How Does One Become a Professional Poker Dealer?

Requirements

The requirements are kinda similar to cocktail waitressing. You’ve gotta be knowledgeable about the job and, in that world, have food handler and beverage server certifications. For dealing poker, you basically need to prove you can do the job, not have a criminal record, and obtain a gaming license.

How to Actually Become a Dealer

The path to becoming a poker dealer isn’t a straightforward “I took training courses, applied to jobs, and the rest is history” type job. Dealers have various pathways they’ve taken to dealing. A friend recommendation, a former poker player gone dealer, or a mom who just needed a new hustle and knew her way around a poker table. People from all walks of life end up dealing poker.

♦️ “Cards change people’s lives!”

💰 This poker dealer tells us what it’s like to deal hands worth millions of pounds

🤝 With @GGPokerUK #BeGambleAware pic.twitter.com/0h9j8kLpLH

— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) August 9, 2023

However, the most common and straightforward way to start if you have no experience is to complete a 4–8 week training course, then apply for an open position at a land-based casino. If you already have some experience as a player or from dealing home games, you can try going straight to the cash casinos and start learning the trade and the gambling regulations.

Let’s Cover Our Bases: What Does a Poker Dealer Do?

A poker dealer handles the cards and chips, keeps the game running smoothly, and enforces the rules. So, if you’re obsessed with poker but not quite cut out to play professionally, dealing is a solid way to be in the mix without putting your own money on the line.

But even if you’re good, you still have to pass an audition. Usually, it involves dealing a live game for 15–20 minutes while the poker room manager watches you like a hawk. If you’re not confident dealing things like split pots or pot-limit games, you’ll need some practice.  Of course, there are training options but those are upwards of $2K.

MIT’s Introduction to Poker Theory: A Free Online Course https://t.co/cNWiPd45e4 pic.twitter.com/8kPJfF87kP

— Open Culture (@openculture) April 9, 2016

No shade to the official route, but it’s definitely cheaper to bribe your friends with free cocktails for weekly poker nights until you get the hang of it.

How Much $$ Do They Make?

I live in Las Vegas, a city overflowing with wild entertainment jobs. Plenty of people here work in casinos, either as cocktail servers or poker dealers, and the money can be really good. But it depends on what stakes you’re dealing and what shifts you pull.

My best friend’s mom is a poker dealer. She started out in a tiny casino in Southern California, then moved to Vegas and started making way more money. If you’re considering this path, just know: location and stakes are everything.

Would I Do It?

Being a poker dealer actually sounds fun, and I’ve definitely daydreamed about it. You need to be sharp, good with people in general, and okay with a yo-yo income, since most of your money comes from tips.

For me, though, I’d like to think I’d thrive in the social chaos of it. The celebration with strangers who won big, watching the drunk shenanigans unfold, the being around poker all the time… it definitely sounds like an exciting gig.

Poker room fight between the player and the dealer 😳🥊 pic.twitter.com/456g85Q4Dp

— Crime Net (@TRIGGERHAPPYV1) January 22, 2024

But those graveyard shifts? Couldn’t be me. My circadian rhythm is too precious. You night owls, though? This might just be the job for you.

And you never know, you might just end up in casino news headlines for snagging the craziest tip in Las Vegas history. So, if you’re interested but don’t know all the games, don’t worry, we got you. You can check out our online casino, where you can familiarize yourself with the rules of every game you can think of. God speed!