Hi everyone, I am trying to build a bankroll for myself and I was thinking that it makes sense to become a poker dealer to do this. I would get to see a ton of hands from a neutral perspective and still get to be involved with the game that I love (plus I love working nights).

Should I do a course like this one or can I learn on the job?

You'll learn stuff on the job but you can't learn how to deal on the job, your focus will be elsewhere. Go to a dealing school and spend 7 weeks dealing at the WSOP and then decide if you want to be a dealer or not.

That website you linked, I have no idea what it's trying to do.

Not to dissuade you from doing something you want to do (you should!) but how many dealers do you know who are good at poker?

You won't learn as much as you would think from dealing. You'll learn much more from playing. When dealing you really aren't concentrating on strategy or anything of that nature, you're more worried about doing your job. You may learn a little bit, but you will learn much much more from playing.

Dealing can supplement your bankroll though. You'll have a steady source of income when you hit a tough stretch. Good luck!!

I have not become a better player while dealing. If anything I've gotten significantly worse.

The one good thing that has come from it is the ability to scope out all of the different stakes and games to see how they're playing. This has led to me wanting to play small stakes PLO very badly!

You do make decent money and there is flexibility in where and how much you work.

That website looks super scammy with no real information about what the course consists of.

I had the same idea and I really wish I had gone to a school. Instead, I paid someone for a couple lessons and tried to learn at home. I got hired on as a chiprunner that they are working into dealing. It sucks and it's cost me more time and money then if I had just paid for the school upfront. On the plus side, I have actually improved my game the last few months.

I was a casino tables games dealer for a couple of years when I was 21-22, and also dealt some poker underground at that time. I'd received a very good 1 month long intensive dealer course with a focus on blackjack. Dealing is the job I quit to become a poker pro. I'd play in small casino and underground poker games while I was a dealer and I was a break-even player for my first ever 300 hrs of play, and won maybe $15/hr during my second 300 hrs of play. Next I quit dealing and did not look back.

Pros:

* Buddies I met at work were poker players and we discussed poker regularly at work
* Got opportunities thru work to go on weekend poker trips to venues like the Taj a couple times (this was 2002-03)
* Was used to spending long hours overnight at the table
* Got used to paying very good attention to what was going on, including the psychological states of gamblers
* From the very beginning I always felt like a confident pro walking into a cardroom

Cons:

* You're not really studying poker when working as a dealer.
* When dealing you're too busy to pick much up from the hands you see. It's not like playing.
* Your buddies can be bad influences. Many dealers and bosses are poker/gambling enthusiasts who are bad.
* Physical and mental stresses of dealing are similar to those of playing, so you might burn out trying to play much poker on the side.

I think being a dealer is maybe the best job you can take if you love the game and aspire to being a pro. But if you're rolled and taking a good shot at being a full-time pro, I recommend quitting the dealer gig (if necessary seek out something on the side that is part-time, low stress, and a lot different than poker).

A truth that few people want to acknowledge man LOL

I know exactly one. He keeps quitting to play full time.

He keeps coming back.

Some good responses here IMO.

It's pretty rare to find a Dealer who is good at (or even want to play) poker when they aren't dealing. You do hear during WSOP time that 'this' Player was a former Dealer. My obvious examples both come from my home state of Michigan ... Cada and Riess ... both of whom are ME champs. I think Riess credits his dealing time more than Cada does but I think that any time around the game could have a positive influence on your own game if applied properly. GL

a lot of dealers actually like playing. in some places like in vegas they can even play where they work.
most dealers are either huge nits or god awful at poker.