While poker continues to boom a hidden fiscal mess will eventually FORCE major decisions on every manager of a live poker room.

The problem is that while per table costs will always continue to rise (dealer costs, alcohol, insurance, cardroom share of allocated overhead; etc.) the amount of revenue per table is limited. Faced with the eventual overtaking of per table costs over revenues what are the cardrooms' options?

They will be faced with either:

A) increasing revenues (which is very limited as raising the rake too much more will turn away more and more players. Who will play small limit with an $8-$10 rake each hand?) or

B) eliminating the cost of dealers and going to computer screens dealing at each table.

With only those two options it appears that within 5-10 years we will see the end of live dealers dealing the game. The casinos will be forced to choose between overcoming the problem of their ever shrinking profitability per table (it matters not if they have 5 tables or 500 if each is losing money) or the end of live poker.

This is a very serious issue which should be at least considered soon or someday in the not tOo distant future it may doom live poker.