Professional Poker Dealing Academy · Cork, Ireland
Develop a skill
that travels
the world.
We're selecting a small group of people in Cork to train as live poker tournament dealers. The strongest students are put forward for real casino and festival events in Ireland.
Watch
The other side of poker
The Dealer Lifestyle
Video coming soon
"Most people think poker is just about playing the game."
But there's another side to it. Professional dealers work tournaments in Dublin, Barcelona, Prague and Killarney. The same game, dealt in different casinos and different cities.
You meet other dealers, tournament staff, and sometimes the pro players themselves. You become part of the circuit. That world starts with one skill, and four weeks in Cork.
Who is this for?
Built for beginners and enthusiasts
No experience required. We're looking for people who are reliable, calm under pressure, and serious about learning a professional skill.
Complete Beginners
Never dealt a card in a professional setting? The programme starts at zero, and by Week 4 you'll be dealing full hands with confidence.
Poker Fans
You know the game inside out as a player. Now learn to run it. That background gives you a real head start, and dealing shows you the game from a side most players never see.
Career Changers
Looking for flexible, paid work that travels? Dealing is one of the few skills you can take anywhere there's a tournament, and there are more every year.
Curriculum
What you will learn
Over four weeks, you develop the core skills of a professional poker dealer, from zero to table-ready.
Card Handling, Shuffling & Pitching
The foundations: clean shuffles, smooth pitches and consistent technique under pressure.
Chip Handling & Bet Building
Stacking, cutting and counting. You'll manage the pot with accuracy, speed and confidence.
Poker Hand Rankings & Game Flow
Learn the game from the dealer's seat, in every hand and every situation.
Running Full Hands Start to Finish
From pre-flop to showdown, you manage every stage of a live hand cleanly.
Cash Game & Tournament Procedures
Two formats with different demands. You'll be comfortable working in both.
Pots, Side Pots & Split Pots
The trickiest part of the job, calculated correctly every time without hesitation.
Dealing Speed & Accuracy Under Pressure
We train speed and accuracy together from the first session, because casinos expect both.
Professional Table Conduct & Casino Standards
The composure and professionalism that gets you hired and keeps you working.
Structure
How each session works
Every 2-hour session is built around repetition. Students spend most of their time dealing rather than watching.
One student deals
While the rest of the group plays. Real table dynamics, real pressure, from session one.
Continuous rotation
Everyone deals throughout every session. Each student deals dozens of hands per class, with no sitting idle.
Real-time correction
Jamie catches and fixes mistakes in the moment, which is the fastest way to build clean muscle memory.
Hundreds of hands by Week 4
By the end of the course, each student will have completed hundreds of simulated hands in a real poker environment.
Week 4 Assessment
What happens at the end
Every student is assessed at the end of Week 4, and the feedback is honest, so you know exactly where you stand. Not everyone who starts will end up dealing live events: only those who reach the required standard are put forward for casino work.
Ready for Event Work
- ✓ Clean, consistent dealing
- ✓ Understands full game flow
- ✓ Minimal errors under pressure
These students receive a personal recommendation and introduction to real event work opportunities.
Almost There
- ✓ Understands procedures & game flow
- – Speed or consistency still developing
- → Continued practice needed
These students receive a clear practice plan and priority access to the next intake.
Premium Option
Private 1-to-1 Coaching
Available for students who have completed the programme and want to refine specific skills or prepare for professional opportunities. Limited availability. Mention your interest when you apply.
Location
Based on
the Leeside.
Training in the heart of Cork city, home to one of Ireland's most passionate poker scenes. This is where your dealing career starts.
Apply
Apply for the First Intake
This is a paid professional training programme, and places are limited. We'll assess a small number of applicants and take only a handful into the first cohort.
How it works
- 1. Apply below. Applying is free, with no commitment.
- 2. Short interview and assessment to make sure it's the right fit.
- 3. If accepted, a €150 deposit secures your place in the cohort.
- 4. The remaining balance (€800) is paid within the first two weeks of training.
Full programme price: €950
Application received.
We'll be in touch about the next step shortly.
About the Founder
Jamie
"The real game is never just the cards. It's everything happening around them."
Jamie is a poker professional with over 13 years of experience across live play, casino dealing and freelance tournament work. His career began in local casinos, where he learned the game from both sides of the table, as a dealer and as a player working in real poker environments under pressure.
What started as a job turned into a long-term career on the live poker circuit. Jamie worked casino floors and freelance events across Ireland, building relationships in the industry and earning regular work at live tournaments. He's known at the table for clarity, pace and professionalism.
Alongside his dealing career, Jamie has had real success as a live tournament player, with multiple tournament wins and two IPT titles. He understands both the technical mechanics of dealing and the strategic reality of playing, and that shapes how he trains people.
His philosophy is simple: confidence at the table comes from experience, repetition and learning in real game conditions, not from theory. That belief is the foundation of the programme.
"You don't learn poker dealing from a manual. You learn it from the table: the pressure, the pace, the mistakes, and the recovery."
— Jamie
Poker professional · 13 years across live play, casino dealing & tournament work