Dealers handle more than cards at jammed WSOP

Bob Macurak of Forest Hills remembers his clammy palms as he dealt to poker luminaries such as Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu and Joe Hachem.

Jonathan Kotula of Dormont recalls being the target of a steady stream of jokes from actor-poker player Brad Garrett, who said he resembled young wizard Harry Potter.

The two employees of the Rivers Casino poker room have many memories from the multiple times they dealt at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. Although they're sitting out this year's series, which attracts tens of thousands of poker players from around the world, they shared their observations with Player's Advantage.

Would-be WSOP dealers must pass a test of their knowledge of the games. A dealer's role goes beyond getting cards to the players. Kotula says it includes an element of baby-sitting.

A dealer must enforce not only the rules of the game but also poker's rules of decorum. Players not involved in the hand are not supposed to comment on it, and, despite infamous Phil Hellmuth examples, players are not supposed to berate each other. Because players from around the globe flock to the World Series, dealers must cope with differences in language and customs.

And they need a thick skin to endure tirades when players lose a crucial hand.

“It is getting harder and harder to find dealers, particularly ones that are capable in a wide variant of poker games,” says Seth Palansky, spokesman for Caesars Interactive Entertainment, which runs the WSOP. “Everyone can deal Hold 'Em, but not everyone can handle the mixed games and other specialty games like Baduci, Badugi, etc., that we spread.”

This year's WSOP started with 1,650 dealers, he says. The 46th annual series, with 68 tournaments awarding gold bracelets, opened May 27 and will continue through July 14, when the final nine players of the $10,000-per-seat Main Event will be determined. The WSOP also includes dozens of satellites offering entry in bracelet events. With so many players in town, dealers are needed for a spate of cash games, too. Palansky says WSOP dealers will go through 30,000 decks of cards.

Kotula, 30, a floor supervisor at Rivers, started dealing at the WSOP in 2006. Incredibly, that was his first job as a professional dealer, he says.

He learned to deal at home games in Johnstown and went to Las Vegas when his brother decided to play poker professionally. After passing the audition, he was assigned to Sit-and-Go tournaments, which involve only one table of players.

Instead of working a standard half-hour shift per table, he says, he stayed at the same table for 6 ¹⁄₂ hours straight until working up the courage to ask for a break. In his second year, he dealt at the $50,000-per-seat HORSE tournament, which features five versions of poker.

Macurak dealt at WSOPs from 2012-14, including at last year's Main Event.

“My first year, it was a little nerve-wracking.” he says. “Your palms start to sweat. You're thinking to yourself, ‘don't screw up, don't screw up, don't screw up.' ”

Kotula knows the feeling.

“If you don't handle pressure very well, it can be very difficult,” he says. “I was berated multiple times, not for making a mistake but because a guy lost a hand. ... It's part of the job. The winner's going to love you; the loser's going to hate you.”

Kotula knows the WSOP as a dealer and a player. He won the 2008 casino-employee tournament, earning a gold bracelet and $87,929 by outlasting 929 other entrants. He says it was his first time playing in the WSOP. He played the event again in 2010, finishing 10th and winning $4,273.

Kotula and Macurak, who also enjoys playing, say dealing at the WSOP helps when they move to a player's seat. The work time helps them pick up “tells” that indicate whether players have strong or weak hands, and they soak up lessons by watching top pros in action.

Kotula, who runs Rivers' school for poker dealers, says poker differs from other casino games because so many things can happen.

His advice for potential poker dealers: Understand the game before applying.

Mark Gruetze is administrative editor for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7838 or players@tribweb.com.