It was a good first week at the WSOP.
The first few days are about getting everything organized at every level of the seven-week event. There is a whole new setup this year.
A brand new TV stage sits in the Paris Ballroom, so tournaments don’t end on the Horseshoe side anymore. Horseshoe is now used for Deepstacks and the early stages of larger events. The dealers and dealer coordinators must get up to speed quickly.
As an experienced dealer, I've been able to deal many events I enjoy. I dealt the Pot-Limit Omaha mix for a couple of days. Then, Dealer's Choice, which is a complicated mix of 22 different games. It's an exciting challenge for me, and the WSOP is the only place we really get to deal with that complexity regularly at this scale.
I've also dealt a bit on the side stage for $10K GGMillion$. Working on the feature table stage is a different experience than a normal WSOP shift.
What makes the stage different?
For a dealer, the biggest thing about the stage is that you're getting more breaks and more time to observe. It reduces the pressure.
While one dealer is on break, another is available to support the dealer on stage and ensure everything goes smoothly. That might include replacing a bad deck or a faulty shuffler. You have to always be watching the action.
I find it fun to be up there. It's a challenge because you to have to be a little bit more perfect, a little bit more precise, and a little bit more professional. So, I do enjoy that, but I don't chase it as much as I used to. Before, I really wanted to be up there. Now, it's more of a choice.
The new stage presents a different set of challenges. What is it like to be WSOP-experienced?
Experience is an important part of getting to work the stage at WSOP. It's equally important to build a network of mentors and other dealers to learn from. I try to make friends with everyone here at every level of the event. You never know when you might benefit from a mentor.
I appreciate being able to share what I have learned with others. I enjoy learning about the media operations and meeting all the people who work together to pull off an event like the WSOP.
I try to be an ambassador for my profession and share information readily that I would have benefited from when I was new to these events.
Here at the WSOP, you meet and make friends with people from all over the world. It's not every job that you can do that. It has also created opportunities for other jobs in the U.S. and internationally.
Finding the groove
We are in the stage of the WSOP where that experience pays off. I’m building up to the biggest parts of the series. I try to work in slowly, knowing it’s likely to be 12 to 16-hour days on a regular basis to the end of the event. That has been the status quo for previous years.
The next step is just finding the groove. We're going to be in the thick of it, and I assume it's gonna get busier here and just be even crazier.
Meanwhile, a highlight of the week was a run-in with Norman Chad, as it is anytime I get to deal his table. He's usually doing trivia or inspiring some sort of interesting conversation at the table. It just makes it a bit more fun and time flies a bit faster than if nine people are sitting completely silent.
It's just been good to see the people that I only get to see at the summer series. Ultimately, it's the reason we all keep coming back.
