Corradino, who is semi-retired, said he was taking classes to learn more about the game and dealing. He might be interested in being a dealer part time.
"If you know the mechanics of dealing, you'll pick up a lot of the action of the game. You're watching mistakes and you learn from it, all from the safe seat," he said.
Martin Golembiewski, a mortgage loan officer, is taking classes in craps and Texas Hold'em poker. He wants to learn how to be a better player and explore the possibility of a career change.
"I like to gamble and I like to learn other games as well," said Golembiewski, as he was playing roulette during class on Tuesday night. "Whether I get a job in the industry or not, it'll be good for me. The opportunity is out there."
Students are taught by professionals. Conforte said he was surprised to find so many people with experience who had migrated back to Ohio for one reason or another.
Squillante thought her career as a dealer was over when she decided last fall to return to Ohio to care for her aging parents. The Lakewood woman moved to Las Vegas 20 years ago to become a dealer. After going to school, she worked her way up and was a baccarat dealer at The Venetian in Las Vegas from its opening in 1999 until she left in November.
By coincidence, Squillante said, she saw an ad Conforte placed looking for instructors.
Courses range from $599 to $799 for 75 hours of instruction. Courses can take as little as one month to complete or longer, depending upon the student, said Conforte.
There is no official certification that a dealer needs to have, but Conforte said the school will ensure the graduates it sends for auditions to casinos will be well-versed in dealing and etiquette.
The school also offers classes to people who just want to get better at the game and don't want to learn to be dealers. For instance, a current special offers two hours of instruction on any game for $25 on Saturdays.
Conforte said when people go to Las Vegas or Windsor, Canada, they lose money because they don't know what they're doing.
"If people are going to spend their money and go out of state, they ought to know what they're doing," he said.
