Dealerless poker has expanded its presence in the United States after Jackpot Digital installed two of its automated Jackpot Blitz tables at a New Mexico casino.
The two electronic poker tables are now live at Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort & Casino in Mescalero, a property owned by the Mescalero Apache Tribe.
Jackpot Digital announced the completed installation on August 25, five months after revealing an agreement to bring two of the tables to the resort.
How Does Dealerless Poker Work?
Jackpot Blitz removes the traditional live dealer from the poker table and automates much of the process through a large touchscreen system.
Players still sit together around a physical table and compete against each other, but cards, chips and dealer actions are handled electronically.
The eight-seat tables can run cash games and tournaments around the clock. Jackpot Digital says the technology also increases the number of hands that can be played per hour while removing some of the staffing and operating costs associated with conventional poker rooms.
For casinos, that could make poker viable in locations where maintaining a traditional dealer-operated room would otherwise be difficult.
For players, however, it creates a noticeably different version of the live poker experience. Dealers, physical cards and chips have long been part of the social character of casino poker, making their removal a significant change rather than simply another piece of casino technology.
Jackpot Digital Continues US Expansion
The New Mexico launch is part of a broader push by Jackpot Digital into US casinos.
Its technology has already appeared at tribal and commercial gaming properties in a number of states, while Jackpot Blitz tables are also used aboard international cruise ships.
The company announced its largest agreement to date in July, involving eight Jackpot Blitz tables destined for Pechanga Resort Casino in California.
Jackpot Digital has also been securing regulatory approvals and agreements in additional US markets as it attempts to expand the reach of automated poker.
Jake Kalpakian, president and CEO of Jackpot Digital, said the New Mexico installation demonstrated the “flexibility and appeal” of the company’s dealerless technology.
Could Dealerless Tables Become More Common in Poker Rooms?
Electronic poker tables are not new, but the continued rollout of Jackpot Blitz raises a bigger question for live poker.
Traditional poker rooms require dealers for every active table, along with cards, chips and other physical infrastructure. Automated tables allow casinos to offer multiplayer poker without many of those requirements and can potentially keep games available for longer periods.
That makes the economics attractive for operators, particularly at smaller properties where running a full poker room may not be practical.
It does not necessarily mean the traditional poker table is disappearing. Large poker rooms, tournament series and destination casinos continue to build much of their appeal around the conventional live experience.
Instead, dealerless poker may increasingly provide another way for casinos to offer the game in locations where a conventional poker room would struggle to operate.
With two more Jackpot Blitz tables now operating in New Mexico and further US deployments planned, poker players are likely to encounter that alternative more often.
