Stick 'Em Down: PokerStars' Shift to Slide Dealing
Live Poker Events to Incorporate Slide Dealing Innovation by PokerStars
In a bid to crack down on cheating, PokerStars is rolling out slide dealing as the new standard for live events. First introduced at EPT Barcelona last year and set to expand at EPT Monte-Carlo, this method will be fully implemented at EPT Barcelona by August 2025.
Slide dealing is a significant departure from the traditional pitch style. Instead of the dealer tossing cards, they gently slide a card from the deck directly onto the table and then to the player. Unlike pitch dealing, where cards catch air, with slide dealing, they always rest on the table surface.
Check out this demo of slide dealing (though it doesn't have to be that fast!):
You get the idea. The cards don't fly—they glide!
Cheating out of the game
Why the change? With heightened reports of cheaters using sneaky camera tricks, especially in high-stakes cash games, PokerStars needed a change. Last year, Matt Berkey dropped a bomb on the Only Friends podcast, accusing certain casino players of cheating. One alleged cheater, despite appearing amateurish, raked in huge winnings, never showing a losing hand on the river. The fellow wore headphones when no one else did, and his phone and earbuds case were oddly arranged on the table and rail. He always sat to the dealer's left, setting off alarm bells.
Though never proven, Berkey and other players suspected this man was using a tiny camera to spy card faces mid-air, with an accomplice relaying information via earpiece. Sound familiar? Well, it's not just a movie plot. Last year, French authorities caught two blackjack and Ultimate Texas Hold'em players using pinhole cameras to spy cards as they were dealt—all while keeping their disguised cameras hidden in their own clothing, no less!
Slide dealing shuts down this type of cheating by keeping cards face-down on the table, making it impossible for even the smallest cameras to peek at card faces between the dealer and the player.
Credit for the image: World Poker Tour via Flickr
Enrichment Data:
Insights
- The shift to slide dealing is part of a broader push by PokerStars to reinforce game integrity and combat cheating.
- Slide dealing reduces the chances of unauthorized players obtaining information about other players' hands due to its contact-based approach.
- The new method also diminishes the possibility of cameras or smartphones recording card faces during dealing.
Cheating Counter-measures
Slide dealing targets cheating strategies that involve visual exposure of cards during the dealing process, such as accidental exposure to other players, unintentional camera captures, or unauthorized observations. By keeping cards flat on the table, slide dealing makes it more challenging for players to see card faces and makes camera recording significantly more difficult.
- PokerStars' transition to slide dealing is a strategic move towards enhancing game integrity and eradicating cheating, particularly in high-stakes cash games.
- By 2025, slide dealing will be the standard for live events at PokerStars, replacing the traditional pitch style to prevent cheating incidents like the use of sneaky camera tricks.
- Slide dealing, unlike pitch dealing, minimizes the chances of card faces being captured on camera or smartphones due to its contact-based approach, where cards glide gently onto the table and remain flat.
- The new method is already being credited for shutting down cheating tactics that involved visual exposure of cards, such as the one exposed by Matt Berkey last year in the Only Friends podcast.
- In the face of increasing reports of cheating in casino-and-gambling establishments, especially in casino games like poker, slide dealing could serve as a catalyst for improving game fairness and maintaining a level playing field.
- As PokerStars continues to refine its methods to combat cheating, slide dealing will be an essential part of their broader push for ensuring game integrity and maintaining trust with players.
