Casino rolls dice on auto-poker

Quebec poker buffs have a new toy to play with in three provincial casinos. Over 40 automated poker tables are now installed at the Casino de Montréal, Casino du Lac-Leamy in Gatineau and the Casino de Charlevoix in La Malbaie.

EXPLAINER GOES ALL IN WITH THE POKERPRO TABLE.

1) What don't you see here? That's right - no dealer. This is the PokerPro, a fully automated poker table. The cards are dealt electronically and appear on screens in front of each player. Players view their cards and place bets by touching the screen. Players load money onto an electronic card and then find a seat, swipe the card and start playing. The automation is meant to save time and money, prevent dealing errors and offer casinos a better way to track the progress and earnings of games, according to the company that created the PokerPro. "This system gives complete information about what's happening in the poker room," says Tracy Egan, the VP of marketing and product management for PokerTek. She adds that poker can be something of a slow game and PokerPro tables have been shown to speed up the pace by roughly 50 per cent. "You get to play more poker," she says. "Players can also go look at their last hand, and they can't bet out of turn or fold their cards out of turn." The tables are also thought to be a way to attract people who primarily play online poker.

2) A dealer, or croupier, would normally take up a spot at the table, but not with the PokerPro. Not surprisingly, the union representing
Montreal croupiers isn't happy about the new technology. Union reps say the tables lack the ambience and interaction created by a dealer. The croupiers boycotted a recent demonstration of the technology for staff and even alleged that the tables don't conform to Quebec gaming regulations. Unfortunately for them, the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux studied the table and gave it the full go-ahead. There are now 25 tables in the Montreal casino, currently the largest single installation of them anywhere in the world. Egan says a table is leased to a casino for a fee that starts at roughly $6,000 per month. Other agreements give PokerTek between 18 and 20 per cent of the action in lieu of a flat fee. Though she wouldn't comment on the Montreal arrangement, Egan did say the casino is leasing tables for a flat fee.



Craig Silverman

News Added: 31 January, 2008

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