WPT makes US slide-dealing debut as pros give it the thumbs-up

"Yes, this is the first WPT in the States to use slide dealing. We did use slide dealing in Sydney," Savage said. "It's going great, and the players seem to really appreciate it. At least the pros do."

It follows a property-wide switch to slide dealing at the Venetian in October.  

Matt Savage confirmed that the WPT Venetian Fall Championship is the first WPT event on US soil to use slide dealing.

Alicia Skillman

Saliba: 'Fewer flipped cards'

The change comes amid growing concerns about game integrity, with discussions around micro-cameras and other potential cheating devices prompting calls for casinos to reconsider traditional pitch dealing – a technique seen by many as more susceptible to bad actors.

The slide deal keeps cards flat against the felt as they're distributed, reducing opportunities for exposed cards and making certain forms of cheating more difficult.

One concern has been whether the technique slows down play. But Justin Saliba, who bagged 189,500 chips on Day 1A, had no issues.

"I thought the slide dealing was fine and with most dealers, it didn't detract from the speed of play or anything which was nice," Saliba told PokerOrg.

"Overall, in my experience, there were fewer flipped cards, and the effort to continue prioritizing game integrity for poker rooms is appreciated."

However, Saliba acknowledged that not everyone at his table was convinced.

"Some at my table mentioned that they didn't like it because it slows the game down, but I had a great experience yesterday and all of the dealers I had were great."

Andrew Lichtenberger, who also advanced to Day 2 with 103,500 chips, was similarly positive. "I thought it went really well. There were no issues at any point from my perspective."

The traditional pitch deal has been standard in US casinos for decades, but concerns about game integrity are prompting some poker rooms to reconsider.

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Will other WPT events follow?

The positive reception doesn't necessarily mean slide dealing will become standard at WPT tournaments straight away.

Savage told PokerOrg he doesn't expect the technique to be adopted at the Wynn World Championship later this year.

"I do not think the Wynn will be using slide dealing, in fact I'm pretty positive they won't at least this year. Maybe next year."

And while Savage doesn't expect the WPT to push venues toward adopting the method, he sees a role there for the Tournament Directors Association (TDA).

"I doubt the WPT will encourage it," Savage said, "but we will encourage it at the TDA."

Cherish Andrews leads Day 1A survivors

Day 1A went well for Cherish Andrews as she bagged up more than 130 big blinds for Day 2.

After 10 levels of play, only 32 players managed to put chips in the bag for Day 2. 

Cherish Andrews bagged up the biggest stack, with Shannon Shorr close behind her. Qing Lu and Keith Lehr are right there as well, with only a few big blinds less. Anthony Piacquadio rounds out the top five.

Alongside the frontrunners, a number of notable names found a Day 2 bag from the Day 1A field, including Justin Saliba (189,500), Jesse Lonis (172,000), Dylan Linde (135,000), Joey Weissman (106,000), Andrew Lichtenberger (103,500), Sam Soverel (103,000), Alex Foxen (54,000), and Jeremy Ausmus (43,000). 

Day 1B is playing out now. 

WPT Venetian Fall Championship Day 1A top five

1. Cherish Andrews: 344,500 (138 BBs)
2. Shannon Shorr: 339,000 (136 BBs)
3. Qing Lu: 311,000 (124 BBs)
4. Keith Lehr: 291,000 (117 BBs)
5. Anthony Piacquadio: 289,500 (116 BBs)

^{Images courtesy of WPT.}