I've got a good Monday to Friday job that I have no intention of quitting anytime soon. I do have two kids starting college this coming fall. I am determined to have them graduate with zero debt and recently quit playing poker. Those two things are mutually exclusive, but since I'm an overall loser at the game the timing works out.

I was thinking, since I don't play anymore, that dealing on weekends would be a good second income. I still like the casino atmosphere and have thousands of hours there so I think I could get through dealing school and pass an audition, likely.

My question is I guess I don't know enough about the schedule there. Is it a case of everyone else wants weekends off so I'd easily get a shift working on weekends or is it a case of people fight for the weekend shifts because they are the busiest? I realize the staffing needs of every casino probably differ, but from a general standpoint is a weekend only shift something that happens in this industry or am I wasting my time?

Thanks

This will depend exactly on where you're applying but in general part-time/extra-board dealers are required to work whenever scheduled and don't get to pick weekends only.

Just ask them at the casino. But one thing I have found to be true at every room I worked at ..... They have no hesitation to change their minds about scheduling policies......

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Not a casino industry worker.

That said, there's a lot of similarities with any type of part time position. Unlike McDonalds, there is competition to getting even a part time job at the casino dealing. Your main disadvantage is that you are only going to be willing to work weekends and holidays. You aren't available the rest of the time. Given the choice of having someone who will come in at short notice any time or you, they're going to pick the more flexible person.

Your best bet is to go to the local casinos in your area and ask a floor about it. They'll let you know if they hire that way.

Pretty much the same comments ... You might end up working 3rd shift in the beginning or only when they have a tournament series going on. Even in some charity rooms the Dealers must work their way from tournament (hourly, maybe a tip or two) 'up' to the cash tables. I assume you will have to find time for Dealer School in there as well.

Not sure your background, but you might get more satisfaction from working vallet or even security. It's possible you don't want to be seen in 'public' that may rule out Uber/Pizza delivery/Taxi ... ?

As with typical poker players (I'm one of them!), you may be overestimating the speed and/or the value of results you will get in a period of time. Sending 2 off to college at the same time is a big ticket to punch. Maybe start off at a Junior College? GL

You certainly have the right thoughts about wondering whether dealers like to work the weekends or not. Sure, they want their weekends off but they make the most $$$ on the weekends. As a new dealer and a part-timer at that, the general answer is that you would be expected to work when management wants you to work. When we interview new dealers before even getting to a training class, the first question we ask them is whether they can be flexible. 100% flexible. No we're not going to ask you to close one night and then come in at noon the next day, but flexibility is extremely important. This also depends on how big the room and poker department are. We have 7 live tables, 15 total and a staff of about 22. Flexibility is more important for us as opposed to a room that might have 50 tables and 100 total staff members. When you go in for an interview, please just be honest about what you're looking to do, working weekend nights only. It's entirely possible that you will get rejected immediately because you won't be available other days and that makes things tougher on management. If it's something they can work around and deal with then it will work. All depends on the casino's situation.

Thank you all for the replies. It seems like everytime I would go to the poker room there were more and more dealers that I didn't recognize so I was thinking turnover was pretty high, but I can tough it out with the best of them,
but the scheduling thing will be a roadblock.

My regular job pays enough I can foot the bill. I'm not going to lie, it will kill any extra spending money 100% for the next four years and my wife and kids can spend money on a Floyd Mayweather level so working weekends for the next four years is likely what I'm going to do just to keep spending money around the house.

My first thought was the casino industry because I'm familiar with the surroundings and genuinely like the laid back atmosphere. I know there are challenges with the clientele from time to time so please don't take that as I don't think dealers put up with **** on the regular, but in real life I have to be professional from 9-5 so it would be "laid back" by comparison.

I genuinely laughed out loud.

Yea, probably not the right term to use. Hopefully you get where I'm coming from.

It is comfortable for the customers. As with any customer service job where speed is a premium, it is not a laid back experience for the employees. I've had positions where I was measured to the second on how quickly I handled situations and was ranked against everyone else. People who were consistently at the bottom were let go. At the same time, every mistake was recorded. Each mistake resulted in a write up. In one position, if you made 4 mistakes in a 1 year period, you were walked out the door immediately. I imagine dealing is something similar.

Agreed. My comparison was against the job I have now where every second has to be 100% professional and I have to handle the people working under me with white gloves constantly. I have meetings and presentations that need prepared for with up to the second information. I have to resist the urge to tell a joke or make a smart comment as the second someone wants to ***** to HR I have a lot of explaining to do.

I've legit had dealers, who understood the dynamic of the table and knew it was OK to joke around with me, tell me to go **** myself and it was within earshot of a floor who also understood I was fine with the dialog. That WOULDN'T happen in my line of work now.

My comment/comparison wasn't meant to be interpreted as dealers can just be scres offs. I do know better than that.

as a former industry worker if you really do need a PT job, I would highly recommend you find a job in another industry instead of working as a part time dealer for several reasons.

1. Since you have a FT job now, I'm assuming you work regular daytime hours? If you DO get a casino to agree on weekends only, chances are the hours will be graveyard or swing. You're the last man in the rankings. That means you would have to work all night and sleep all day.

2. If they do accept weekends only, you will probably be on call, which means you only work when they need you.

3. Most casinos require more than one game. Usually BJ and BAC are mandatory games, and since you don't have any poker experience, you will need to train for more than one game. At least this was my experience when I was dealing.

4. It's not a steady job. Even if you know you're scheduled to work, you can get a phone call telling you not to come in. Or you can go there, and go home shorty after starting (unless there are enough people on the e.o. list). Or, you think you have the day off, then you get a call asking you to come in.

If you live north of NYC, there's a new casino that's scheduled to open in less than a month but they're way short on hiring new employees. They're training dealers at their own dealer school. Resorts World Catskills

I would try a charity room or Uber. I have a feeling that no casino will accommodate your requests.

GL.

This will 100% depend on the casino. My advice is to apply and then mark your availability on the application. When you interview/audition simply make sure they are aware you are only available on Saturday/Sunday and they will either hire you or they won't depending on their needs.

100% this. If you want to take it a step further, try to start a casual conversation with the room manager and share your situation and goals.

P.S. In any room where I've worked there are plenty of dealers who would love to have weekends off.

P.P.S. The notion that you make your money on weekends is often a myth. Just because the room is crowded doesn't mean that the 9 players at your table tip more than they would on a Wednesday when the room is mostly empty.

Its going to depend on the market, the room and the way that management schedules people. The amount of time you spend dealing will be affected by the ratio of dealers to tables not just the number of tables.

I agree with everything you just said. It also depends on what promotions are going on and who they attract. An aces cracked promotion might not be the ideal time to be dealing.

In my experience, Friday nights are usually pretty good for dealers. Saturday and Sunday, not so much. I've had some amazing shifts dealing on a "slow" Tuesday afternoon.

I have worked as a dealer for casino party companies. Their parties are always on nights and weekends. It is pretty easy and fun. I got paid about $80-100 for a night. It’s not a lot of money, but it’s something.


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