First-off, there are as many routes into the poker industry as there are people working within it. While content creators, YouTubers, streamers and other on-camera talent may be very visible, that’s just the tip of a large iceberg when it comes to a career in the poker world. It’s a whole industry, and there are opportunities for all kinds of people to find a place.
If you’re considering such a career, I would first think about what you’re good at, what you enjoy, and look around for companies in the poker space that have those needs. And I’m not talking about ‘being good at poker’, but skills that can help you fill a role.
Writers, designers, executive assistants, data analysts, administrators, PR, HR, lawyers, accountants, UX researchers, project managers, video editors, photographers… to some degree, companies are companies, and if you already have skills that are useful in one industry, there’s a good chance you’ll be just as useful to someone in the poker business. More so, in fact, because knowledge of poker is always going to help, and if you’re reading this you probably already have that.
That knowledge will be all the more important if you don’t already have some transferable skills. A passion and understanding of the game could be what sets you apart from other applicants for entry-level positions, but still think carefully about what it is you would enjoy and be good at, and aim to join businesses where you can eventually reach that type of role. There’s a wide variety of businesses within the poker industry itself, from media to operators, affiliate sites, brick & mortar poker rooms, casinos, tech, logistics and more.
Do some research, find out who these businesses are, if any are near you, and if they have a careers section on their website. For my own route, I was a writer for 10+ years in other fields before I saw a copywriter opportunity at an online operator, and my transferable skills plus my existing love of the game made it an easy transition.
A lot of people I worked with there had started in customer service, and rose up through the ranks by keeping an eye out for internal opportunities that appealed to them, so that’s always a good route to consider. I was lucky that the operator had an HQ in my city, but in these days of remote work this should be much less of a barrier. Think about what you can offer, who would find that useful, and keep your eyes open for an opportunity to show them why they need you.
And if you're more interested in on-camera stuff, I can recommend this article on how Alex Loveless got her start at PokerOrg.
