Poker is all about the big bluff. At least, that is the impression you get watching poker tournaments on television. They always show people taking down big pots by betting big and forcing their opponent to lay down the better hand. But this is not how you win a poker tournament. Think about it, in order to eliminate someone, you have to have the best hand. Once all the money goes in, both players will reveal their hand and the dealer will determine who the winner is.

Consider this situation. John has AK of spades and Phil has a pair of red sixes. The flop comes A of hearts, 10 of hearts and 6 of spades. John bets and Phil moves in. John calls and they both turn over their hands. Phil is ahead with a set and is pumping his fist and shouting with joy. John slumps in his seat and is quiet. The turn is a jack of hearts. Now both players are excited. John is calling for a queen and Phil is screaming at the dealer not to give him a queen. The river is the queen of hearts. John is now jumping with joy because he made his straight. Phil is cursing and complaining about how his hands never stand up. The dealer pushes the pot to Phil and both players look at her in stunned silence. The 6 of hearts makes a flush for Phil.

Dealers may not get very much airtime. We may have no idea who they are and wouldn’t recognize them if we bumped into them in the supermarket but the dealer is a very important person in any poker game. The dealer needs to know a lot more than just how to play the game and which hand wins. They need to make sure that everyone bets the correct amount and acts when they are supposed to. They need to enforce all the rules at the table. They have a lot of responsibility. This is why almost all professional dealers have to attend poker school. Not just to learn poker hand rankings but, to learn all the other rules the players rarely think about. Of course, when you play the game online and even free poker where the dealer is a computer. They don’t need to go to school because all of the rules are programmed in and the best hand will always win in a showdown.