The first casino has taken the plunge and converted their poker room into a completely automated environment. There will be no more dealers in the Excalibur poker room. They are being replaced by Twelve PokerPro electronic tables, made by PokerTek, the number one manufacturer of automated tables.

“I’m excited to see the turnout,” says Neil Bard, floor manager for the Excalibur. “We are going to have several famous poker pros come to help launch the tables.” He also said that both tournament and cash games will be offered, but limits and game variations have not been worked out yet.

Considering the recent decline in Vegas revenues, these tables could be a needed boost to the casinos’ bottom line. The table game plays 50% more Texas hold’em hands, and a 100% more Omaha, than a game with dealers and chips does. I just can’t see these tables being popular for long.