RFID Tables a New Reality Poker futurism?
by Dan Michalski, Feb 20, 2011 | 3:56 pm
This technology seems to be wow-level — with the potential to change the dynamic of the “televised” game. An Australian guy developed an RFID-enabled poker table that is now ready for market … allowing just about any game to be “broadcast” in real-time, complete with instant card-showing and hand percentages that viewers have come to expect.
The only downside I can see is dealers having to relearn how to pitch.
Read more about the do-it-yourself kit that makes it possible here.
I definitely want one. Oh, and I gotta know … can the software handle PLO?
zachdealer says:
February 21st, 2011 at 6:41am
why does the dealer have to pitch like that?
Dan Michalski says:
February 21st, 2011 at 8:20am
See the circle on the felt? I think that’s what reads the cards providing the real-time info on what the card is … So they have to pass over it while coming out.
I know what you’re prolly thinking tho, Zach … You could still hit it with your usual throw?
Tom says:
February 21st, 2011 at 1:14pm
Clonewerk from Italy introduced an RFID poker system in April 2009 at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention in Las Vegas. They tweaked it after some feedback from the tradeshow and released the system in November of 2010. They already use it on Italy’s PokerItalia 24 tv channel.
http://www.clonwerk.it/en/technologies
I’m the younger guy in the Spitfire hat in the videos on Clonewerks page talking about tracking realtime chipcounts and odds. They did not include my thoughts on changing the name of the product, as I thought UBet was too similar to Ultimate Bet and that might scare people away.
I had tried to contact the production companies behind the more popular poker tv shows here in the USA at the time to give them a “heads up” of the technology, but never recieved a response.
Tom.
zachdealer says:
February 21st, 2011 at 8:34pm
After watching it carefully Dan, the circles in front of the players are the only ones reading the cards, but someone folded and he put the cards in front of the red circle which erased the cards as a fold I think. So the pitch really has nothing to do with it.
Dan Michalski says:
February 22nd, 2011 at 2:15pm
hmmm, so why do you then think they are dealing that way?
it seemed to me they definitely needed to keep the card flat on the felt, but obv i could be wrong.
Ben Devlin says:
February 22nd, 2011 at 10:34pm
I don’t think they HAVE to deal that way. Here is a similar video that shows a traditional pitch. However, it could be for accuracy in order to not send a card across the reader of a neighboring player.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if0wUfhUBe8
Using RFID technology in my current business, I can tell you that the reader will only read the chip once in order to keep from having it go into an endless loop of reading. So, the players on this table must pass their hole cards near their circle in order for the reader to catch the signal. The red circles around the dealer is reading the cards again to enable the cards to be “mucked” and therefore enabled to be read by the player’s reader again.
The technology is incredible and you can do a lot with it depending on how much money you want to spend. If it were more affordable, I could see casinos using them in all of their gaming chips. Think of how much easier it would be for a Table Games floor person to count the rack at the BJ table when the RFID reader is in the rack and the chips contain RFID. Accurate counts with a quick glance at the computer. I’m sure it’s already in the works!
Mark Novo says:
March 1st, 2011 at 9:12am
I must say the automated odds looks great – given that the dealer has an extra ‘tug’ to make to cancel the cards.
I like the look of the table also – it looks a little more sleek and modern however I don’t think anything can beat the traditional green felt cause I don’t think that’s real felt is it? In the close up at the beginning it doesn’t look like it – looks like there are a bunch of sensors under a lining