Is RealDealPoker.Com Any More Secure Against Online Cheating Than Fully Automated Sites...Or Just Another Gimmick to Lure Players?

First, if you don't know what Read Deal Poker is, it's a new online poker room that uses real cards with shuffle machines and allows players to virtually cut the cards before each deal, all of which they claim are strong anti-online poker-cheating measures. Their slogan is "play poker online, not online poker." They state that integrity is higher because Real Deal Poker's actual cards shuffled and dealt by machines ensure the true randomness of their games. Moreover, they claim that allowing the players to cut the deck and using burn cards is a deterrent to using online poker bots (I disagree with that). And, of course, they state that all hands can be reviewed by a third-party upon request.

AND, they just signed ex-boxing champ Evander "The REAL DEAL" Holyfield to be their publicity front man.

So, what's the REAL deal here?

Well, it's about as real as it sounds, meaning that the use of real cards and card-shuffling machines, and allowing players to cut with burn cards does absolutely nothing to make ME feel more secure playing online poker...or poker online...or whatever they want to call it. This is because any cheating method in the world can be employed by the site itself to cheat you (the possibilities are too long too list here). Imagine, if sleight of hand in person is so effective, how much more effective and easy to pull off would it be when viewers are seeing it on a compuuter screen? Come on, gimme a break! Now I am not saying or suggesting that the operators of Real Deal Poker are thinking of cheating their customers--it's probably the last thing on their minds--I am only saying that given the low percentage of problems with automated random number generators, plus the fact that the vast majority of online poker cheating comes from players on the outside and not key employees within (despite the huge Absolute Poker and UltimateBet inside scams), Real Deal's real-card presentation is not going to change the online poker cheat-factor. And then you have the problems when these machines--if they are functioning without manipulation, which they should be, break down or don't operate with 100% efficiency.

Bottom line: It's a great gimmick!