The Venetian Switches to Slide Dealing Ahead of WPT on November 5

Poker rooms are adapting to a new style of dealing cards called “slide dealing,” with the change now coming to the Strip in Las Vegas, as The Venetian has become the second property to adopt the practice. Previously, South Point announced that its dealers would adopt the practice. Pitch Dealing Gives Way to Slide Dealing at The Strip Slide dealing is just what the name makes it out to be – it’s the practice of sliding the card down firmly against the green felt when the dealers are handing out cards to participating players. The upside of this method is that while it may cause more wear and tear to the cards themselves, the cards remain hidden from prying eyes or inadvertent gazes. Pitch dealing, in contrast, may allow opponents to catch glimpses of their opponents’ cards, which, in a game such as Texas Hold’em Poker, is the difference between a successful play and a failed hand. Some players may even abuse hidden cameras in order to abuse the small view window that would allow the camera to monetarily capture the card that their opponent is being dealt. The green felt has also been revamped and replaced with the so-called speed felts, which allow for a smooth sliding of the cards from the shoe. The Venetian and South Point are not the only properties to have caught wind of the practice, agreeing that it may indeed be a significant improvement on the customer experience. MGM Resorts’ Sean McCormack has commented that there is value in adopting this method for its own poker rooms, with a statement from the company reading: “We’ve begun initial discussions around slide pitching and are exploring the potential for enterprise-wide adoption across MGM Resorts’ poker operations. While these conversations are still in the early stages, game integrity and player protection remain priorities for us.” Testing the Slide Dealing Method at the WPT in Early November But slide dealing comes with a supposed downside to the venues that run poker rooms. Dealers may end up being slower overall when dealing out cards at least at first, which will, in time, translate into smaller revenue from the segment. However, properties are not immediately concerned, as they reckon that staff can be trained, even if it requires additional hours. The trade-off is that the people who learn to deal well will be dealing at a property for years to come. With The Venetian adopting slide dealing ahead of November 5, 2026’s World Poker Tour, the new technique will be put to the ultimate test – gathering the game’s elite under the same roof.