Samantha Rea is a London based journalist and former croupier. At the age of 18, she learned to deal roulette and blackjack at a private training school in East London. She then earnt her stripes as a trainee in a casino at the Marble Arch End of Edgeware Road, a mini-Middle East in the center of London.
Adding poker and baccarat to her repertoire, Samantha was cherry-picked to work in the company's flagship casino – an exclusive private members' club in Mayfair - where she dealt to an ultra high-net-worth clientele. After a decade in Mayfair, Samantha left land-based casinos – after squeezing in a stint as a Croupier Bunny at the newly opened Playboy Club London. Having picked up a BA (hons) in English and an MSc in Gender & the Media along the way, Samantha turned to journalism and soon found herself in Las Vegas as a reporter at the World Series of Poker.
Samantha has written about her time as a croupier for VICE, Londonist and The Spectator. She’s brought poker to the mainstream media, writing for Coach, Red Bulletin, Forever Sports and Las Vegas Sun – as well as interviewing icon Daniel Negreanu for the last ever issue of FHM.
Samantha’s celebrity interviews include Star Wars actor John Boyega, and she’s a regular at red carpet events such as the Empire Awards. Samantha’s real life features include an investigation into the sale of drugs online, and most notably, she has been credited with exposing the UK’s Sex for Rent scandal.
