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Dec 2022
19m 15s

Money jobs: Making money on the tables

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Ever thought about quitting your job and playing poker for a living? Well, today we find out what it’s really like making your living on the tables. This is the latest series from Business Daily, all about high value, high transaction jobs you might read about, see on the TV or glamorised in films.

In episode one, Leanna Byrne interviews professional poker player Dara O’Kearney. Dara explains what a day in the life of a professional poker player is really like and warns, if you’re playing poker professionally, every player goes through what’s known as upswings and downswings.

We also switch sides and find out what it’s like working as a croupier in a casino. Stefano Melani works for Centro Formazione Croupier, which trains croupiers for casinos across Italy, somewhere with one of the worlds largest gambling sectors. He lets us in on the glamorous and not-so-glamorous side of the casinos.

David Schwartz, an academic and gambling historian based in Las Vegas, Nevada, gives us the macro perspective on the gambling industry, detailing the rise of gambling towns across the world.

Presenter/producer: Leanna Byrne

(Photo: Poker table; Credit: Getty images)

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