Poker Book Review: “Shuffle Up and Deal with It: Tales from Dealers Worldwide” by Sara O’Connor

What the “Shuffle Up and Deal with It: Tales from Dealers Worldwide” is About

Sara O’Connor’s book isn’t fiction: it is a collection of first-person stories from poker dealers, primarily from the US but also featuring a few from Europe.

The voices of different dealers, variations of their workloads and work spaces, first-hand experiences and unique perceptions of the game make “Shuffle Up and Deal with It: Tales from Dealers Worldwide” an easy and captivating read — even if some parts feel a little repetitive in nature.

The main theme isn’t established directly — mainly because it’s up to readers to choose what they consider the most important part of each story. This isn’t a guide or a cautionary tale: each story is told from a personal point of view but without imposing “the truth” to the readers.

On the one hand, O’Connor managed to bring her own view point into the book too. She showcased dealers as individuals with often opposite backgrounds who (for various personal reasons) ended up together in the gambling industry. On the other hand, she managed to avoid romantisizing this lifestyle and embellishing their quirks and flaws for the sake of telling a good story. Not every dealer in this book has a pleasant personality but each one is a person whose character isn’t sugar-coated or generalized by the author.

The book is certainly worth reading if you want to know more about the other side of the deck and ins and outs of casino staff work, consider becoming a dealer yourself, or you’re just curious about what it’s like to be a dealer.

What Sara O’Connor Nails Perfectly

Sara’s book is well-written when it comes to channeling dealers’ perception, struggles and aspirations, including the idea that dealers are the messengers of the cards who are going through abuse pointed towards cards themselves.

By reading the ‘Shuffle Up and Deal with It: Tales from Dealers Worldwide’, you dive into the world of dealers to know:

• Why both extroverted and introverted people choose to be a dealer, how their work is organized, what the inside world of a casino or poker room looks like.
• How dealers manage stress and work struggles — and why players are solely responsible for a lot of mental health issues and dealer burn-out.
• Why the majority of dealers avoid dealing at underground games and what the main differences between home, legal and illegal poker games are when it comes to dealing.
• Information dealers exchange about players and how it affects their work at the table.
• Why female dealers receive more tips — and why this isn’t enough to compensate for unpleasantries of players’ behavior.
• How people cheat in poker games and what dealers do to prevent it — the book has a few quite interesting examples not only of players cheating but dealers as well.
• The craziest things dealers witnessed from players (including but not limited to dancing on the table, double-edged sexism, underwhelming tilt and unexpected undressing)
• How the house (no matter casino or poker room) often became a common enemy for players.
• Which US state is considered to be the Mecca of the poker world and why it isn’t Nevada.
• How tragic being a dealer can be when you witness addictive behavior from people who can’t battle their desire to drink, consume drugs or gamble.
• Why dealers are strongly against smartphones and other pieces of modern technology at the live table.
• What a good dealer and a good bartender have in common.
• How dealers become attached to regulars and even ask police to conduct wellness checks if they haven’t seen some local player for a long time.
• Why unfriendly and reclusive regular winners are considered worse for poker rooms than rude and aggressive players.
• What kind of people hide behind the masks of TV poker stars and why some dealers truly love Phil Hellmuth.
• The funniest stories about serial complainers, whiners and losers dealers cherish in their career.

One of the strongest attributes of this book is terms and slang explanation — even if you aren’t familiar with the poker world, the author never leaves you in the middle of the story without helping you understand the meaning of specific words.

Finally, the book contains a few tips and tricks for players who want to be good to dealers and for people considering joining the profession. It also gives readers a chance to reflect on their behavior in live games by looking through the eyes of dealers and asking themselves: So, what type of player and person am I?

Why This Book Isn’t For Everyone

If you are a salty regular or traumatized by casino staff, the ‘Shuffle Up and Deal with It: Tales from Dealers Worldwide’ could come across as too soft towards dealers — especially the ones working at the WSOP.

But to be fair, the book also does a pretty good job of explaining the source of the problems with dealers at the WSOP (and Las Vegas in general) — even if this explanation may not appeal to everyone.

While the book is an easy read overall, it has a few moments of disjointed narrative as well as the drawback of firsthand story-telling.

You could also feel a little annoyed at how much tipping culture is brought up in the book. Some dealers rant on about it so bitterly that by the end of their story you completely forget that they started talking about their passion toward the game.

Another controversial part of the book is dealers’ perception of gambling addiction. For the readers who are sensitive to this topic, some opinions may be hurtful or unpleasant to read — especially when other heroes of the book show bias because of their own struggles with addiction.

Finally, as a poker player who comes to a live casino or poker venue to relax and have fun, you can feel personally offended by the dealer’s attitude formulated commonly as: “ I’m an adult baby sitter for people who play cards”.

But if you’re ready to step away from your personal view point and see another facet of the poker industry, the above things won’t prevent you from enjoying the book. So, we’d say at least giving it a try.