The Venetian Brings Slide Dealing to the Las Vegas Strip

The Venetian Las Vegas will put slide dealing to the test at the WPT Fall Festival. From Oct. 28 to Nov. 15, the series will run in the resort's 50-table poker room. Dealers in the room now slide cards across the felt instead of pitching them through the air.

Players first reported the change on Oct. 14. That makes The Venetian the first poker room on the Strip to adopt the method. With nearly $4 million in guaranteed prize pools, the festival will be the first major Strip tournament series dealt this way.

How Slide Dealing Works and Why The Venetian Made the Switch

Slide dealing keeps cards flat against the table as they travel to each player. The goal is to keep hole cards from being glimpsed mid-deal, whether by nearby players or hidden cameras.

Tommy LaRosa, The Venetian's director of poker operations, said the room began evaluating the technique earlier in 2026. He told PokerNews that the method "reduces the possibility of cards being exposed during the deal."

The resort has not linked the change to any specific cheating incident at its tables. Dealers were retrained on the new procedures before the rollout.

Some players have questioned whether sliding slows the pace of play. Supporters counter that game integrity matters more than speed.

$2M WPT Championship Headlines Strip's Largest Poker Room

The festival's centerpiece is the $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em WPT Fall Championship. It carries a $2 million guarantee and runs Nov. 5-10. The series opens Oct. 28 with a $600 seniors event carrying a $40,000 guarantee.

Milestone satellites throughout the series award direct entry into the championship. Play takes place in a 14,000-square-foot room on level two of the Grand Canal Shoppes. The Venetian bills it as the largest poker room on the Las Vegas Strip. It has operated in its current space since 2024.

The Venetian's commitment to live poker stands out after Resorts World closed its poker room in March 2026.

Cheating Fears Push Slide Dealing From Europe to Las Vegas

A 2024 case at Casino Barrière Enghien-les-Bains near Paris raised industry concern. French police arrested two men suspected of using a hidden camera to view players' hole cards. An accomplice outside the casino allegedly relayed the card details through an earpiece. PokerStars made slide dealing standard at European Poker Tour events by August 2025.

In August 2026, South Point became the first Las Vegas poker room to adopt the technique. The off-Strip casino runs a 30-table poker room.

Poker Hall of Famer Daniel Negreanu has backed slide dealing on the PokerNews Podcast. "It will be much more difficult for cheaters to cheat, so they won't like it," he said. The Venetian's move has also sparked debate over whether other Strip rooms should follow suit.