World’s Largest completely electronic Poker Room Opens in Michigan

PokerTek tables have been put into play in casinos all around the world, but the Four Winds Casino Resort in New Buffalo, Michigan is the first completely electronic poker room.

The casino features 15 PokerTek ‘Poker Pro’ ten seat tables and 4 PokerPro heads up tables. These tables allow a game with no dealers, and an electronic floor person that you check in with. Only the other players, the cocktail waitresses, the supervisor, and the person in the cage are real.

The casino, located about 70 miles from downtown Chicago, will offer Limit and No Limit Texas Hold’em cash games, Limit and PLO and PLO/8 cash games, and Single and Multi-Table tournaments with a variety of buy-ins.

The creation of this fully automated poker room seems to offer a feasible alternative for casino operators. Although the idea has been executed before in smaller scale (Hollywood Park casino opened an electronic section in their card room last October), the Four Winds room is the first completely electronic poker room.

“We’re going to offer the best action in the region,” said Harkness, GM at Four Winds Casino. “Our tournament schedule is second to none, our games are all reasonably priced and playing on PokerPro gives players more action with fewer hassles and distractions.”

The PokerPro tables have started to make their way into major tournament schedules as well. The Aussie Millions at the Crown in Melbourne will host a $1,000 buy in Hold Em/Omaha event on these tables.

Perhaps the day will not come when most poker rooms are fully automated, but it is reasonable to predict more of these ‘poker rooms of the future’ within the next few years.