A poker dealer is the person responsible for divvying out cards to players and overseeing gameplay at a table. A good poker dealer should be able to communicate well and keep a cool head in stressful situations. They should also be familiar with the rules of a wide variety of games, not just Texas Hold’em.
To deal in poker, you must first shuffle the cards thoroughly. This helps to randomise the order and prevents players from noticing where certain cards are in the deck. Generally, four riffle shuffles must take place before a hand is dealt. This is particularly important when dealing online poker, where players can easily track the location of a card.
When dealing, it is polite to offer the stack of cards to the player to your right so they can cut them. The player can decline to cut the cards, but it is always appreciated if you offer. This will ensure that there are no hidden cards at the bottom of the stack and also allows them to make a clean cut.
Another important aspect of dealing is ensuring that you are not dealing the same player more than once in a row. This is especially true if you are working a large number of hands in one session. This will prevent players from feeling cheated or annoyed by you dealing their cards too quickly.
It is also the responsibility of the poker dealer to count all bets made during a hand and then gather them into the pot at the end of each betting round. If a player has folded and you notice that they did so without verbally declaring it, then you should promptly pipe up to ask them what action they have taken (to avoid any unnecessary confusion).
If a card becomes exposed during a hand, the poker dealer must immediately remove it from play and add it to the burn pile. This will help to prevent players from being able to identify the card by its markings or color, which can lead to unfair results.
The poker dealer should also be aware of the rank of suits in each game and the rules for breaking ties. In stud, for example, suits are used to break ties between the lowest and highest hand, while in draw poker, suit ranking is irrelevant.
Finally, the poker dealer should be prepared to answer any questions from the players and respond in a professional manner. They should also be able to stop gameplay when a player acts out of turn, which can negatively affect the rest of the players at the table. They should also be able to pause the action when they see that a player is having difficulty understanding how to play the game, such as when the player makes a mistake placing their chips. If the player is having trouble understanding a rule, then the poker dealer should call over the floor man to explain it further.