Justin Hammer says poker’s slide pitch shift will take time to implement

A camera demonstration at the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas showed a tiny camera could read cards when dealers use the traditional US-style pitch, and Justin Hammer says moving to a slide pitch is the right technical choice but will not happen overnight. Hammer, the Live Events Director for PokerAtlas and a tournament director at Thunder Valley Casino Resort, supports transitioning to the slide pitch while acknowledging the commercial and operational obstacles operators face.

Why the G2E camera demo reignited the slide pitch debate

At G2E a demonstration received substantial attention in the poker community: a very small camera was used to show that cards can be seen when a dealer does not pitch the deck tightly. That practical vulnerability revived discussion over whether dealers should adopt a slide pitch rather than the regular pitch used widely in the United States.

Hammer described the demo as a reminder that the way cards are presented matters for game integrity. He said he supports the slide pitch and believes that if poker were being designed from scratch, the slide pitch would be the preferred method.

Justin Hammer’s position: technical support, pragmatic timeline

Justin Hammer holds multiple roles in the industry: Live Events Director for PokerAtlas, online tournament director for the Texas-based poker app Hijack, and tournament director at Thunder Valley Casino Resort. He is also a consultant and a minority owner of Desert Bluffs Casino in Kennewick, Washington.

His stance is twofold:

• He endorses adoption of the slide pitch on technical grounds; and

• He warns that large-scale operational change across venues and operators will require time, planning and persuasion.

Hammer compared the move to the earlier big blind ante transition, which began around 2018. He recalled that Matt Savage and he believed the big blind ante was a better system, but it still faced "a lot of pushback" at the time and required significant effort from organisers, staff and players to adopt.

Operators’ objections: revenue, retraining and anticipatory regulation

Operators approach the slide pitch proposal as a business decision rather than a purely technical improvement. Hammer summarised the central concerns operators raise:

1. Potential decrease in revenue if the change affects play speed or player comfort.

2. Cost and logistics of retraining dealers and floor staff across multiple venues.

3. The proposal is anticipatory — arguing that the current method will lead to future problems — which makes operators cautious about committing resources now.

Hammer said those objections are understandable. He emphasised that convincing operators requires demonstrating the risk and offering workable implementation plans rather than simply declaring the technical superiority of the slide pitch.

Who is already pushing the change: Matt Savage and the WPT connection

Matt Savage, Executive Tour Director for the World Poker Tour (WPT), is a visible industry figure who supports the slide pitch and is participating in the practical legwork of persuasion. Hammer noted that he and Savage regularly visit venues as invited guests to advise on operations and table procedure. In those visits they can recommend changes but do not control venue policy.

Those advisory visits form part of the realistic path toward adoption: influential practitioners offering hands-on support, demonstration and training to venues that will ultimately have to decide whether to alter their standard dealing method.

Practical steps and what the community can do now

Hammer asked the poker community for patience and active engagement. His implementation advice is practical:

• Support proponents of the slide pitch when they consult with operators.

• Encourage venues to trial the slide pitch in controlled settings before wide rollout.

• Focus on dealer training programmes that lower the operational friction of switching.

He framed this as a process, not an immediate fix. The comparison to the big blind ante change around 2018 explains the pace: adoption required time, education and real-world demonstrations.

What the debate means for game integrity and live events

Game integrity remains the central concern for Hammer. He said the slide pitch is a measure that can reduce a visible vulnerability demonstrated by camera technology. At the same time, the shift raises commercial and logistical questions that must be resolved by operators, tournament organizers and live-event teams.

For organisers and suppliers working on live events and dealer training, the debate indicates a requirement for clear operational plans and training resources. For players, the likely outcome is an incremental rollout driven by venue-level decisions and industry advocacy rather than a single mandated switch.

Final read from the floor

Justin Hammer reiterated his support for the slide pitch while urging calm and persistence from supporters. He asked players and industry figures to back those advocating the change and to continue to persuade hesitant operators through demonstrations, trials and training.

"I support the slide pitch," Hammer said, adding that the transition will take time. — Justin Hammer

Justin Hammer is Live Events Director for PokerAtlas, an online tournament director for Hijack, a tournament director at Thunder Valley Casino Resort, a consultant and a minority owner of Desert Bluffs Casino in Kennewick, Washington. For company information he referenced PokerAtlas, Hijack and Desert Bluffs in his original commentary.

For coverage of related industry gatherings and operational guidance, see our pieces on events and live-dealer procedures in the b2b section.