Automated Poker Tables Get Mixed Reception in California

A few things were notably missing from the poker room at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino during a recent afternoon Texas Hold'em tournament: a dealer, playing cards and stacks of chips in front of players.

Last month, eight traditional poker tables were replaced with five 10-seat tables featuring automated touch-screens where players can still bet against others and peek at their virtual cards.

"You can't just start chit-chatting and acting like you're on ESPN," the Press-Enterprise, Southern California's leading inland newspaper quoted Philippe Assous, 47, an Indio, California resident and poker coach when he's not playing in tournaments.

In fact, each player gets only 40 seconds to decide on a move.

"There's no reaching in," Assous said, as he motions with both arms as if he's about to corral a pile of chips in the middle of the table.

Twenty-two people watched their monitors while playing in the hold'em tournament. Most were tapping their player's club card, to keep their hands busy while thinking about their next move.

"I just miss looking at the players," Assous said, noting most players focus on what buttons to push on the screen in front of them instead of picking up tells from other players.

Paul Ryan, general manager of Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, and Lou Crescenzo, vice president of casino operations, researched the system for about eight months before bringing the automated tables to their casino December 14.

They relocated employees from the replaced tables to other live table games or to other jobs in the poker room, such as overseeing the tournaments or acting as cashiers.

"We think this is the future," Ryan said. He added that he thought this might bring in players who are more used to playing online poker. "You can't make a mistake. Here, you can't embarrass yourself."

The tribe, Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, is leasing the tables from North Carolina-based PokerPro, and the company has assisted with marketing and advertising so the tribe's investment has been minimal, Ryan said.

OTHER CASINOS WATCHING

Other casinos have paid attention to Fantasy Springs' new offering.

Steve Miller, interim director of table games for Pechanga Resort & Casino, which has 54 poker tables, noticed how the automated tables attracted crowds during the holidays. "We're waiting to see what happens when business goes down to normal levels," he remarked.

The Temecula, Calif.-area casino tested two brands of automated tables from PokerTek and Shuffle Master at a tournament last year, but the majority of casino-goers who tried them preferred live tables, Miller said.

"People like to touch the cards. They like to touch the chips," he said.

WINNING OVER THE LOCALS

With lower costs of the automated tables, Fantasy Springs has lowered its rake from $5 to $3.

The casino's regulars were not initially pleased, but some are being won over.

"I was the one who was most against it," said Dick Archer, 66, of Palm Desert. But now there is less time wasted, fewer dealer mistakes, and fewer tips distributed, so he was the system's most vocal supporter before a Monday Hold'em tournament at the casino.

For more information about Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, click here.

Original article written by Kimberly Pierceall, The Press-Enterprise.