A:
[Editor's Note: This answer is supplied by a former dealer in a high-stakes poker room -- who wishes to remain anonymous.]
I dealt lots of high-limit poker games at Bellagio, including the games in Bobby's Room (named for Bobby Baldwin, a high-stakes poker player who won the 1978 World Series of Poker Main Event at age 28, becoming the youngest Main Event champion at that time, and later became president of the Golden Nugget, Mirage, and Bellagio), as well as an ongoing, heads-up, no-limit hold 'em contest between Dallas banker Andy Beal and individual members of a local poker syndicate (Jennifer Harmon, Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, and others).
All I have to say on the subject of dealing high-limit games is that 1) you have to be proficient in every poker game ever invented, and it seems that players are always coming up with new variations; 2) you must maintain a professional attitude at all times, even if you'd prefer instead to throttle an asshole or two; 3) the players are very demanding and expect a totally mistake-free game (can't blame them for that, as there's usually a whole lot of money at stake); and 4) it can be either pleasant -- and even lots of fun -- or totally nerve-wracking, and either financially rewarding or a total bust. It all depends on the players in the game and whether they're winning or losing.
As an additional note, contrary to what many people may believe, poker dealers at Bellagio (unlike in some other poker rooms) do not have to tolerate player abuse. However, for a player to be removed from a high-limit game by management, he has to engage in truly reprehensible behavior. Usually in such a situation, it's the dealer, not the player, who's replaced. Fortunately, I never had any real problems.
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