On a lonely Tuesday afternoon in the city of sin, two dozen poker players have stepped out of their comfort zones to delve into the new and the unknown. There is no shuffling of chips to break up the silence or monotony, no cards to play with or to throw into the muck, no dealers to talk to or complain about. But at the Excalibur Hotel and Casino, thanks to electronic tables, there is still poker.
On Aug. 22, the Excalibur became the first poker room in Las Vegas to introduce a completely electronic poker room.
PokerTek, the leading manufacturer of automated poker tables around the world, had already instituted its PokerPro tables in casinos in Europe, Australia, South Africa, Japan, and Canada, as well as seven states in the U.S. Now, they were ready to take on The Strip.
Although it is still in the beta-test phase, Excalibur’s Poker Performance Manager Ed Peterson is pleased with the first three months using PokerPro.
“Nine out of 10 players that try it, like it,” said Peterson. “I think that if other casinos want to offer poker inexpensively, then they will have to consider it.”
The Excalibur made the switch after seeing a decline in customers over the past three years.
The recent economic woes have not helped matters. Although he declined to give specific figures, Peterson said that poker revenue is down but that it is “comparable to what we’re seeing with the rest of the casino.”
Most players at the PokerPro tables did seem to enjoy their experience.
“You want to know the real people who like it?” one European man said. “The people that don’t want to tip the dealers. They love it.”
Other players commented that they liked the speed of the game, because more hands were dealt per hour. Other advantages include the fact that chip stacks never need to be counted, no one can ever act out of turn, and players can even see their competitors’ names on the screen in front of them.
However, not everyone likes it. An elderly man who was clearly at the electronic table for the first time was flustered by his touch screen, mumbling to himself angrily.
Although the automated tables seem like they would be especially attractive to the new wave of poker players who were born and bred online, Peterson said that the patrons of the room pretty much looked the same today as they did before, with a variety of people of all different ages and backgrounds coming to the room.
“We’re still getting the typical Excalibur customer,” Peterson said. “We haven’t turned into the Hard Rock overnight.”
The Excalibur hasn’t been able to promote or advertise its room because it is still in the beta test phase, but that phase is scheduled to end within the month. The room will be evaluated, and a decision whether or not to make the electronic tables permanent will be made. Peterson expects the tables to stay.
The most popular game at the Excalibur right now is the $0.50-$1 no-limit Texas hold’em. In fact, it’s the only place in the city where you can play such low limits, according to Peterson. “No one else can afford to,” he said. With no dealers to pay, there is only a $3 rake — again among the lowest in the city.
The Excalibur also features a daily $20 tournament ($18+$2) at 9 a.m., which usually approaches its capacity of 60 players.

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