Coming soon to a bar near you: Electronic poker tables.
PokerTek, the company behind the PokerPro electronic poker tables, has announced it will distribute the heads-up version of its electronic poker tables to bars everywhere. And to add to its mainstream appeal, the machine is officially called the
Heads-Up Challenge World Series of Poker Edition, and will be branded with
WSOP logos thanks to a licensing agreement it signed with Harrah's earlier this year.
A distribution network to get the machine in bars around the country is in place. Earlier this month, PokerTek signed a domestic distribution agreement with nine companies that specialize in distributing amusement games.
The game will cost $2 per player per game and will accept both dollars and eventually credit cards. The game will hit bars in early August, and the distribution network covers the entire United States. The machine won't be touchscreen, but will use a tracking ball and have an arcade feel.
The machines will eventually be hooked up to a network that will track player stats and standings. Bar owners will have to go through one of the distribution companies to secure a machine.
People in Las Vegas for the
WSOP can get a glimpse of the heads-up model next week.
WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack will do the unveiling, which takes place noon Thursday, July 5, in the lounge near the main stage in the Amazon Room, and then Antonio Esfandiari and Phil Laak will face off over the game.
Demonstration tables will then be available for the curious at PokerTek's booth at the Gaming Expo, which runs from July 5 to July 8, at the Rio. A game will also sit in the hallway near the Amazon Room.
A home version of the machine is in the works, but the price of the machine is still to be determined. People interested in the home version and who are in Vegas next week should stop by PokerTek's booth and talk to a representative there.
Here's what James Crawford, the President of PokerTek, said through a press release about placing his machines in non-casinos everywhere:
"This product extends our reach into a large market outside the gaming space, leverages our intellectual property and maintains focus within our area of expertise, which is poker. The
World Series of Poker brand is a powerful addition to an already amazing product, and we look forward to introducing this new game to players in bars."
PokerTek makes both 10-player and heads-up tables. It has placed electronic tables in more than 20 casinos and cruise ships around the globe. Players interact with the cards and their chips through an electronic touch screen, which shows hole cards, chip amounts of players, and action.
In the middle of the table sits a flat-screen monitor that displays the board, betting amounts, and the button and indicates whose turn it is to act. In the casinos, an electronic kiosk system is used to automatically register players for tournaments and cash games.
In January of next year, a company in China that will mass-produce the machines will be online. PokerTek's stock is currently trading at $11.99 on NASDAQ. The stock peaked at more than $13 earlier this month on the announcement of the bar machine.
