‘Always a winner’: Washington man deals high-stakes poker
Playing in the World Series of Poker might not have been in the cards for Nate Swart but dealing them was.
Swart, of Washington, who always wanted to take part in the high-stakes tournament, turned his passion for poker into a career, dealing the final table in Event No. 42 in the current World Series in Las Vegas – the $800 No Limit Hold’em Deepstack, which was streamed on pokergo.com. A sizable pot was at stake, with the winner collecting about $340,000 and second place fetching roughly $218,000.
“I’ve always been interested in poker,” Swart said recently from Las Vegas. “I used to watch Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, all of the stars from when I was a kid, and I would just love the game. Dealing is a better option for me right now.”
The 2016 Washington High School graduate said he has been dealing for about three years, spending some of that time at Hollywood Casino at the Meadows.
This is his first year at the World Series of Poker, held annually since 2004. It is currently telecast on the CBS Sports Network.
“It’s a seven-week series,” Swart said. “There’s a tournament for everyone. There’s everything from a $300 tournament to a $250,000 high-roller entry. Since I started dealing, I just made it a goal to come here.”
Swart said he applied for the job with the World Series of Poker in January. After an interview process and an audition to prove he was up to the task, he was hired in April and traveled to Vegas in May. He primarily deals Texas hold’em and pot-limit Omaha variants of poker.
Before embarking on a career as a poker dealer, Swart was a standout athlete at Wash High, attending the University of Toledo on a football scholarship, where he spent 2 1/2 years before transferring to West Liberty to be closer to home when his mother was diagnosed with lung cancer (she is currently in remission).
He doesn’t expect to have a day off until the tournament comes to an end in mid-July, and often works 13 to 15 hours a day.
“I’m super busy,” he said. “I’m dealing every day. It’s a really good time.”
Swart will be dealing at other tournaments this year, including a World Series of Poker circuit event that begins in August at Harrah’s Cherokee (N.C.) Resort, and the Wynn Millions, sponsored by the World Poker Tour, scheduled for November and December at the Wynn Casino in Las Vegas.
Swart still hopes to one day be a player, but for now is enjoying the chance to deal the cards.
“It’s definitely everything I’ve hoped it would be,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to deal to some of the most famous poker players ever. I got to see and talk to people I’ve watched on YouTube, watched on television and watched on ESPN. It’s really cool to talk to people who’ve won a lot of money in this game and they’re really well known in the poker community.
“I always say I always get a seat and I never leave stuck. I always come out a winner. Every time I deal I’m always a winner.”