Community Highlights: Meet David Hall of Rockstar Dealing Academy

Today we’d like to introduce you to David Hall

Hi David, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started playing poker in Atlantic City, NJ when I was 19 years old, in 2002-2003. I realized, after 4 years, that I wasn’t actually very good at it. I loved the energetic and chaotic feel of the casinos so I wanted to be involved. So I started asking around how to become a poker dealer. I began dealing in 2007 in Pittsburgh, PA. In 2012 I moved to Tampa, FL and started working at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino as a poker dealer (one of the nicest rooms in the country). In 2017, when I was hitting my 10 year mark, the Hard Rock had been conducting poker dealer auditions for months and could not find enough qualified dealers. I asked my shift manager, who’d been hosting the auditions, if he thought there would be a market for a dealing school. He said “let’s talk” and 3 months later, in August 2017, Rockstar Dealing Academy held its first poker dealer training class. In July 2018 I took over as the sole owner and head trainer. In 2023 we reached an agreement with the World Series of Poker becoming an “officially approved” school and hosting 52 auditions for the 2023 WSOP. In 2024 I was able to open several new locations. We now have a total of 3 in Florida, 1 in Houston, TX, 1 in New Salisbury, IN, 1 in Little Rock, AR, and more scheduled to open soon. In 2024 we were featured in a DraftKings article regarding the training process for dealers at the 2024 WSOP.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s a tough industry with a with a lot of “interesting” personalities, to say the least. You’ve seen the movie Casino, right? Gaining their trust, from the dealers to upper management, to where they’re confident referring their co-workers, friends, family, significant others, etc to me to train them, versus attempting to just do it themselves, was, and still is, the hardest part. The number of students we train has grown every year, for the last 7 years, so I think that says that I, and my instructors, must be doing a pretty good job of that.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Dealing schools pop up, and then quickly close, all of the time. What I’m the most proud of is that I’ve been able to take something that was once run out of my living room, and training small groups to mostly work in the Tampa area, to having multiple locations, students working in 27 states…. working at the Australian Poker Tour, working on the WPT Cruise… being recognized by the World Series of Poker, traveling poker tournament series recruiters requesting dealers… We have the connections, and the ability to get people jobs, that no one else can match.

Poker dealing is the best part time job a person could have. Once you have the skill you’re never going to be without a job somewhere. You can make $40-50+ an hour. It can take as little as three weeks to learn, and you’ll have something forever. Plus you’ll have the free time to do what you want. Rockstar Dealing Academy provides everything that I wish would’ve been available when I wanted to get started in this industry 17 years ago.

All of the Rockstar Dealing Academy locations have a variety of class schedules. You can find all of the info at www.RockstarDealingAcademy.com

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
When this started in 2017 I was told over and over, “You’ll be lucky if it lasts 6 months.” Proving naysayers wrong is a great feeling. Our focus is that every student gets their money’s worth and then some. Everyone is nervous and unsure when they’re starting something new. From the moment they walk in I want them to feel welcomed, comfortable, and excited to get started on their new career. We get people from all walks of life with different backgrounds, different goals, different reasons for wanting to join the crazy casino world. One that always stands out…. We had one particular student who had lost her husband and son, within a matter of months, and wanted to change her life. When she passed her audition, and get the job offer, to say it was a bit emotional in the training room that day would be an understatement. When this started it never crossed my mind that hundreds of people would be saying that coming to my school changed their life. It’s incredibly humbling.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.RockstarDealingAcademy.com
• Instagram: @rockstardealing
• Facebook: @rockstardealing