Venetian Adopts Slide Dealing in Las Vegas Poker Room
The shoe-based procedure keeps cards on the felt, limiting the viewing window for players and phone cameras.
- Dealers now use a shoe to slide cards across the felt rather than pitch them through the air.
- The procedure is intended to reduce the chance that players or cameras can see card faces during a deal.
- South Point adopted a similar method in August, while Station Casinos has restricted phones and card protectors on tables.
- Players welcomed the security benefit but raised concerns about slower games and the added difficulty for dealers.
The Venetian poker room in Las Vegas has replaced traditional pitch dealing with slide dealing, becoming the latest local casino to adopt a procedure intended to keep cards out of sight as they travel to players.
Dealers use a card shoe and slide each card across the felt instead of pitching it through the air. The lower path is designed to prevent opponents and cell-phone cameras from seeing card values during the deal. CardPlayer reported that poker professional Bart Hanson shared a photograph of the Venetian’s new setup, while cautioning that it was not “Euro” slide dealing.
The change follows South Point Casino’s adoption of European-style dealing in August, as we reported. The Venetian’s move adds to a Las Vegas response focused on reducing opportunities for exposed cards to be viewed or recorded.
The security concern has roots in alleged European high-stakes schemes. In 2024, authorities arrested two people accused of using a player at the table and an outside accomplice who received a video feed. The alleged method used a microscopic camera beside a phone to see under a dealer’s pitch, with card information relayed back through an earpiece.
Traditional pitch dealing puts cards in the air, while slide dealing keeps the deck and each card on the table. WIRED reported that dealers’ hands can sit roughly a foot above the table during a conventional pitch, creating a longer potential viewing window than a shoe-based deal. PokerStars introduced slide dealing at European Poker Tour events in 2025, citing camera-cheating concerns.
Las Vegas rooms have also tightened phone rules. Station Casinos barred phones and card protectors from table surfaces at all of its local poker rooms, while still allowing players to use their phones. Despite those precautions and the concerns raised by alleged cheating schemes, CardPlayer reported in September that there had been no confirmed recent cheating incidents in Las Vegas.
Reaction to the Venetian’s change was split. Some players argued the shoe setup and slower dealers could drag down the pace of play and make dealing more difficult. Others called slide dealing an inexpensive, effective safeguard for game integrity. CardPlayer said more U.S. casinos, especially those spreading high-stakes games, were likely to consider the method.
Earlier coverage
- South Point Switches Its Poker Room to Slide Dealing Aug 27, 2026
