Automated Poker Tables a Hit Internationally
Written by Renee K | Friday, December 28th, 2007
The online gambling world changed the face of many traditional games, not least of all poker.
Where once players needed to physically make their way to a brick and mortar casino to play a round, today anybody who has computer access can enjoy a multitude of gaming options from the comfort of their own home.
Internet poker has also made the game faster-paced and more financially rewarding thanks to multihand games and tournaments.
Players who started out their poker journey online and suddenly tried the game at traditional casinos, reported that although they found the social contact with other players pleasant enough, they missed the speed of internet poker. Recognizing a niche in the market, several companies have come up with an ingenious idea: Enter automated poker tables.
For years, companies such as Lightning Gaming and PokerTek have been developing the idea of electronic poker tables, but it is only in recent months that these devices have exploded onto the gambling scene, thanks to intense marketing and sales campaigns and lucrative partnership deals with industry leaders.
At the beginning of the year, Lightning Gaming, headed by accredited poker player and businessman, Brian Haveson, signed a contract with the established gambling company, Shuffle Master. Literally overnight, Haveson’s automated poker table was being marketed by Shuffle Master’s experienced team of over 500 employees worldwide. The results have been astounding. Players can now find electronic poker tables at many of the world’s greatest brick and mortar casinos, side by side with live dealer tables, and other games on the floor. The product has been introduced in countries as diverse as the United States, Lebanon, Macau, Australia and Lebanon .
Brian Haveson said in a recent interview that automated poker tables could possibly make up 50% of the more established poker rooms around the world, although he did mention that in some locations there were several 100% automated rooms. He said that it was a question of taste: Some players were drawn to dealered tables, while others liked the fast pace of electronic poker tables. Essentially, it is the younger, internet-influenced players who prefer electronic tables. These are the players who prefer playing more hands per hour and don’t want to bother with live dealer errors and changeovers, nor game technicalities such as pot splitting or chip dealing.
Haveson predicted that the future of poker looks exceptionally bright in Asia and . He said that automated poker tables would fit in well at locations such as Macau where there is a huge shortage of staff.
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· Written by Renee K · Filed Under Poker News · Comments Off
