PokerTek

From the first time I heard about the PokerTek electronic poker tables I have been dying to play on one.  Unfortunately the closest tables were 3-4 hours away at Four Winds.  Not a trip I was going to make JUST to play poker.

Recently the Excaliber in Las Vegas became a test site in conjunction with the Las Vegas Gaming Commission for the PokerTek electronic tables.  Oddly, I was more likely to get to Las Vegas than to Four Winds Casino (all PokerTek tables) in Michigan even though Four Winds is significantly closer to me.

When a few other Drunken Euchre couples mentioned going to Las Vegas over the holiday break I was very excited.  I even managed to talk TOH into going!  I had only two goals for this trip: play the Venetian noon tournament and play on a PokerTek table at Excaliber.

Before getting to play poker, TOH and I ate lunch at Dick's Last Resort.  The wait staff was rude, the drinks plentiful and the food was good.  But, the best part?  It was a short walk from there to the Excaliber Poker Room.  Wooooot!

TOH settled in with a beer and watched the football game on one of the many screens around the casino while I stuck my card into the slot - backwards, of course.  I was quickly told by an older woman to turn my card around.  I settle in and get my bearings.  One benefit of the PokerTek tables is they are profitable for the casino even at lower stakes.  I sat at a $.50/$1.00 table.  I don't know of anywhere to spreads that low of stakes for cash games with live dealers.

While the screens are supposed to be touch screens they respond better when you use your card to select your choices.  I struggled to get my screen to show me my cards using my hand; I eventually gave up and just used the card with my hands cupped around it.

The system was struggling for some reason for a while after I sat down.  It would come to a screeching halt for about 30-45 seconds several times but it always managed to come back.  I'm not sure if the tournament that started as I sat down had anything to do with it but it didn't last all that long.  Once the system stabilized, it moved everything along at a brisk pace.  The PokerTek representative was very friendly and helpful.   I asked him if the deck was set or continuously shuffled; he replied the deck was set and even "dealt" burn cards.  The technician had been living at the Excaliber for the last four months yet HE HAD NEVER EATEN AT DICK'S.  For shame.

Once I got the logistics down it was game on.  I checked out the names on my screen.  All but one were in the form of John D., Amanda C., etc., except for the guy on my immediate left.  He was "Alpha Dawg".  Orly.  I looked over at him and, I kid you not, he was an older retired gentleman - easily older than my parents (yes, I am OLD).  I lean back and look him in the eye and say, "So, is Alpha Dawg your given name?" while giving him a friendly smile.  I'm so smoooooooooth.  He chuckles and admits that it is his online screen at PokerStars; he lives in Vegas and plays at the Excaliber a couple times a week.  

Alpha Dawg is not the only regular at this table.  There's an older woman who's husband is playing at another table who is clearly a regular.  I suspect at least one other if not two more players at the table are regulars.  The guy on my right is a tourist.  To his right is a young guy who's girlfriend is two seats to his right with the older woman between them.  The guy across from me is from Florida but this isn't his first rodeo so to speak.

The first thing I noticed is that Alpha Dawg likes to make big raises and overbet the pot.  He must be doing well because his stack is over the max buyin of $100.  The older woman is just under $140.  Most everybody else is somewhere around $100 so I bought in for $100 as well.

The first hand I raise is AJ.  I c-bet the flop and get called by a younger guy I suspect is a regular.  We check it down after that and my AJ wins the pot.  I was shocked.  From that point on I never got below my buy-in.  I won a couple hands with QQ and AK.  Only one remarkable hand for the session.  I picked up KK UTG and raised.  I get 3 bet by a guy with about $40 total.  I shipped it when it got back to me and my KK held up against his AKd.  I left at the end of that round since the girlfriend had gone busto for the second time and was closing up shop.  I knew her boyfriend wouldn't be far behind and I wasn't interested in staying a the table with the local sharks.  I ended up +$55 for the two hours I played.  Not bad at all.

At one point I caught Alpha Dawg checking his stats page and asked him about it.  He showed me the information.  As he pointed to his Hand Played statistic he told me he liked to keep that at no more than 33%.  Orly.  I peaked at my stats: 20% VPIP.  Yes, I'm a nit ;).  When I left Alpha Dawg was down to about $90.  Guess he was playing over 33%.

I was tempted to play the SNG that needed only one more player when I was cashing out but decided TOH had earned a reprieve.  I haven't encountered any poker rooms that offer SNGs except as satellites into one of their higher buy-in tournaments.

Overall I loved playing on the PokerTek tables.  They did take a little getting used to.  Once, when I had QQ, I hit the $5 button and it appeared to not register so I hit it again and hit the confirm before I noticed that my raise was now to $10.  D'oh.  That happened to me a couple of times, the first time was during that initial phase when the table was lagging badly.  I think I just need to be more careful before I hit that confirm button.

The best thing about these tables is the number of hands per hour.  It is significantly more than a live dealer is capable of dealing.  There are no errors in hand reading, no pots awarded to the wrong hand.  Yet, you can still stare down your opponents, look for their tells, and needle in ways you can't online.

Don't get me wrong, PokerTek tables aren't limited to the lowest stakes.  The Excaliber was also spreading $1/$2 NLHE and I was told even up to $2/$4 NLHE.  Nor are they limited to NLHE.  The lease includes the software for all the games.  I didn't ask about Pot Limit Omaha but I had heard they also spread that down to the $.50/$1 level if there are enough interested players.

There is one clear benefit to all the players: no need to tip the dealer.  I don't begrudge dealers their tokes but it does chap when you've been running card dead or you get a dealer that's curmudgeonly sitting across the table from you.

I think these tables are going to be a huge hit with the players.  Yes, it's true, the purists will never admit that they like them, but it's hard to refute the benefits.  Bring some chips from the cages to riffle you have to; you can always throw your toke my direction if you are so inclined.  After this experience, you'll be hard pressed to find me playing cash games anywhere else but at a PokerTek table until I get one for my basement!