Before the hole card camera was invented, televised poker wasn’t really a good fit for TV. The audience at home would see the players, their movements and the cards they held but had no idea what the players’ hole cards were – which meant that commentators and announcers had to rely on their own skill and guesswork when assessing the action. The hole card camera changed that and is arguably one of the single biggest inventions in poker’s history.

The device was first used in 1999 on the UK’s Late Night Poker show, and it was an instant hit. The ability for viewers to keep up with the action, know the reason behind folded hands and make educated guesses made the game much more exciting and engaging and boosted viewership figures dramatically. In fact, it’s fair to say that without the introduction of the hole card cam the game of poker wouldn’t have seen the massive boom it did during the 2000s.

Nowadays, the cameras in a poker table are often hidden under a special barcode scanner that can read invisible ink marked cards and transmit the analysis results to a spy headset. This allows the player to get more info about their opponent, including their best winning hand, second-best hand and other results. This way, the user can beat his opponents at Texas hold’em and other poker games. Moreover, these poker tables with cameras can be customized in size, rail shape and material, layout, base and hardware – you can choose any option to meet your needs.