Justin Hammer warns card-dealing issue in poker won’t be fixed overnight

Justin Hammer said at the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas that the problem of how cards are dealt in poker — and the possibility that tiny cameras can read cards when the dealer does not make a clean pitch — will not be solved immediately. He stated he supports switching to the slide pitch, which he would consider the ideal technique if the game were designed from scratch, but asked for patience: the transition involves operational and commercial obstacles that will take time.

Demonstration at G2E and the detected risk

At the Global Gaming Expo, a demonstration drew attention in the poker community by showing how a tiny camera can see the cards in a deck when a deal is not performed correctly. The test reopened the debate between keeping the traditional deal used across much of the United States or adopting the slide pitch. Hammer pointed to the demonstration as the trigger for the discussion and emphasised that the technological threat makes it necessary to review dealing technique.

Why Justin Hammer supports the slide pitch

Justin Hammer defended the slide pitch from a practical perspective: if the game were designed today, that would be the chosen technique. He explained that the slide pitch reduces the exposure of cards during the deck pass and therefore mitigates the risk that cameras or other devices capture sensitive information. He reiterated that his support for the change is not ideological but rooted in game integrity.

Operational obstacles: operators and reluctance

Hammer described the reasons why mass adoption is not immediate:

• operators see potential revenue losses from a change in table dynamics,

• casino and tournament staff need to be retrained,

• any transition must be communicated and executed in anticipation of risks, which requires coordination.

He said that, in practice, approaching an operator to propose the modification is equivalent to asking them to adopt a procedure different from the one they have used for decades, and doing so for a future threat requires convincing commercial decision-makers to bear costs now.

Comparison with the transition to the big blind ante

Hammer compared the proposal to the introduction of the big blind ante around 2018. He and Matt Savage were then convinced it was a better method, but they faced a lot of resistance. The example serves to illustrate that structural changes in poker create frictions for players, organisers and operators, and require time to normalise.

The role of Matt Savage and the persuasion work

Matt Savage, Executive Tour Director for the World Poker Tour, supports the slide pitch and participates actively in fieldwork. Hammer described the joint effort: both are invited to multiple venues to offer advice and recommendations on table practices. On those visits they do not always dictate procedures, but they can suggest and demonstrate alternatives to improve the experience for players and operators.

Gradual rollout and realistic expectations

Hammer asked the community for support and patience. He said game integrity is his priority and that implementation will be achieved, but it will take time to persuade operational and commercial decision-makers. He recommended that supporters of the change maintain conversations with opponents and back those who are already working on the transition.

Who Justin Hammer is and his industry links

Justin Hammer is Live Events Director for PokerAtlas, online tournament director for the Hijack poker app based in Texas, and tournament director at Thunder Valley Casino Resort. He also works as a consultant and is a minority co-owner of Desert Bluffs Casino in Kennewick, Washington. These positions put him in direct contact with organisers, operators and table teams who would have to execute any dealing modification.

What comes next and how progress can be made

Hammer did not offer a concrete timeline or cost figures for a full transition to the slide pitch, but he mapped out the work: convince operators, pilot the technique in venues willing to accept change, and train staff. The community can help by promoting controlled trials in tournaments and casinos that want to anticipate the technological threat.

Context for operators and regulators

For operators and regulatory officials, the decision contains a tension between protecting integrity and implementation costs. Hammer explained that the argument must focus on preventing information leakage via technological means and on designing a gradual roadmap to minimise operational impact. The experience with the big blind ante offers a precedent for how a measure unpopular at first can normalise over time with training.

Practical reading for tournament directors and suppliers

Tournament directors leading the transition will need to coordinate:

1. live pilots comparing both dealing styles,

2. retraining programmes for dealers,

3. communications to players and stakeholders about why the slide pitch is being adopted.

For equipment and security suppliers, the opportunity lies in designing verification protocols and tools that demonstrate the risk reduction associated with the slide pitch.

Global Gaming Expo appears in this debate as a platform for demonstration and discussion; the poker community should use events and tournaments to test solutions under real conditions. For information on upcoming fairs and tournaments consult the [events](/events).