The pros do it very quickly, and repeat it several times, before cutting the deck and preparing to deal.

This is where a dealer splits the deck in two, keeping the bottom cards flat to the table, and then riffles the cards into each other, overlapping them, to consolidate them again in one pile. The most commonly used shuffle by casino pros is the “tabled-card riffle shuffle”. Why not sit with a deck of cards when you’re playing online poker, and shuffle them between mouse clicks? Why not sit with a deck of cards when you’re watching TV, and shuffle them as you get to grips with the plot? In order to get as good as the pro dealers, you simply need to do it over and over again. And the good news is that you can practice a lot. Shuffling truly is the one poker skill that only gets better with practice. There’s a simple reason for that: they’ve done it thousands and thousands of times. You’ve probably all seen the way professional dealers manage to shuffle the deck of cards in a matter of seconds, effectively, tidily, and with a satisfying swishing sound.

Let’s look at all of these sections in order. There’s usually at least one player more competent than the others with calculating pots, and it’s probably wise just to let them. So it will be everyone’s responsibility to ensure the betting and pot values are accurate. In reality, in a home game, the dealer will probably be playing a hand too. Iii) oversee the betting to ensure the right amount is in the pot, and that it goes to the right winner. Ii) deal the cards in accordance with the rules, and… I) shuffle the cards (this always comes first).

It follows that most commonly you’ll be dealing Texas hold’em too, so that’s the game we’ll focus on here.Ī dealer’s role at a poker table can be broken into three principal tasks, the chronology of which overlaps in places. Most commonly, you’ll be playing Texas hold’em - the most commonly played poker variant. But you can pick it up if you’re prepared to learn it, and the more you do it, the easier it gets. It might seem difficult and daunting when you first try it. The good news is that dealing poker is a lot like playing poker.

Without cards in your hand, you can’t play poker and so this is a vital skill. Unless you’re intending to splash out a few hundred dollars for a casino professional to attend your home game, you’re going to need to learn how to deal a poker hand.

How to learn to deal poker