is this what poker is coming to?

[chipdynamite]

would you play on these in a casino? i just dont see the point of these. i mean, if youre going to play on one of these, why not just play on the internet? if youre a dealer, do these machines make you nervous? found this on cardplayer.

PokerTek Signs Contract with Carnival Cruises
PokerTek, the company that makes the world’s only fully automated poker table, has signed a three-year contract to provide its tables to Carnival cruise ships.

The cruise ship arena is a targeted market segment for PokerTek, as cruise ships generally feature entertainment and casino activities. Carnival Cruise Lines operates 21 ships, with three more on order.

PokerTek’s PokerPro table allows poker players to play cash and tournament games around a real poker table, but it doesn’t require cards, chips, or dealers. Players view their hole cards, chip stacks, and flops, as well as control their actions, on touch-screen monitors that sit in front of each player. A flat-screen television that sits in the middle of the table also shows flops, where the button is, and shows who the action is on.

The initial installation of a PokerPro table for Carnival occurred on April 23, on Carnival Cruise Lines’ 2,758-passenger Carnival Victory. Based on the successful performance of the product, further installations will take place on various Carnival cruise ships as ordered by Carnival and as scheduling allows.

The company announced in June that Hollywood Park Casino in Southern California has agreed to take six PokerPro tables for a 90-day trial. It’s the first location in southern California to sport the new tables.

The tables can also be found at the Seminole Hard Rock casinos in Tampa Bay and Hollywood, Florida. The three Winstar Casinos in Oklahoma also sport the tables.

[DDH]

[ QUOTE ]
if youre going to play on one of these, why not just play on the internet?

[/ QUOTE ]

Beacause you're on a cruise and want to socialize with others while playing, instead of burying your head in your laptop. Plus, this may save the cruise company money on having to hire dealers for every cruise they make. Not a bad idea for them, I think.

[CrayZee]

All they need to do now is allow multitabling and a chatbox because I'd still want to say "wTf you suckout donkey!!!!1 gh 73o LOL" and "zzzZzzz hurree up fish"

[HSB]

I have played poker on a cruise before. This can only be an improvement.

[Zele]

This sounds like an awesome idea which combiens many of the best aspects of live and internet poker.

[dogdrool]

I've had this idea before and I think there's a place for it. I love real chips and cards just as much as anybody, but, in many ways they're a hastle. You've gotta sit there and wait for grandpa to count down his friggin stack, for example.

So with this the games would go faster with no dealer errors and no people acting out of turn, etc. The rake could be lower. No tokes.

Plus, you get to sit there and slam beers and talk to people.

[MikeRice]

Or my favorite playing out of your rack and counting the chips singley.

[AJackson]

Have you ever played poker live?

If you have, you have been very lucky and have missed on my tables where even if you have a decent dealer you still have one or more players who is fumbling around with chips or exposing cards and generally slowing the game down.

I suspect this may be the future of poker. It makes for a much faster game with less worries about your opponents cheating.

[KaneKungFu123]

Live Internet Poker

LMFAO

[Burdzthewurd]

Won't a ton of geezers not be able to read these screens on the table and still manage to slow up the game by having to trust other players to read the board to them?