Automated B&M poker tables

[Schlepper333]

This week the Excalibur poker room here in Vegas went automated. I understand how this can be profitable for the player what with more hands being dealt, but as a resident here, I do feel sorry for the dealers who are or will be out of work or forced to work in jobs for less pay. . I do not play in B&M's because I am not rolled for 2/4, but I am wondering if this is really the wave of the future and will the bigger rooms start adding these tables. I haven''t seen these tables up close and personal but from the pic in the newspaper it looks like it may be easy to see your opponents hole cards if you aren't extra careful.

What do forum members make of this 'new wave'?

Schlepper

[Primitive]

The dealers main job is not to shuffle and deal but to keep the game flowing. It's going to fail spectacullary, I'm taking even bets on the Ex being back to a majority of manual tables within 2 months

[Piscivorous]

I saw a poker room on the Indiana/Illinois border that had all their tables set up with these. It about made me puke.

They won't let me play on a computer screen at home, but it's alright to sit around a computer screen at a casino and play poker.

They take the human and socialization element out of the game, IMO.

[Taardvark]

[SpaceLord]

[Scully]

I first came across these in the Crown Casino, Melbourne a couple of years ago. There were only a handfull and they were used for SNGs there.

For people like me who rarely get to play live (and most tourneys near me are self dealt until the FT), having a dealer, handling the cards, etc, are all part of the experience.

I quite liked the Excalibur card room as well - some real personalities in there when I went (I played Texas Hold'em, with a guy from Texas with a massive Smokey and the Bandit 'tache and a huge cowboy hat - that's what dreams are made of for a UK based player), unlike the MGM that was mainly populated by frat boys. If it's all automated i won't be dropping in next time I'm in Vegas though.

[Stew21]

I havn't seen these machines yet, but it seems to me that its pretty close to online play.
i.e. less interaction.
If this is the case why not just play online?

[jfletcher]

[Scully]

From memory the ones I saw in Oz only automated the cards. You still played with real chips though.

But overall, given that the majority of players in Vegas are tourists (esp at the lower limits), they're going to want the whole experience, which includes a dealer.

[Schlepper333]

[taz115]

I dont think there is anyway that these take over live poker. A few rooms that are dying anyway might try them out for novelty purposes but your average 2/4 player is not going to the casino to simulate the online environment. All the advantages (less tips/rake/faster) are only advantages that good players look for and good players want to play with the bad players.

Dealers are sticking around even if the Ex has success with this idea (although I doubt they will)

[clabbers]

I played on a Poker Pro a few times in Hard Rock Tampa, and I think they have their place - enabling games that couldn't be played otherwise. It does feel like a hybrid experience - not exactly like online or human dealt. But a lot of casinos don't spread sit-n-gos or hard to deal games like PLO8 and I'm all for playing either of those against humans on an automated table sometimes if the alternative is the same old same old with a human touch. They had a heads up Poker Pro too. Ever try to request a heads up table in a B&M? Probably not unless your name is Andy Beal. And even then Ted Forrest foiled his heads up plans, making it three way.

[jeffnc]

I've never played at one of these, and I'm not saying if I think they're good or bad. But clabbers got it right - it's a hybrid experience. Sorry, but it bugs me that people keep complaining that "I can play online at home" Sorry, but the significant differences between online and casino "automated" play should be pretty obvious.

It has certain advantages and disadvantages over using a dealer. Again, not saying it's better or worse overall. But if we're going to talk about it, let's at least talk about it right.

There will be no misdeals. It will be faster than human shuffling and dealing (more hands per hour possibly, with fewer hands per hour being a common complaint about casino play.) Then again, there will be no dealer to speed up players not paying attention. There will be no dealer to handle disputes or be a witness to the floor (such as softplaying, sharing too much information, etc.) Then again, there will be fewer disputes of certain types such as overturned cards, misdeals, pots going the wrong way at showdown, etc etc.

[nsidestrate]

I've played on one on a cruise ship and it was actually pretty cool. I prefer the whole chips and cards experience, but this was also fun. If the dealers I saw in Stockholm are typical of the dealers in Europe, the automated tables might be better. I'd estimate at least four misdeals an hour and tons of argument inducing screw-ups.