Prior to moving to Las Vegas in 1981, I had played poker in some of the card clubs in Gardenia, California and in some home games. Even though I always lost when I played, I still had a love of the game so it was only natural that I would find myself spending more and more time in the card rooms of Las Vegas.
I became friendly with Johnny, one of the poker dealers at “The Treasury” Casino. He suggested that since I liked playing poker so much that I go to Poker Dealing School and learn how to become a poker dealer. It sounded like a great idea to me so I checked out the poker schools and found the Denny Walker’s Academy of Dealing. I enrolled at the school and started taking classes. Since I had been playing poker for white awhile my learning curve was small. I felt ready to start dealing in just two weeks. Johnny suggested that I talk with Russ Bennett at the Maxim to see if he had any dealer openings. Russ told me at the time that there was a freeze on hiring but he would be willing to give me a call if they got busy if I was willing to come in and deal for tokes (tips) only. I was thrilled. The calls started coming and I started dealing. I loved it. I was so happy to be dealing poker that I would have done it for free. It was like I got to play every hand because when you deal you actually play out every hand in your head. I would guess what the players had and the more I dealt the more I got it right. When the hiring freeze was over I was hired as a full time poker dealer.
I started on the graveyard shift which is where most new dealers start. I didn’t care. I was just happy to be dealing for a living. I was dealing both seven card stud and texas hold ‘em. I eventually moved to swing shift where it was busier and the money was better. I dealt at the Maxim until 1985 when they closed the poker room. I took a break for a few months and spent some of that time dealing tournaments in various casinos. In 1986, I went to work in the poker room at the Landmark. I only stayed there until 1987 when the poker room at the Las Vegas Hilton opened. During my time in the Hilton poker room, I also had an opportunity to take some time off and work on several Poker Cruises that cruised to various ports in the Caribbean. Life was great. In 1989, I decided to make a move to Los Angeles. Before I made my move, I had the opportunity to deal the 1989 World Series of Poker.
When I arrived in Los Angeles I immediately went to the Bicycle Club and got a job dealing poker there. I worked at the Bike until 1992.
Being a poker dealer gave me ten years of excitement and income in a setting that surrounded me with not only customers but many, many friends. To this day I can hardly walk into a poker room and not recognize someone from my dealing days. Back then poker was not as glamorous or popular as it is today. It was a small tight community where most dealers and players all knew each other quite well. Today the job has blossomed and there are many, many more dealing jobs available than there were back then. This is definitely a job that someone who enjoys the game of poker and who is personable with people can make a nice, comfortable living.
My name is Billie. I feel qualified to write about this topic because I did not go to college and have had more than 20 different careers and over 225 different jobs. I get bored easily and prefer to move on rather than stay in a dead-end job that I hate. If you have an adventurous spirit, then there are many, many careers or jobs out there that are available for the taking. On this site I am going to tell you about some of my experiences and also inform you about some of the opportunities that are available for you to consider. You’ll be amazed at the many opportunities awaiting you, even if you don’t have a college education.
[...] admin wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptBefore I made my move, I had the opportunity to deal the 1989 World Series of Poker. When I arrived in Los Angeles I immediately went to the Bicycle Club and got a job dealing poker there. I worked at the Bike until 1992. … [...]
[...] unknown wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptI was dealing both seven card stud and texas hold ‘em. I eventually moved to swing shift where it was busier and the money was better. I dealt at the Maxim until 1985 when they closed the poker room. I took a break for a few months and … [...]
[...] Shuck wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptPrior to moving to Las Vegas in 1981, I had played poker in some of the card clubs in Gardenia, California and in some home games. Even though I always lost. [...]
Thanks for posting my article on your site. I hope you get a good response.
Billie