Making a living as a traveling poker dealer

[AnonymousDog]

Paisley777 will you be? I'd be curious to know how it goes if you do.

I inquired about a course earlier this year but wasn't able to sign up.

 

[Erenas]

The tax changes will really hurt dealers who do a lot of traveling. I've been deducting thousands in mileage, airbnbs, gaming license fees, uniforms, etc. Hopefully there will be some alternative way to do it like incorporating.

A few events such as Cherokee pay us as independent contractors so I think that will still be deductable but I'm really not an expert.

Reducto,

What would you say the average hourly rate is these days. I am thinking about going to Dealer School this month.

 

[Reducto]

Pay is generally still around $25-35 per hour whether you're doing big tournaments or as a regular cash game dealer in a poker room. Charity tournaments seem to be around $20 but I don't have first hand experience with those.

I do like my new gig but I miss the flexibility and time off I had on the road.

 

[proxima]

Great article, what is funny, I did recently talked to a tourney dealer that actually bought himself a new class C RV. He tells me that he bust his but during the winter months in the Southwest and travels during the summer months.

Since there is a chance that I might be moving to Vegas early next year, I am now considering it. Sounds like my kind of gig!

 

[JJ Buggz]

I'm a former Florida dealer who's been out of the penalty box since 2015, but now the idea of traveling and seeing the game at its highest level is calling me back.

When I was just starting out and took a dealer course down there (in Tampa specifically), they were able to audition you for the WSOP. Do you know if that's still the case anywhere, or do they only hold auditions in Vegas these days? I'm based in NYC but still have family in FL.

Perhaps my best option is to brush up at West Coast on the more obscure games that I never came across at my long-term gig, and try to have that coincide with an audition date? Trying to get everything situated this month - hope it's not already too late!

 

[Reducto]

I believe they had auditions in other parts of the country last year but have not heard anything about this year yet. I did hear from one experienced dealer who said they did not need to audition, just take a quiz over the phone. It's definitely not too late to apply, but I'd get that done soon. You can always change your mind later. Say you know all of the games in the application, you'll get filtered out otherwise.

The tournament rules and dealer guide have a lot of information about the various games and how they expect you to do things at the WSOP:
http://www.wsopdealersandstaff.com/dealer-information.html

 

[ru1873]

was wondering are you still a traveling poker dealer?aything you would change from your original post like cost of poker school,etc?is this a seasonal job or are there year around oppornuties?looking for winter jobs would this work in the winter?[email protected]

 

[Reducto]

Hey! I am actually no longer on the road. I had a chance to try out a full time regular dealing job so that's what I'm doing now.

A few changes I can think of since the original post:
1) The WSOP now hires around 1000 dealers, which means each dealer they do hire tends to work more hours. You should be able to make $8k-$12k over the Summer, working 6-7 days a week. They schedule you for 6 days and there are often signup sheets where you can volunteer to come in for a 7th.
2) They no longer hire chip runners, so there are fewer jobs you can get that don't require taking a class. They do still need cashiers and clerks, just not as many as before.
3) The big tax law that went into effect for 2018 makes it so traveling expenses are no longer deductible.

#3 will not impact you a whole lot if you only do a few jobs a year and are in a low tax bracket. Those of us who were traveling year round were affected quite a bit, which is one reason some of us decided to get off the road. I often miss the road and I may go back when the cabin fever gets to be too much.

Summer in Vegas is the easiest way to get your first job and gain some experience, but there is work year round other than December, which can be hard to find spots.

Another opportunity I didn't know much about when I posted was massage therapists. Players like to get massages while they play and therapists are brought in for this. You do need to be trained and licensed. You work for tips plus I assume some base rate. I don't know what pay is like, I'm sure it varies. It's mostly women who do this, though there are a few men at the WSOP.
https://www.professionalmassageinc.com/careers
http://atouchofluck.com/careers/

You can always pop by a tournament near you to check it out. Look for bored dealers or therapists standing around and talk to them, or just soak up the atmosphere for a bit and see if it looks appealing.
https://www.cardplayer.com/poker-tournaments/

 

[AnonymousDog]

I almost signed up for a class this spring but chickened out. I know absolutely nothing about poker so i don't know if it would be a good fit for me or not. I still like the idea though, and need to get down to the local casino to check out the lifestyle. If the figures I come up with using the numbers people have posted about earnings, I would only need to work about 6 months out of the year to get by.

I couldn't find a resource listing upcoming tournaments either so I was concerned about actually getting work too. I have saved Reducto's link.

 

[Reducto]

The $1000 for a class seems like a big commitment but remember that you can make it back in your first week at the WSOP and if it doesn't suit you, you can quit.

If you plan on staying near Vegas, you could apply for one of the other Summer series instead of the WSOP. Venetian, Wynn, and others run several tournaments during the year so you could get by working there 4 times a year plus a few other gigs in California and Reno. Once you qualify for Nevada unemployment that would boost your income a bit.

 

[Reducto]

The poker world has been dead for the last year but it's coming back like crazy and there seems to be a dealer shortage all around. I'm seeing free and paid classes popping up all over - Texas, Oklahoma, Southern Indiana, Florida, and elsewhere. The WSOP is happening in September and traveling tournament gigs are starting to come back. Now is the time if you think it might be for you!

Search for poker on indeed.com and you'll see the free classes.