Venetian Poker Room Changes How Cards Are Dealt to Foil High-Tech Cheats

Las Vegas’ Venetian has stopped pitching poker cards through the air in preference to a dealing method designed to stop cheats from catching a glimpse of opponents’ hands with miniature cameras.

The casino is the first poker room on the Las Vegas Strip to introduce “slide dealing,” where dealers push cards face-down across the felt rather than flicking them toward players.

Cardroom management hopes it will guard against technologically sophisticated cheats. As cards are tossed through the air, their faces can briefly become visible to opponents with hidden cameras placed at table level.

Slide dealing keeps the cards against the table, making that kind of glimpse considerably harder.

Tommy LaRosa, the Venetian’s director of poker operations, told PokerNews that slide dealing “reduces the possibility of cards being exposed during the deal” and provides additional protection for players.

He said the casino began evaluating the technique earlier this year, before training its dealers and rolling it out across its 50-table poker room.

Cameras at the Table

The move comes amid concerns about criminals using concealed technology to gain an unfair advantage at live poker tables.

In 2024, French authorities arrested two men suspected of cheating at Casino Barrière Enghien-les-Bains in the Paris suburbs.

The men allegedly used tiny cameras hidden in cell phones to film cards as they were dealt. Investigators alleged the footage was relayed to accomplices who helped the men identify opponents’ cards via microscopic headphones.

Authorities said the East European syndicate had been running the scam across Europe’s casinos, taking “several tens of thousands of euros each night.”

Let It Slide

The Venetian is not the first Las Vegas casino to embrace the method. South Point, several miles south of the Strip, began using it in August.

The approach has also gained traction internationally. PokerStars introduced slide dealing at European Poker Tour events last year, alongside tighter restrictions on smart glasses and other electronic devices.

The reaction in Las Vegas has been mixed. Some players worry that sliding cards will slow games down, particularly while dealers adjust to the unfamiliar technique. Others argue that protecting the integrity of a hand matters more than shaving a few seconds off the deal.

Poker Hall of Famer Daniel Negreanu has endorsed the change, saying it will make life harder for cheats.

LaRosa said the response at the Venetian has so far been positive, despite an adjustment period for players and staff.