Waffles Rants about Electronic Poker Dealers AKA Someone better call Poker Tek Before I post this AKA Ok It is not that bad

I feel like I should put a post in about Poker Tek. They are the guys who make the electronic dealer tables. They invited the bloggers to a nice party with free booze (I know not such a big deal in Vegas). I want to start by saying I really appreciate the invite. It was awesome.

I went to the party they threw after the Blogger MTT.. So I was operating on 1 hour of sleep and STILL had not changed my clothes which were in a bag which I checked the night before at the MGM. Yeah, ok, ewww.

Here are some notes. First of a minor point: when you invite me to a party and have a hot model on the invite have one there also. I am not saying she has to rub up against my leg and tell me how hot I am but at least have a little eye candy. I mean you could have probably gone down to the Geisha bar and grabbed some worn out looking hookers for modeling duty. I guess Poker Tek wanted the product to stand out for itself or something.

I tried out the product and in general I liked it a lot. In some ways it felt weird to be sitting at a table and playing "Internet" poker with a bunch of people. It is really hard to use something for one time and feel comfortable with it. I bet you all remember the first time you switched from Party to Stars or Full Tilt.. It just felt odd to you. I think with a little practice I might get used to it.

I did not like when it allowed me to fold my blind. I know it warned me I was going to fold.. But an extra line of warning or a different color might have alerted me to the fact that nobody had raised and I could check. I would think there may be some gambling laws that force them not to do this but if not I think it would be helpful.

I ended up finishing up around fourth. Not too shabby.

I am not sure I would drive two hours to my local casino and play a computer game. It does not feel the same as live chips and cards in your hands. I just am not sure what the motivation would be. Also how would you stop that fat kid from hogging the machine? What orderly way would you move people in and out of SNGs? Just a logistical issue.

I think in Vegas where a casino is every ten feet this kind of thing would work out better. Also if the SNGs played on machines took a lot less rake that might be a motivation to play them. Right now at Foxwoods the 100/SNG has a 20$ fee.. if a machine version of this had a much lower rake then I might be interested.

I think that the Heads Up Version of the product may end up being the big winner for these guys. You can stick them in airports or bars or what not and have a nice King of the Hill kind of game going on. It appeals to the little tiny bit of man-ness I have in me. It hits a primal cord. I could absolutely see myself playing that machine with a few buddies in a casino. Possibly as I wait for my table.. or while Jordon waits for me to finish after he busts out. It has some possabilities.

One last thing. Poker Tek had EXCELLENT swag. I LOVE my tee shirt and wish I had grabbed a few more. I wear it everywhere and it is soft and comfy and much enjoyed! If they ever fail at this whole dealer free poker thing they should go into shirts. Only thing that was a little weird is that nowhere on the shirt does it say anything that gives me a clue about the company or the website to go to in order to get information. It is somewhat poor as an advertising vehicle.

So all in all I found the machine well build. The software worked great. I have no idea if the business model is viable but it seems like a solid company with a well made product. Thank you for the invite! I appreciated it.

I also had a few pictures snapped by Linda! I have read her blog for a while and really enjoy it. She seems really cool even if I only got a few minutes with her. She snapped my picture with her bazooka camera though which was cool. I felt like I was in a terminator movie as that red-beam drew down on me.

Next Up: Betting the Losers With Don or I should have went with the Ravens!