Your Guide to Becoming a Professional Poker Dealer

• Becoming a poker dealer involves completing a dealer training program, auditioning for a table manager, and getting your state gaming license.
• Poker dealers must know the ins and outs of every type of poker, not just Texas Hold ’em.
• You should have good customer service skills, the patience to manage long rounds, and the calm demeanor to deal with potentially angry, inebriated, or unruly patrons.

So you love playing poker, but you don’t necessarily want to become a professional poker player to make a career out of the game? Then you might consider becoming a professional poker dealer instead. As a dealer, you do more than just deal out the cards and turn over community cards — you also make sure each player follows the rules, promote a fun and exciting gaming experience, manage all the betting action, and identify any cheaters. Plus, you can learn even more about reading people and playing the game, which can make you a better player overall.

Let’s explore how to become a professional poker dealer and what it’s like to be one.

Where Can You Find Work as a Poker Dealer?

Just like the players, poker dealers can find themselves at the tables in brick-and-mortar casinos or online casinos.

Two of the biggest cities in the U.S. where poker dealers are sure to find work are Las Vegas and Atlantic City. But you can also find casinos hiring poker dealers in California, Washington, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, and others. In addition, cities like Los Angeles may have opportunities in private or even high-roller poker rooms.

If you’re interested in becoming a poker dealer for live poker games at an online casino, you may need to be based in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, or another city where the casino has its live game studios. You can find these roles by checking out the hiring page for the major casino companies that manage one (or more) online casinos. For example, Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment is the parent company that owns Resorts Casino Online and Mohegan Sun Online Casino.

How Much Can You Make as a Poker Dealer?

According to data from Salary.com, the average salary range for poker dealers is between $16,568 and $25,788 per year. Job-reported data from Glassdoor shows that poker dealers can make anywhere from $6 per hour to $23 per hour. If you’re interested in dealing in tournaments, the salary data for these roles isn’t readily available, and estimates can vary a lot.

How much you make as a poker dealer depends on many factors, including:

• Your table dealer experience
• The amount you earn in tips
• The number of hours you work
• The size and popularity of the casino or tournament you work for
• The size of the pots and whether a game is high or low stakes
• The popularity of your shift and table, which can impact your tips

How Do You Become a Professional Poker Dealer?

Dealing poker is about knowing the game, being able to efficiently read hands and manage bets, and guide players through each hand. That means you don’t need a specific level of education to get a job as a professional poker dealer. While there are many dealers with at least a bachelor’s degree, many dealers get a role with a high school diploma or GED. Here are the other steps you should take to gain qualifications, practice your skills, and land the job:

1. Learn the Game of Poker

Since being a poker dealer is primarily about knowing the game of poker, you should have an in-depth understanding of all types of poker, not just the game you want to deal. Before you check out dealer schools and poker dealing training programs, you should brush up on your poker knowledge to make sure you really understand how each type of poker is played, the rankings of hands, proper table etiquette, and more.

2. Train as a Poker Dealer

Most casinos prefer to hire poker dealers with credentials. That means you can increase your chances of getting the job if you earn a certificate of completion from a dealer school or other poker dealer training program. These programs can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars for individual classes to a few thousand dollars for full certificate programs.

Some casinos run their own in-house training programs for aspiring dealers. The cost of these training programs is typically waived if you finish the program and work as a dealer at that casino. Depending on the casino, you may need to have previous experience as a casino dealer for a different type of game, experience as a poker player, and/or customer service experience in the hospitality or gaming industries.

3. Get Experience as a Poker Dealer

While you complete your poker dealer training program — or in lieu of it — you should get some experience at the table. Consider dealing your own home games, which allows you to apply what you’ve learned from your training to real-life poker games. However, this experience may not be enough to land you a job, but it could get you into a casino’s in-house training program.

4. Apply Your Previous Customer Service Experience

Customer service experience is a huge help in becoming a poker dealer. Part of your earnings comes from tips you get from generous players. And you can use your winning personality to encourage players to give you better tips. What’s more, having a great table personality can also make players want to revisit your table in the future and even help you get other dealing gigs, including tournaments.

If you have previous customer service experience of any kind, be sure to emphasize that in your resume and use those soft skills while you train and practice your poker dealer skills. If you don’t have any customer service experience, don’t worry. You can take time to hone your skills in communication, critical thinking, problem solving, decision making, and conflict resolution.

5. Search for Poker Dealer Positions

First, make sure you live in an area that’s within commuting distance to a casino. The more casinos you have access to, the better chances you have of getting a job. Figure out what casinos are near you and head to their careers/hiring page on their website. If you’re looking for a dealer role at an online casino, find which larger gaming corporation manages the site and search that company’s careers/hiring page.

Decide if you want to be a cash game dealer or tournament dealer. You can certainly do both, but you may have to choose one or the other, depending on the job availability where you want to work.

If you already completed a poker dealer certification program, then you can look for roles that require that credential. If you haven’t completed a training program, you should look for roles that offer certified training. You can also search for poker dealer roles with the World Series of Poker or other tournament circuits, which can be a great way to get into the business. After some experience and making a name for yourself in the casinos, you may even find more opportunities at private poker rooms.

You could alternatively apply for dealer roles for other games, such as blackjack. Getting one of these roles can help you get more table experience, develop your casino-specific customer service skills, and make a name for yourself with a particular casino, which can lead to promotions into a poker dealer role in the future.

6. Show Off Your Poker Dealing Skills in the Audition

Nearly all casinos require some form of audition to assess your table management, dealing, and card reading skills. This is where you should also demonstrate your table personality so the manager can see how you’ll act with players. If you’re applying for an online casino’s live poker dealer role, you will also be assessed for your on-camera presence and camera-ready appearance.

7. Get Your Gaming License

Every state requires certain casino employees, including dealers and table managers, to get a gaming license. State requirements can vary, but in general you must:

• Be at least 18 or 21 years old, depending on the state
• Have at least a high school diploma or GED
• Not have a criminal record
• Pass a drug test
• Undergo background check and biometric processing (fingerprints)

You typically can only apply for and gain the appropriate gaming license after you’ve been offered a dealer job at a casino, in a tournament, or other legal gaming facility.

What Skills Are Required for Poker Dealers?

Poker dealers must know the game of poker inside and out. That requires the following job-specific skills:

• Quick, on-the-fly math
• Ability to read hands and determine winners quickly
• Ability to correct players
• Dexterity with cards
• In-depth understanding of hand rankings
• Familiarity with all types of poker
• Understanding of poker table etiquette

Since a poker dealer is a hospitality and entertainment customer service employee, you should also have the following helpful soft skills:

• Clear communication to explain the rules and guide players through each round
• People skills to build a rapport at the table
• Ability to deal with different patron conditions, including those who are inebriated and/or losing
• Conflict resolution to de-escalate situations as needed
• Attention to detail to keep track of the game and look for signs of cheating
• Ability to focus and concentrate on all aspects of the game, including enforcing the rules

Some other personality traits and abilities that poker dealers have include:

• Friendly
• Knowledgeable
• Patient
• Calm under pressure
• Assertive
• Ability to stand for long periods of time

What Are the Benefits of Becoming a Professional Poker Dealer?

Being a poker dealer can be an exhilarating and fulfilling career for many people, especially those who really love the game. Here are some of the best reasons to become a professional poker dealer:

• Learn even more about the game of poker on the job.
• Earn a base salary plus tips and employee benefits.
• Work shifts at any time of day or night since many casinos operate poker tables 24/7/365.
• Enjoy steady employment, with 24% job growth from 2020 to 2030 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
• Take advantage of the opportunity to live in different parts of the country or world, wherever a casino needs a dealer.

What Are the Cons of Becoming a Professional Poker Dealer?

Like any career, there are downsides to becoming a professional poker dealer. Here are the cons you should consider to make sure this is really the career path or side hustle for you:

• Potentially inconsistent income due to varying tips from day to day
• A low base salary, so you may have to work a second job or have dealing be your side hustle
• Mean or rude players can get angry at the dealer for losing
• Little choice in your shift when you first start out
• Long hours on your feet and having to really concentrate
• Tricky to master dealing for all types of poker

Where To Play Online Poker in New Jersey

As you weigh the decision to pursue a career as a poker dealer, practice your poker skills at the online tables. Read our reviews of all legal online casinos in New Jersey to find one that has the online poker games you’re looking for, whether it be live dealer or no dealer poker. We analyze each casino’s game selection, customer service, and welcome bonus offerings so you can get to playing as soon as possible.