Petoskey’s Odawa Casino is bringing dealerless poker to the mitten.
Odawa Casino, located in Michigan’s Little Finger, agreed to a deal with Jackpot Digital to install two Jackpot Blitz dealerless poker electronic table games (ETGs) pending licensing and regulatory approvals.
As a result, you’ll soon be able to play in a hybrid format of the cash games and tournaments you’d find in Michigan online poker and live poker rooms.
Jackpot Blitz table features
Jackpot Digital began developing ETGs in 2015 and has continued to advance its technology through the years to make for an exciting and immersive player experience.
Some of the features on Jackpot Blitz tables include:
- A full-table 4K touch screen
- Card-bending technology that mimics how you look at your hand
- Real-time tracking of player statistics, stack sizes and bankrolls
- A fully automated buy-in process that supports cash and players’ cards
Additionally, players can see more hands per hour at Jackpot Blitz tables than with a human dealer.
And those who want to gamble simultaneously can do that, too. The tables offer poker side bets, such as whether the flop will come with more red or black cards, and an array of popular casino games like blackjack, baccarat and video poker.
Dealerless poker is friendly for the house, too
Players and casinos alike have provided positive reviews about the Jackpot Blitz experience. It allows the house to automate tournaments and cash games, creating inherent flexibility.
Jackpot Blitz tables also reduce or eliminate the number of dealers, chip runners and floor staff required to operate. In turn, this lowers business costs and makes for more seamless operations.
Lower overhead means a higher profit margin for the house. The faster pace of play also benefits the house, which makes more rake with more hands dealt.
Of course, the casino games provided on Jackpot Blitz add another edge to the house.
Latching onto a trend
Including the Odawa Casino deal, Jackpot has confirmed installations or orders at land-based casinos in 12 states. It’s shown undeniable recent growth, too, exhibiting a table at the 2023 World Series of Poker.
Odawa was Jackpot’s first new customer in 2024. In 2023, Jackpot signed agreements with a dozen casinos:
- Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort (Jackson, CA)
- Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino (Coarsegold, CA)
- Northern Waters Casino Resort (Watersmeet, MI)
- Glacier Peaks Casino (Browning, MT)
- Boomtown Casino (Biloxi, MS)
- Coyote Valley Casino (Redwood Valley, CA)
- Gray Wolf Peak Casino (Missoula, MT)
- L’Auberge Casino & Hotel (Lake Charles, LA)
- L’Auberge Casino & Hotel (Baton Rouge, LA)
- Lucky Dog Casino (Skokomish, WA)
- Chumash Casino Resort (Santa Ynez, CA)
- Grande Casino Mille Lacs (Onamia, MN)
Jackpot Digital also has contracts with various cruise ship companies, including:
- AIDA
- Carnival Cruises
- Costa Cruises
- Holland America
- Princess Cruises
- Virgin Voyages
Odawa a keystone to Michigan poker
Odawa Casino’s poker room offers up to six tables of action on Fridays and Saturdays. The action may seem small, but Emmet County only has about 35,000 residents.
However, the casino’s operator, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, has a much greater footprint in the game through its partnership with PokerStars MI.
PokerStars was the first site to offer online poker in Michigan, and it remains its top site today. It is also the only one to offer interstate poker, sharing its player pools with New Jersey.
