The Cube

I saw an ad for this intriguing device in Poker Player newspaper. You can visit the manufacturer's web site here: http://pokerhpc.com/index.php

The idea is that you keep this on the table and slide your hole cards into it from the back. It projects an image of the cards' corner markings onto a little screen, the angle of which you can adjust. They claim that the viewing angle is narrow enough that adjacent players will not be able to peek.

It's an interesting concept, but I'm a skeptic at heart, and I immediate latch on to what I see as the potential problems:

First, it's not a convenient size or shape to be casually carrying around, even though it is sold with a little tote bag.

Second, to replace the battery you have to remove a screw--a process apparently tricky enough that the web site recommends that you send it back to the company for this service. That's terribly inconvenient, especially in the middle of a tournament.

Third, surely one of the target markets for the device would be those with limited manual dexterity, such as the man I played with recently at the Stratosphere, with his wooden ramp. But it appears to me that the dexterity it would require to maneuver the cards into the opening in the back of the Cube is not much less than it would take to lift them off the table. (And will such users be able to change the battery themselves?)

Fourth, although the pictures show two hole cards being viewed at once, the thing looks just barely big enough to see one at a time. I'm not sure how well it would work for looking at two simultaneously. And if you're playing Omaha, I suspect it's a lost cause.

Fifth, if you can't demonstate a bonafide physical handicap, poker rooms may well forbid the use of the gadget. I don't know for sure that they would, but in my experience some places are very wary of foreign objects on the table, not knowing what shenanigans they may be used for. At the very least, they may worry that a card or two could be hidden underneath it and saved for when it is needed.

So while I find the idea interesting and clever, my first reaction is that the problems may outweigh any benefit conferred. I think I'd have to see it in action and play with it a bit before coming to any firm conclusions.