CR63-p40-g2e12:SJC-Casino Review 22/12/07 21:17 Page 1
casinoreview
G2e07 REPORT
Poker Tek launches
World Series of Poker
for amusements
Electronic poker expert PokerTek was changing sector at this year’s
Global Gaming Expo with the launch of Heads Up Challenge aimed
at delivering its PokerPro family to the amusements world.
amusingconsequences
POKERTEK
Zephyr provides futuristic
This World Series of Poker
take on auto roulette
Edition two-player auto-
mated poker table designed Slinky and futuristic looking the eight player roulette carousals
for amusement purposes, being exhibited by Slovenian based Zephyr would bring a
comes with no award or cool, new look to any gaming floor.
prizes and is not per se a gam- Available in white, black and red, each terminal curves
bling device. Targeting upwards from a central sphere, housing the automated wheel,
patrons in bars, restaurants to provide perfect views of the ball. The online set-up of the
and other social venues, it is system allows players to order drinks etc from their terminals.
ideal for settling bragging
rights over who, indeed, is
the better poker player.
And it comes with high
praise. Jeffrey Pollack, com-
On the
missioner of the World Series
of Poker, called Heads Up
Challenge ‘the most revolu-
right Trax
tionary new product ‘that he
had ‘seen in years’ during the
unveiling at the 2007 WSOP
The RFID-
Main Event in Las Vegas. leader in the UK industry the casino versions of the are a large ordeal for poker
enabled
Having outperformed with over 25 years experi- PokerPro electronic table room operators and require
EasiTrax from
leading industry games in ence, is eager to offer the for which Aristocrat holds foresight and organisation MEI helps
field tests, Heads-Up Chal- product. “This is an excit- exclusive European distri- to run efficiently. PokerPro
managers
lenge is looking to drive ing game for us and for our bution rights. now has the capability to
keep track of
new business and increase customers,” said Terry Farr, PokerPro will offer the plan, organise, and operate
cashboxes
operator earnings, while CEO of Cosmic, which will game Omaha Poker (which MTT automatically.
giving players the ability to feature Heads-Up Chal- is known as a difficult to deal PokerPro now instantly
play poker in a fun, new lenge at the ATEi amuse- game), organise Multi Table displays showdown odds
environment. ment exhibition in London Tournaments, display Show- when the cards are flipped
Two players enter coins to next month. “Because down Odds, offer Quick over and the players are all
compete against each other Heads-Up Challenge is Accounts, Kill Pots and in increasing the drama and
at No Limit Texas Hold’em Texas Hold’em, which has Stored Value Cards, as well as allowing players to evaluate
Heads-Up. Players can create become exceptionally multiple languages and cur- where they stand before the
online profiles to track their popular all across the UK rencies. PokerPro tables cur- river determines their fate.
rating and ranking for single and Ireland, we believe that rently being operated can be So far, French, Italian and
games or tournament mode this table has a tremendous programmed with a simple Chinese have been added, boxclever digit growth in our market
for up to eight players. The market potential for the software update, with the with other translations in MEI share for gaming products.”
game draws on all the tradi- amusement space.” software provided as stan- the pipeline. The number of products
tional poker action and real- In addition, PokerTek’s dard to new 10 player tables. There is also a new level There is an air of confidence with gaming applications is
istic movements and sounds international distributors PokerPro now has the of efficiency by adding permeating MEI just now. The growing, too. MEI launched its
of the original PokerPro. have installed initial units capability to spread games stored value cards which company is doing well in a EasiTrax asset tracking system
In addition to its estab- in both Canada and Aus- with Kill Pots for both Texas allow players to receive an highly competitive market for at G2E, which uses RFID tech-
lished network of twelve dis- tralia, with the Australia and Hold’em and Omaha. The account card with a stored bill validators. It is claiming nology to help operators keep
tributors in the United States New Zealand market being “Kill Button” is awarded to a value the second they see specification in 80 per cent of track of cashboxes and to make
and Canada, PokerTek, has distributed by Aristocrat player when they win two the poker host. new machines being installed sure they are properly and
selected Cosmic Video Leisure Limited. “We’re consecutive hands and is Another appealing in Macau and also major inroads swiftly accounted for.
Amusements for distribution pleased with the initial feed- not relinquished until that feature PokerPro offers is into the European market. Each cashbox is retrofitted
in the United Kingdom and back from the market,” said player loses. Blind levels and the ability for all players to France is a fertile territory with with a 13.56MHz RFID tag,
Ireland and has entered into James Crawford, president betting limits are automati- see the nicknames of the changes in the law in German which together with an
an arrangement with Gekay of PokerTek. “Demand from cally increased when there others seated at their table. AWPs offering significant antenna board installed in the
Sales & Service Company, our distributors has been is an active kill on the table, This feature makes it easier opportunities there. The validator records its location.
which provides entertain- strong and the news from which helps to drive betting to communicate with the company is also benefiting The information is reconciled
ment and games to US mili- the field has been terrific.” and increase action during players at the table and from the astonishing growth at the soft count stage using a
tary bases around the world. There were also ground- cash games. creates more friendly banter in the Latin American markets simple reader which immedi-
Cosmic, an innovative breaking developments to Multi Table Tournaments than traditional tables. and from an increasing number ately flags any ‘hot boxes’ that
of machine-friendly jurisdic- have been missing, installed
tions in North America. for example in other machines
“We have also seen a high in error. The system, which has
Taiwanese
conversion rate from out value been used by the vending
showing
added trials,” said Eric Fisher industry for eight years, can be
Nugent, vice president of added to all existing MEI Cash-
ease of
gaming for the company in the Flow systems and is already in
automation
US. “What is comes down to is operation at the Sands Macau,
cash in the box and that means the Four Winds in Chicago with
good security, high speed and more major casino resorts
Taiwan Fulgent was high recognition. We know we already signed up for next year.
showing its range of are not the cheapest solution MEI was also previewing a
Robot Casino systems but the end users see the return new application for the cage,
which includes automated on investment and demand which will get its official
blackjack, baccarat and MEI validators from the OEMs. launch at ICE. The CashFlow
roulette products. The Of all the new expansions and Defender is essentially a valida-
company also openings in the US, we are tor without a box that allows
manufactures a range of getting above 80 per cent of the cage staff to check banknotes
shuffling machines. market, which gives us double- quickly and securely.
40 January 2008 G2ereport
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