The Excalibur hotel and casino, the eccentric Arthurian themed Las Vegas Hotel, has announced that it will be closing its poker room on August 18^th due a renovation work that will include the implementation of the first electronic poker tables in Las Vegas. Excalibur’s poker room will remain close for a few days before it opens its doors again on August 21^st. The traditional poker tables will be then replaced by electronic PokerPro poker tables designed by Poker Tek. There will be no dealers in the poker room, only by 1 or 2 poker "hosts” that will guide players that have questions or consults, seat players, move them from one table to another during tournaments and make sure everyone is following the rules.

Several sources has expressed that even when the Excalibur’s management was reluctant to such a big change, the final decision was taken directly by MGM/Mirage Corporation as part of a test. If the tables show to be more profitable than a fully staffed room then they will start implementing the same changes in other poker rooms and properties owned by MGM.

From MGM’s perspective the change could increase the profitability for both, the poker room and the players. The PokerPro tables will feature a lower rake than the traditional tables and since there’s no dealer, players can also save a few chips on tips. The casino can also increase profitability by reducing the staff, decreasing the necessity of buying thousands of card decks, shuffling machines, security and surveillance, etc. Also, since all tables are expected to be faster than the ordinary tables, the casino believes that even when the rake is lower, each table can generate a greater amount of rake per hour.

The Excalibur Hotel and Casino made no comments on how many jobs will be lost, although it has been stated that staff will be kept to a minimum. While this is the first electronic room in Las Vegas, several other casinos in the U.S have already implemented the virtual tables, including rooms in the Four Winds casino in New Buffalo, Mich., in Quebec's Casino de Montreal and in the newly opened Trump Plaza Casino poker room in Atlantic City, New Jersey.