Dealerless Tables, Timing Tells, and a Repeat Champion: This Week in Poker

Last Updated on September 24, 2026 by Bala Kumar

Some weeks in poker are all about one big final table. This one is about where the game is going. A dealerless table is heading to the biggest gaming show in North America, an old online feature has players rethinking what counts as a “tell,” and a Belarusian pro proved that some players just play better in certain rooms.

Here’s what happened and why it matters.

1. Dealerless Poker Comes to G2E 2026 in Las Vegas

If you’re in Las Vegas next week, you can sit down at a poker table with no dealer.

Vancouver-based Jackpot Digital (TSXV: JJ, OTCQB: JPOTF) announced on September 24 that it will show its next-generation Jackpot Blitz® electronic poker table at the 2026 Global Gaming Expo (G2E). The company calls G2E North America’s largest gaming expo, and this year it isn’t just for industry insiders. Jackpot Digital is inviting customers, investors, gaming professionals, and the general public to try the table.

Event details:

Why dealerless tables are gaining ground

For casinos, the pitch is simple. Live poker rooms are expensive to staff, and many operators have shrunk or closed their rooms in the past decade. An electronic table handles shuffling, dealing, pot calculation, and rake automatically, so a casino can run a game without paying a dealer.

Jackpot Digital’s year shows that the idea is gaining traction. In the past few months, the company has:

• Signed its largest deal to date (July 27, 2026), an eight-table deployment at Pechanga Resort Casino in California.
• Gone live in the U.S. Virgin Islands (July 8, 2026).
• Launched two Jackpot Blitz tables at Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort & Casino in New Mexico (August 25, 2026).
• Won approval from the Louisiana Gaming Control Board (March 31, 2026) and signed a master agreement with a major Arizona casino operator (May 8, 2026).

The company says its tables are installed or on order in Canada and in U.S. states including Arizona, California, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Wisconsin, as well as on cruise ships and in several international markets. Its brand ambassador is Pro Football Hall of Famer and two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Jimmy Johnson.

A reality check for investors: Jackpot Digital is still a small company, with a market cap of about $7.75 million according to StockTitan data. Its own press release says trading in its shares should be considered speculative.

Our take: Many poker players will always want a human dealer, chip tricks, and table talk. But for a mid-sized casino deciding between a dealerless table and no poker at all, the math is getting easier. G2E will be a good test of how much operators are buying in.

2. The PokerStars Feature That Shows How Long Opponents Take to Act

On the online side, the talk of the week was a feature many PokerStars players didn’t know about.

British pro Patrick Leonard shared a clip on X showing that on PokerStars, you can hover over an opponent and see their previous actions in the hand, along with how many seconds each decision took. Pokerfuse picked it up on September 24, and the reaction was the same from many players: they had no idea this feature existed.

Why this matters more than it sounds

In live poker, timing is one of the oldest tells. A quick call often means a draw or a medium-strength hand. A long pause followed by a big bet can mean strength, or a player trying hard to look strong. Online, you usually have to spot and remember those patterns yourself while playing several tables at once.

A tool that shows exact decision times does two things:

• It levels the playing field. Recreational players get information that grinders have long tracked in their heads or with software.
• It raises the bar for regulars. If everyone can see your timing, you need to act at a steady pace no matter what cards you hold. Many strong players already use time banks or fixed routines for this reason.

There’s also a fairness debate. Some players think any tool that turns opponent behavior into data takes away from the skill of reading people. Others argue it’s no different from reviewing hand histories. Either way, if you play on PokerStars, you should assume your opponents can now see exactly how long you think. Take the same amount of time with your bluffs as you do with your monsters.

3. Aliaksei Chernak Wins Again at King’s Resort

Some players just feel at home in certain rooms. For Aliaksei Chernak, that room is King’s Resort in Rozvadov, Czech Republic.

Chernak, who has only played poker professionally for about six years, already had a big score there after winning the 2023 Euro Poker Million. On the latest weekend, he did it again. He won the €400 Deepstack at the 2026 King’s Million European Poker Championship for €54,800 and the King’s Million Royal Scepter.

It wasn’t easy. The final day lasted almost 16 hours.

The numbers

• Entries: 1,054
• Prize pool: €358,360
• Players paid: 106
• Minimum cash for Day 2 players: €800
• First prize: €54,800

Final table results

How he won it

Chernak began Day 2 in the middle of the pack and was one of the shorter stacks when the final nine were set. While he kept out of trouble, the player listed as “boundless” built a big chip lead.

With four players left, Chernak was all in twice against boundless and survived both times. He first doubled up despite having a dominated kicker, and about ten minutes later, he came from behind again. After that, the momentum swung. He eliminated Karol Radomski in third place, took control heads-up, and won the final hand with a pair of tens.

Speaking to PokerNews through a translator, Chernak said his plan was to enjoy the atmosphere rather than focus on winning. He also admitted he got lucky at key moments. About Rozvadov, he said simply: “I feel here like home.”

Our take: Chernak’s win is a good reminder for tournament players. Short stacks at final tables often panic and push too early. Chernak waited, let the big stacks clash, and was ready when his chances came. Keeping a calm mind on a 16-hour day is a skill of its own.

Also This Week in Poker

• WSOP Online Main Event on GGPoker drew 6,008 entries for a $28.5 million prize pool, the third-largest in the event’s history, with a record $4 million first prize.
• WSOP Super Circuit Montreal set Canadian records with 14,784 entries and more than C24millioninprizemoney,includingaC12.7 million Main Event.
• WCOOP 2026 is underway on PokerStars, with the Women’s World Championship this Sunday awarding seats to the Women’s Classic at London’s Hippodrome Casino (October 16–18).
• King’s Resort coverage continues with the final day of the €1,500 PLO Championship on September 26.

The Big Picture

Put these three stories together and you get a clear picture of poker in late 2026. Technology is changing how the game is dealt, from the table in Las Vegas to the data on your screen online. The core of poker hasn’t changed, though. A player still has to stay patient, survive the bad spots, and win the big pot when it matters.

Play responsibly. Gambling involves risk; only play with money you can afford to lose. 21+ (or legal age in your jurisdiction).

FAQs

Bala Kumar

Founder of PokerClubGames.com and a Poker Researcher with 10+ years of experience in SEO, WordPress development, and gaming content strategy. Specializes in researching online poker sites, poker apps, tournaments, bonuses, and poker strategies. Experienced in poker platform reviews, affiliate marketing, and creating SEO-focused poker content for global audiences.

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