Venetian Adopts Slide Dealing to Fight

Venetian Switches to Slide Dealing on the Las Vegas Strip

The Venetian poker room has become the first major venue on the Las Vegas Strip to adopt slide dealing, a method in which dealers slide cards across the table surface instead of throwing them to each seat. The change is intended to reduce the risk of hole cards being exposed during the deal and to add a layer of security to live games.

At first glance, the adjustment may look like a minor technical detail. In practice, it responds to a concern that has been discussed more frequently in American poker: the possibility that cards are exposed, either accidentally or deliberately, while being distributed.

Why Traditional Pitch Dealing Can Be Problematic

Most poker rooms use a technique commonly called pitch dealing. The dealer holds the deck in one hand and throws cards toward each position with the other. A skilled dealer can distribute cards quickly, accurately, and just above the table surface.

When the technique is not executed cleanly, however, cards can travel too high, tilt, or briefly flip in a way that lets a player at the right angle catch a glimpse of a card's value. The risk is amplified by the growing availability of small cameras, smart glasses, and similar devices that can capture details the naked eye might miss. Even a brief view of a card's underside can give a player or an accomplice a meaningful informational advantage.

With slide dealing, the card stays on the table throughout its journey to the player. It does not hover in the air, and its underside should not enter the line of sight of players or potential cameras.

Venetian Retrains Its Dealing Staff

The Venetian is among the largest poker rooms in Las Vegas, offering roughly 50 tables and regularly hosting major cash games and tournament series. Moving to the new method required extensive retraining of dealers.

Poker Operations Director Tommy LaRosa said the room began considering the change earlier in the year as part of broader efforts to strengthen game integrity. According to LaRosa, sliding cards reduces the chance of exposure during the deal and adds another level of security. Dealers were given time to train and master the revised technique before the system was implemented, with the goal of avoiding disruption to the flow of the game or to the professional standard guests expect.

Initial reactions from players and staff have been positive, LaRosa said, though he acknowledged that some adjustment time would be necessary on both sides of the table.

Support From Prominent Players

The decision has drawn support from figures in the American poker community. Matt Berkey, a professional player and owner of a training platform, welcomed the move. Poker Hall of Famer Daniel Negreanu has also backed slide dealing, arguing that it could significantly complicate the efforts of players trying to gain unlawful insight into opponents' cards.

Slide dealing is not a revolutionary concept in live poker. Many countries already use the technique, while American poker rooms have typically stayed with traditional card throwing. The Venetian is the first major venue on the Strip to implement it, and its decision could influence other large operations.

What Slide Dealing Can and Cannot Fix

Slide dealing cannot eliminate all forms of cheating, nor can it by itself address the problem of hidden electronic devices. What it does is remove a specific vulnerability without fundamentally changing the rules or pace of the game.

If the system proves successful at the Venetian, other rooms on the Las Vegas Strip may follow. A change in how a single card moves across the table could, over time, become a new security standard in American live poker.

Key Takeaways

• The Venetian is the first major Las Vegas Strip poker room to adopt slide dealing.
• Slide dealing keeps cards on the table surface, reducing the chance of exposing hole cards.
• The change required retraining the room's dealing staff.
• Prominent players including Daniel Negreanu and Matt Berkey have supported the move.
• Slide dealing addresses card exposure but does not solve every cheating method, including hidden devices.