Venetian Overhauls Card Dealing Mechanics Amid Rising Tech Cheating Concerns

The Venetian poker room has abandoned traditional card pitching in favor of ‘slide dealing,’ a technique designed to prevent cheaters from using hidden cameras to catch a glimpse of hole cards. The Venetian has become the first poker room on the Las Vegas Strip to mandate “slide dealing,” a method where dealers push cards face-down across the felt rather than pitching them through the air. Cardroom management introduced the rule to protect games against high-tech cheating. When cards are tossed through the air, their faces can briefly flash open—allowing hidden cameras placed at table height to capture hole cards.