Best online poker games on Launchpoker.com

  New this year in many casinos is a sight that old time poker players would think to be quite strange. A table where a bunch of poker players sit in competition with one another, staring each other down, reading tells, bluffing and betting like champs - but there are no cards in play, no chips at the table, and no dealer shuffling cards. This is a PokerTek table, one of many that are finding their way into casinos and, in the near future, bars and restaurants.



  The dealerless tables have been out for a few months now, and while the benefit to casinos has been pretty well documented, is it better for the players, or worse?



  The casino benefit is pretty huge. With no dealer to pay, their costs go down right away, once they pay off the tables themselves. Even with a maintenance contract they are saving money from a dealer's pay. Then there are the increased number of hands. With hands jumping from 30 per hour to 46 per hour, that means more rake - and a rake that is automatically taken with no chance of dealer fraud.



  But what about the players? Paying more rake per hour does not sound like a great deal to them. But with more hands per hour there are more winning opportunities per hour - and for skilled players, more opportunities for their opponents to make mistakes, which is a huge source of income. Consider also that a player who is winning typically tips the dealer after every winning hand, and a dollar or two at a time can add up. For players that don't mind leaving out the chip tricks and handling cards, dealerless tables can pay off.