PokerPro tables installed in international casinos

Automated poker is creeping into card rooms worldwide, with five new casinos showcasing PokerPro dealer-less and card-free tables.

New tables are located at the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia; Carnival city in Johannesburg, South Africa; Greektown Casino in Detroit, Mich.; and FLB Sports Bar and Casino in Folsom, Calif.

The largest launch occurred at the Crown Casino, with 10 PokerPro tables. The casino recently hosted the 2007 Aussie Millions, which included a $1,050 buy-in PokerPro tournament that ran completely on the automated tables.

In South Africa, Sun International's Carnival City casino installed four tables which have been running for five weeks.

At the U.S. locations, casino operators are already making plans to offer sit-and-go tournaments on the PokerPro tables, in addition to Limit and No-Limit cash games.

The first location to completely convert to the automated poker system, however, is the FLB Sports Bar and Casino. With five PokerPro tables, the business is the first fully automated card room in the U.S. The casino has already hosed the world's first robotic Texas Hold'em multi-table tournament.

"It's been encouraging to see players adopt to this product so quickly," said Crown Casino executive Richard Longhurst in a release from PokerTek, the company that developed the PokerPro tables.

As the first casino in Africa to offer automated poker, Carnival City is already seeing an improvement to its business, said gaming director Des Whitcher.

"The four tables at Carnival City have only been installed for five weeks and have already proven to be an exceptional product," he said.

PokerPro tables seat up to 10 players, who each face a screen rather than a traditional dealer, chips and card deck. The table can shuffle, deal, split pots and create side pots instantly and is touted by the company as a money saver because it doesn't require staff to operate.

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