Shuffle up and deal

I've spent about 40 hours in dealer's school, learning to shuffle and pitch cards together with the mechanics of dealing hold'em, seven card stud and omaha. The manager of a strip casino poker room has been gracious enough to let me come in and practice dealing tournaments. I've had two practice sessions to date. On my first, I was so nervous I could barely hold the deck of cards without shaking. One player sensing my discomfort said, "It's only a $40 buy-in tournament - don't be so nervous." My pitching left a lot to be desired with cards flying everywhere. I even managed to deal the cocktail waitress a hand as she was passing by.

The second session went a little better, but I was still jittery. It's amazing how difficult it is actually sitting in the box after having played so many hours on the other side. There is plenty of room for improvement, but with each practice hopefully my confidence will grow and the anxiety will subside.