Ever have trouble getting a read on a player while playing poker online? Ever wish you
could watch their hands as they put the chips in the pot, or look at them while they
sweat your decision? By the same token, have you ever been bored out of your mind at the
poker table, waiting what seems like forever for Madge to make the earth shattering
decision of whether to call that last $8 bet on the river? There may be a place that
gives you a happy medium between the two.

Last week, Hollywood Park Casino in Los Angeles opened its ‘ePoker Room’. I went to the
opening, and having heard for months about the Poker Pro electronic poker table, but
never having played on one, I was interested in what the experience would be like.

The electronic tables require no dealers, as the players select all their actions via
the touch screen in front of them. The system even takes away from a floorperson’s job,
as there is a kiosk where you can put yourself on a waiting list for a table. All of
this is handled via an ID card, which has a magnetic stripe similar to a credit card.
The card holds all your personal data, and you can keep a cash balance on it, so when
you sit down at the table, your “chips” are immediately in front of you.

The play of the tables was smooth. Actions are clearly displayed, and its very simple to
use. Although the tables cannot be linked at this time, there is supposedly a software
update coming in early 2007 that will allow the tables to be linked for multi-table
tournament play.

At the moment, the main use of the tables will be for small buy in sit-n-goes, low limit
hold em, and small buy in no limit hold em. Also, once the multi-table software us up
and running, these would seem like a good solution for super satellites to smaller buy
in tournaments. The tables would be perfect for a group of casual poker players that
just want to have a good time, and don’t have much at stake on the tables.

Do I see a use for these in larger games, or big buy in tournaments? Probably not. But
if you have a group of people that just want to have a good time, and aren’t going to
take it too seriously, these electronic tables just might fit the bill. The next time
Madge is laboring over that $8 bet, it might be the table telling her to act, instead of
you wishing she would.

Gruess Serge