What Live Poker Tables Might Look Like Post-COVID-19

With the COVID-19 lockdown starting to ease around the world ideas are starting to fly around about how we can get live poker back up and running.

Social distancing is what every government is ordering their citizens to do, but how can that ever be possible in a live poker scenario? Luckily there have been a couple of suggestions.

While the tweet was far from positive, we might be facing a situation where it’s something like this or nothing. News is already coming in about casinos getting ready to open but with the poker rooms closed.

The biggest risk factor in human to human transmission is through breathing, coughing, and sneezing in close proximity. So the table mock up above is at least sensible and no doubt the sort of thing that a government would want to see when casinos start asking if they can open.

What About Electronic Tables?

Another idea to get permission for live poker events is the already tried and tested electronic table.

The Excalibur Casino in Las Vegas ran a trial more than 10 years ago but eventually pulled the plug with players complaining that it didn’t feel like a bone fide live poker experience.

This is, of course, true but we can’t afford to be picky during these times. It’s going to be like it or lump it. 

Electronic tables remove the risk of transmission via physical chips where the coronavirus can live for up to three days. Even frequent cleaning will never get rid of this risk completely.

So, bigger tables to allow for increased distance between players, with electronic control and perspex screens, might be obscene for the purists but would you rather not play?