too many poker dealers?

I always get a warm feeling in my heart whenever I read a story about my former profession as a casino dealer. Here's an interesting piece in the Las Vegas Business Press about the up-tick of poker rooms in Vegas, and the over-supply of poker room dealers on the Strip:

Poker rooms inundated with dealers
BY ARNOLD M. KNIGHTLY

...The city that was built on exploiting society's dark shadows has embraced the game driven by increased public demand. And with the demand for more tables also comes a demand for more dealers.

"A year and a half ago there was a dealer shortage in town," admitted Green, who said that the MGM Grand even ran its own dealer school for a while to help fill the growing need. "Now there's plenty of them. What happened is everybody wants to get in on the action so now there are more and more schools that have opened up. Actually, the job market for dealers in Las Vegas, right now, isn't near what it was."

But even with the proliferation of new tables, the market is now oversupplied with dealers looking for work. New dealer schools have opened to take advantage of the influx of people wanting to learn how to deal poker, further adding to the worker pool.

"There are a lot of unemployed poker dealers out there looking for work," a spokesman for the Dealer's Employment Agency said. Read more.

About five years ago, before I was hired by Indiana University, I was a dice dealer at Blue Chip Casino -- a Boyd Gaming property in Michigan City, Indiana. I loved being a dealer. While in the running for the IU job, I told myself that it was my last effort, my last shot at getting back into my chosen profession of PR/communications. Had I not gotten it, I would've circled back and gone forth for a career as a casino man. Dice dealer, box man, pit boss, and so on. But IU came through and I effectively "retired" as a dealer in May, 2k1.

I still love the gaming industry and try to keep something of a more educatetd, watchful eye over developments in Vegas than your average player. I guess that's why this blog exists, no?

Anyway, had I stuck with it, my intent was to move to Vegas and be a dealer. I had a few colleagues who did it and knew, given my caliber as a dealer (I was pretty solid on a dice table), that I could hold my own on the Strip. I should point out that I noticed a big difference in attitudes of dealers in Vegas compared to my riverboat brethren: less macho BS and more professionalism seemed to prevail on the Strip. Back on the riverboat, it was something of a sport to "run over" new dealers and make them look bad (to say nothing of running overly speedy games). I never understood the high school mentality there, but that could be due to several factors I that don't matter just now.

The point I'm getting at is, back five years ago, the Strip was hungry for dealers. Now, as my friend Heather learned, it's not so easy getting a gig. And she's one of the most competent dealers I know! And now, this story shows that supply is out-pacing demand for poker dealers. I guess that sort of surprises me.

I still have a warm place in my heart for my dealing days and -- as you'll here me say time and again -- I often miss it. But I am looking to chart a different path for myself in Vegas. I want to bridge my two professional worlds. I'm a PR practitioner with a dealer's heart, wit and skill. I'm sure that combination is a dime a dozen out there, but I'm pretty sure I can distinguish myself from the pack.

Just you watch.