Making a living as a traveling poker dealer

[Paisley777]

Well, I guess saying that's just un-American, doesn't carry much weight

lol
Sadly, not these days. 

This state does some backwards stuff.  Seen a few things, so it really makes (sad) sense if it's true.  I'm only really here for my grandmother (88yo). 
I heard a couple friends who've lived here for decades talking about NM.  They said it's run like one of those backwater small towns.  Ya know, the ones where the sheriff or the mayor "...are THE LAW in this here town!"

 

[Paisley777]

Reducto, you've mentioned that WSOP even generally pays ~30/hr and one can usually get ~50hrs/week. (thank you for being so candid!)

What about other, smaller events?  10day tourneys in Fla, Ca, etc.  Are the numbers about the same?  I'm trying to figure out budget outside of the main event. 

 

[Goshawk]

Wow. Did not realize it was $30 an hour. That’s pretty nice for a temporary job with no commitment.


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[Reducto]

The lowest pay I've experienced is around $25/hr. Some events pay considerably more but those are getting harder to get into, as you might expect. Word gets around. If you work on your skills and get to know people you can work your way in.

The number of hours you can work varies quite a bit and is difficult to predict. Sometimes more players than expected show up to play and a few dealers back out at the last minute so we get slammed with 70+ hour weeks, sometimes their estimates are way off and we get closer to 30 hours. New events are usually light on hours because they over-hire just in case demand is really high. Larger, established events are more predictable and they will usually try to let you work long hours if you want to.

I've really only had one event that turned out to be a waste (I made $550 in 10 days, barely covering my travel expenses) and that was a new event in a tiny casino. I was just starting out and happy to have something to put on my resume so it wasn't so bad.

 

[52jokers]

Hey Reducto,

Will you be at this years' Winter RTR?

 

[Reducto]

Sorry, I'm working in South Florida for the next month.

 

[Goshawk]

Sorry, I'm working in South Florida for the next month.

Smart. Warm there


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[Reducto]

A friend of mine is offering classes in Sacramento for $700. 3 days a week for 6 weeks. All of his students passed their WSOP auditions last year. PM me for details. I won't get a commission, just passing this along as it's the cheapest class I've seen in a while.

You would need to jump on this soon, applications are already up for this Summer's event.

 

[nomadicandfree]

I am curious to how dealers of blackjack and general table games (the 2 non poker dealer jobs I see advertised) fare compared to poker if anyone has any insight.

 

[Paisley777]

Reducto

For WSOP, you make your money in tourny downs or cash games? I've heard tourny am is a good shift to request.

Also, any suggestions for the stay there? I put my application in this week and assuming all goes well, I would guess it's best to lock down a place sooner rather than later.

Paisley

 

[Reducto]

I always request morning shift tournaments. Cash is better at night though there's more stress and variance. As a first year dealer you might get put on the afternoon shift no matter what you request - they put newbies in the daily deep stack tournaments to minimize the damage some of them do. At the pre-shift meeting you'll usually get the choice of doing cash or tournament so you can try both and see which you prefer.

I always stay at one of the many weekly/monthly apartment complexes down by the Hard Rock hotel. Most don't take reservations, just show up in the morning a few days before orientation and something will be open. My standards are pretty low, though. The only nice place is Holiday Royale but they're more expensive and often full. The rest are dumps but the showers and AC work. If you want something nicer you can try airbnb or the WSOP dealers facebook group to find someone looking for a roommate.

Good luck! The audition should be a piece of cake for you since you've already dealt. Just relax, be nice to everyone, and remember that they want to hire everyone at that table.

 

[Paisley777]

My friend did the series last year and said the 2p shift often lost out on money for not enough work. She said the late shift cried for working too much and the 2nd shift cried for working too little. I understand if it's what they do to the newbies though.

Should have asked this in the last post... what should I budget for room? She and I are talking bout sharing, but if that doesn't work out though I'd like to know what to save up for.

 

[Reducto]

Yeah they messed up the scheduling last year, hopefully it will be corrected this year. You can request a schedule change if your first choice doesn't work out like you hope. The crappy 1br apartments I get are around $750/mo, nice ones are like $950, you may be able to find a roommate situation for around $500-600. It just depends how nice of a place you want and how close to work you need it to be.

 

[Paisley777]

I figure I'm there to sleep and shower, so not picky at all. lol
I don't think she is either.

I was looking at craigs list and airbnb - didn't see anything short term for that time frame yet (CL) or that cheap (airbnb). I'm guessing it's just too early.

Also - you mention 'apartments' - are they furnished?

 

[Reducto]

The weekly/monthly type places are generally furnished. You provide bedding.

 

[52jokers]

I am curious to how dealers of blackjack and general table games (the 2 non poker dealer jobs I see advertised) fare compared to poker if anyone has any insight.

Hey nomadicandfree,

For anyone comparing a career as a TABLE GAMES dealer vs a POKER dealer, here are the key differences: 

-Standing vs sitting - Poker dealers SIT while table games dealers generally STAND 
-Second Hand Smoke Exposure - Nearly every poker room in Las Vegas is now smoke-free. While the general casino floor is a smoky mess. Table games dealers have to breathe in smoke from players. 
-Hourly Pay - From everyone I've spoken to, Poker Dealers make significantly more money than table dealers. (At my school we have several current table game dealers who are switching to poker for this reason).

 

[52jokers]

I was going to post this once I got my first job but since we're reaching the time of the year where you should start studying / learning if you want to deal this summer's events (WSOP, GOLIATH, etc), I'll post this now.

For anyone who's in the LAS VEGAS area, I would highly recommend West Coast Dealing School. The head instructor Chris is a dealer himself (Planet Hollywood and WSOP) and is an amazing teacher.
Chris covers the full mix of games (BOARD, STUD, and DRAW) and in both formats (CASH and TOURNAMENT).



Full disclosure:
I'm currently in the class (about 80% done) and have already auditioned for the Venetian Tournament Dealer position for the summer and will also audition for the WSOP when they start their process this year. I can personally attest to the quality of instruction at this school and can't imagine a better program. I give it my strongest recommendation.

 

[Reducto]

I've heard very good things about dealing at Venetian over the Summer - I'd consider picking that over WSOP if you get in. I would NOT recommend Planet Hollywood, the down rate (the amount you're paid per half hour of dealing) during their Summer series is usually one of the lowest in town. It's probably just fine the rest of the year so no knocking Chris's regular gig, I think it's just the temp tournament staff they don't take care of.

 

[Paisley777]

I was thinking of taking their supplemental class for current dealers. Talked to Chris on the phone. Really good impression. Still not sure if I'll spend the time/money on a class or continue to self study the variant games. I've had dealers on the FB groups say it's not worth the money if you already deal. Just study the rule & hand ranking. Thoughts?

Any suggestions on how to learn about the other tournaments - in terms of typical rates, mgt treatment, etc - what ones to go for and what to avoid. ??

 

[Reducto]

You can practice a lot of what you need with stud and draw on your own or with one helper. The supplemental class would speed this process a bit, but I would agree it's probably not necessary in your case. With stud you just need to be in the habit of always starting in the one seat, pitching up cards (but remembering to switch on the last card!) and calling out pairs/first to act. Draw is super easy, just practice the push/pull thing the WSOP wants you to do. There are some short classes the first week of the WSOP for new dealers, plan on taking advantage of those and staying to practice if you can.

Which tournaments are good and which ones have open spots always changes so I don't want to get into too much in this permanent thread. The facebook groups are good and you'll learn a lot by talking to other dealing during the series. Some of them you just have to try out to see if you like it or not. There aren't many that I would avoid entirely - cruises for example you don't really make any money but you get a free cruise out of it, one stop they don't treat you very well but they let you work as much as you want. Some dealers work 16+ hours per day and love it because they make a ton, others hate the grind and would rather take it easy.