playing n I never seem to play my A game while dealing. Probably because there's a lot other things to pay attention too

Yeah I'm probably going to switch it here in the next little to a pass the deal. I did however cash out up tonight so that makes me feel better ha ha.

I'm building myself a 6 foot round poker table and once that is done I'm going to switch it back. That way no one will have a better position to deal from and everything will be the same for everyone.

Thanks for your opinions guys.

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Good idea.

You're going to like that 6 footer. People will need to help getting the cards and chips where they need to go, but it's a lot of fun to play at a full table where you can see everyone and everyone can interact with each other. It also makes dealing great from every chair, especially if you get a felt with some glide to it. Make sure you have enough room for it, though.

Yeah i measured and I should be good. I also went with suited speed cloth from yat. So I'm excited to play on it, just trying to figure out legs.

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I think how experienced of a player you are matters in whether dealing helps or hinders your game. I started being a dedicated dealer/player in a bar league a few years ago. It definitely helped my game early on as it forced me to pay attention to all of the action of the players. After 4+ years of dealing bar and home games I do not think it is helping to improve my game anymore, but I do find myself getting bored/distracted easily when I am not dealing.

I like round tables but be careful of not making it too big as it is a big stretch to reach the center. You will end up having to standing up to reach all of the chips in the pot and to push it to the winner.

Sorry i was thinking 60" and said 6 foot lol.

I'm building a 5 foot round table.

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We have a large oval that seats 10 well, but it is a somewhat crude and simple homemade item. Thinking about an upgrade someday. How many players can usually sit comfortably around a 5 foot round anyway? Not counting children, tiny women, or huge fat folks. Just average folks. 7, 8, 9 ???

Minor derail , sorry mods, move to Open thread if you want

Not totally sure. I'm about 6'1" 240lbs and my brother is about 6' 250lbs. Once i cut the rail piece i sat at the table, i had my brother sit 90 degrees from me. We both thought we could easily sit another person between us. So I'm going to say 8 should be comfy. But I'm going to start a table build thread and I'll post in there how many I can seat once I use it..

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I host games where we play on a large oval table and I too am the designated dealer in the game. One of my friends who plays typically sits across from me and we take turns dealing hands for the whole night. It helps if you get maybe just one other player to alternate dealing with you so that you can focus on your own hands as well as do whatever and the game can still run. If you get into a hand and the other dealer is sitting out you can simply ask them to deal for you before putting the flop out.

For me there are two different kinds of nights at the home game I host which yield different results re: dedicated dealing.

Night 1: Reg Fest: Smaller table (5-8) with all my more serious players. They all know how to deal well and keep up with the action. Chatter is at a modest level.

On these nights I think dedicated dealing hurts me. Chatter is already at a minimum so it's not hard to stay focused on hands I'm out of. My edge is greatly diminished, probably neutralized, over a more rec table. The game won't move any quicker if I'm dealing or we are rotating deal.

Night 2: Social Night: Full table up to 2 tables with a mix of serious players to clueless noobs. Chatter is through the roof, action is lost amongst conversation. Focusing on hands you're involved in is difficult, much less hands you're out of. Edge is great with all the weak spots at the table. Some players don't even know how to deal much less have basic concepts (tracking action, tidying pots, announcing bets).

On Night 2, I'll insist on ded dealing. The edge points I lose from having to focus on dealing I gain back from being more engaged, seeing a higher hand/H rate, etc. I don't need my A game to win at this table; Id rather play my B game and see 3x as many hands. It also keeps the regs happy not having to deal with, er, dealing shenanigans.

Cliffs: I'll scan my list of attendees before the game starts. The more noobs coming the higher my propensity to ded.deal.

There is an upside to being the perma-dealer, however. You get to see every hand and, more importantly, you're generally watching the person whose decision it is while the hand is being played out. This gives you an opportunity to pay more attention to them and pick things up on them that you wouldn't necessarily do if you weren't dealing.

Make use of that time to pay attention to the game and let it help your game.

^That's true. I try to pay attention anyway, but being the dealer gives you a great excuse to stare at everyone.

This.

If people are going to play poker even once a month they should learn how to deal hold 'em. It is really pretty straight forward.

It might be slow in the beginning but people will learn.