Tony Shelton Dealing School

Tony Shelton’s dealing school is the real deal. The instructor James Kean has over 40 years of experience and teaches the correct way to deal poker. The school is very connected with the WSOP, the Palms, Fitzgeralds and quite a few other casino poker rooms. This is not a school for someone who wants to half ass it though. James will tell you exactly what to expect and if you just follow the course you are guaranteed a spot as a dealer at the world series of poker. They are also running a dealer temp service out of the school so work will not be hard to find. I repeat, this school is not for pussies and neither is dealing cards… The very first table I dealt last year was the 200÷500÷1000 pot limit omaha with more than 2 million on the table and I was surprisingly prepared for it. I have dealt ESPN feature tables and high stakes mix games and survived my first year with my pockets fat and my resume solid. I am now at the end my second year, confident and extremely pleased that I chose the right place. I do miss the donuts and coffee and friends from the school. This was the key move to me moving out to Vegas and having a nice bankroll so I could eventually be a full time player. Whatever your goals, there is more work as a dealer than as a bartender (which was my other choice) and James has the connections; He is the Yoda of Poker dealers.

TSDS is considered the Harvard of dealing schools. They demand a certain level of intelligence and/​or aptitude to attend their school and they teach a «finesse» to the way you deal, not just throwing the cards and chips around. But you will learn how to deal with an artistic grace you just don’t see at most poker halls. Well worth the bear $ 1k tuition.