The Venetian is the first major Strip casino in Las Vegas to switch to slide dealing.
The move follows similar changes at South Point and comes amid wider industry concerns that traditional pitch dealing can expose players' hole cards to hidden cameras.
Rather than pitching cards through the air, dealers use a slide method to keep cards close to the surface of the table.
The slide method isn’t new. PokerStars first announced plans to introduce slide dealing at its live events in August 2024, before rolling it out more widely in 2025.
Poker pro Bart Hanson posted about the change at Venetian on his X account on October 12.
At the time, the Venetian was still in transition, with Matt Berkey pointing out that they hadn’t changed to a speed felt, and that they might be in for a “bumpy day.”
Berkey posted a video on October 13 showing a Venetian dealer sliding cards from a shoe across speed felt, with "no major hindrances."
Berkey went on to write, “18 months ago I was told this could NEVER happen & that it would do more harm than good… Huge kudos to the operators that listen and take game integrity seriously!”
Why is it taking so long to switch?
A vocal group of players have been advocating for a switch to slide dealing for the past two years.
Joey Ingram wrote, “Anyone advocating against poker tables using slide dealing is immediately suspicious and more so if they are in a position of authority to oversee the safety of the game.”
This followed a demo at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, which showed how a pinhole camera could capture hole cards if they weren’t pitched well.
PokerOrg’s resident TD Justin Hammer said that he supports the slide deal and that “if we were starting from scratch and building poker all over again, that's the method that we would have chosen.”
However, he also warned that a transition wouldn’t happen overnight, saying, “If I'm being straightforward, the operators look at it as something that could mean a decrease in revenue, retraining staff, etc. Understandably, they're hesitant to just come out and make that switch overnight.”
WPT TD Matt Savage has also tried to present both sides of the argument on X, with plenty of pushback from players.
Not all players are in favor of the slide deal, with some claiming that it’s slower than a traditional pitch and that it would lead to fewer hands per hour.
Who will follow the Venetian’s lead?
It’s clear that it’s possible to switch successfully to slide dealing. PokerStars has already demonstrated that slide dealing can be introduced across a major international tournament circuit.
Las Vegas Strip casinos have been slower but with Venetian taking the lead, the hope is that other properties will follow.
The WSOP in Vegas could be the biggest challenge, due to the number of dealers they employ each summer.
However, security and game integrity should trump speed and operator profits. Technology is advancing all the time and cameras are getting smaller and easier to hide.
Berkey said he'd heard that MGM properties could follow suit, although no official announcement has been made. PokerOrg has approached MGM for comment.
