Both Sides of the Felt
We know Kurt Haiss from his more than a decade as a poker dealer at the Hard Rock Tulsa, but Haiss is a regular at all the major tournaments in the area. With $211,848 in career tournament winnings, including $82,363 for a third-place finish in the WPT-Choctaw Durant $350 NLH Monster Stack in the summer of 2017, Haiss is a grinder at heart. When we asked him why he doesn't turn pro and play full-time, Haiss comes back with common sense.
"Security," he says. To paraphrase the conversation, Haiss says working as a dealer is beneficial in many ways. First, you have the guaranteed income to stave off downswings. Second, you have the benefits of insurance and PTO for life's unexpected events. Third, it provides a stability often missed by road gamblers. Plus, he says, "The Hard Rock is the best place to work. They've always been great about working my schedule so that I can play the majors when they're in town. How many employers would do that, right? They're just the best."
As for grinding tournaments, Haiss takes a common sense approach to them, as well, starting with minimizing the expenses. "I usually team up with Clarence Prevost or someone else to split the travel costs. Clarence and I have been doing that for years. I'm here this time with Shane Young, who I've been traveling with for the last five years or so."
As a long-time dealer, Haiss knows the players, the staff, and seems to have a solid grip on everyone's back story, not to mention a keen understanding of their poker game.
The hard work is clearly paying off. Last month alone, Haiss booked four cashes at the WSOPC in Choctaw for a combined $7,544.