Your setup, in 3D
Hole-card webcams
in this setup · one per seat · up to 10
These read the hole cards. Each player gets a small USB webcam on the rail in front of them, aimed at the spot where their cards land. When the player peels their cards, the webcam sees the corners and the computer reads them. You don't need an RFID table or marked cards.
Which webcam
- US: the XOCLON 1080p (about $10). Our own rig runs it.
- Elsewhere: the Logitech C270, which is sold almost everywhere.
- Most other USB (UVC) webcams work too, as long as they can output MJPEG. If one can't, the panel shows "Camera not supported".
- Don't build a rig out of Logitech C920s: only two run at broadcast quality on one port.
Placement and cabling
- Put it on the rail or table edge, right in front of the seat, aimed at where that player's cards sit. Players peel toward their own camera.
- Its cable (blue) goes over the rail, down the table edge, and along the underside to the hub.
- Label both ends of every cable. Identical webcams can report the same serial number, so the label is how you tell them apart.
Matching cameras to seats
On the panel phone, choose Assign Cameras. It prompts "Cover Seat N's camera": put a hand over that webcam and it's mapped. Skip any seat that doesn't have a camera.
Powered USB hub
Powered USB hubs
in this setup · under the middle of the table
Every webcam plugs into a powered USB 3.0 hub fixed under the table, so each webcam cable is a short run.
Windows fits 5 webcams per USB root port, so seats need hubs. Each hub needs its own root port: plug each one straight into the PC, not into another hub, and use ports on different controllers where you can (for example, one on the motherboard's rear panel and one on an add-in USB card).
On a Mac, the limit is per USB controller, not per hub. Ten kit webcams fit on one controller, so one hub covers up to 10 seats.
From the hub, one USB cable (orange) runs along the floor to the computer.
From the hub, an active USB 2.0 extension (orange) runs along the floor to the computer in the other room.
Which hub
In the US, the Amazon Basics 10-Port USB 3.0 hub (about $30). Anywhere else, any USB 3.0 hub that comes with its own power adapter.
The hub has to be self-powered: its adapter (red) plugs into the power strip under the table. A hub that runs off the computer's port can't power this many webcams, and Poker Panel flags it in diagnostics.
The first time you connect the hub, macOS may ask "Allow accessory to connect?" Click Allow, or the cameras won't show up.
1 · beside the dealer
1 · in another room
One computer runs the whole show. It reads the cards, draws the graphics, mixes the audio and sends the stream, so you don't need OBS or a production crew.
Mac
Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) running macOS 14 Sonoma or later. Intel Macs aren't supported. A laptop is fine.
Windows PC
Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit) with a dedicated NVIDIA or AMD GPU (RTX 3050 / RX 6600 class or better), an 8-core CPU and 16 GB of RAM. A gaming PC usually fits.
What plugs into it
- The hub's USB cable.
- One USB cable from each hub, each straight into its own root port on the PC.
- The active USB extension from the table.
- One active USB extension per hub, each straight into its own root port on the PC.
- A monitor (purple cable).
- Power (red), and internet for the stream.
Putting the computer in another room keeps the fan noise and the operator out of the game. The phones are wireless, so only the hub's extension cable has to make the trip.
Active USB 2.0 extension
in this setup · one per hub · table to the other room
An active extension has a built-in signal booster, so it can carry USB much further than a normal cable. One runs from each hub under the table, along the floor and through the doorway, to the computer.
- Use an active cable. A plain (passive) USB extension that long drops out.
- The webcams are USB 2.0 devices, so a USB 2.0 active extension is what this link needs.
- Plug each extension straight into its own root port on the PC, not into another hub: Windows fits 5 webcams per root port.
- Tape it down or run it under a cable cover where people walk.
Scene camera
iPhone on a tripod
Scene cameras film the players, which is what viewers watch. You tell each phone which seats it covers, and Poker Panel switches to that camera when the action moves there.
Placement
Shoot across the table so the camera sees faces, not the backs of heads: each phone stands on the far side from the players it covers, out past the chairs. The shaded frame shows what this phone sees.
How many
This setup has , about one per three players. Home Game allows up to 4 camera scenes, and Card Room lets you pick 4 to 8.
Connecting
- over the internet through our relay (about 2.5 Mbps per phone), or over the same Wi-Fi (up to 5 Mbps).
- A charging cable (red) runs down the tripod to the power strip. A phone streaming video for hours drains fast.
Phones
An iPhone on iOS 16 or later, running the Poker Panel Camera app. An iPad can be the control panel but not a camera. There's no Android app.
CardEYE board camera
1 · optional · ceiling mount
1 · optional · boom arm
An iPhone pointing straight down at the community cards. In the CardEYE role it reads the flop, turn and river automatically.
Ceiling mount
A ceiling phone mount, centered over the spot where the board gets dealt and high enough that all five cards fit in the frame. It's the cleanest option: nothing on the floor, nothing in a player's way. Its charging cable runs along the ceiling and down the wall to an outlet.
Boom arm
A C-stand with a boom arm, standing behind the dealer and reaching out over the board, with a phone clamp on the end. Weight the back of the arm. It needs no drilling, so it suits rented rooms and a game that moves. Its charging cable runs down the stand to the power strip.
- Only one phone can be the CardEYE camera at a time.
- It's optional. Without one, the dealer scans the board with the panel phone, holding it close so it can use its ultra-wide camera.
- This phone only reads the board. Hole cards come from the webcams.
Control panel
1 · flat on the table by the dealer
The dealer's iPhone (or iPad) controls the whole broadcast: game setup, blinds, players and stacks, every bet, call, fold and raise, undo, buy-ins and cash-outs, camera assignment, and going live.
- It pairs with the computer once over Bluetooth. After that it works over Wi-Fi or the internet, so it still works with the computer in another room.
- It's also where you set up stream destinations and keys, choose a stream delay (none, 10 or 30 minutes), and start or stop the stream and the recording. Those two are separate.
- This setup has no CardEYE camera, so this phone also scans the board.
This setup uses iPhones in total.
Power
plugs at the table · power strip(s)
Every red line is a power cable. Here is what needs a plug:
- Each USB hub's adapter, into a power strip under the table.
- The computer and its monitor, into the same strip.
- The computer and its monitor, into an outlet in its own room.
- A charger for each scene phone on a tripod.
- The CardEYE phone, along the ceiling and down the wall to an outlet.
- The CardEYE phone, down the boom stand to the strip.
Power strips run along the floor to a wall outlet. Run cables along the floor, not across walkways, and tape them down or cover them where people walk.
What you need
Prices for
Questions
Do I need an RFID table or special cards?
No. The webcams read standard playing cards (Bicycle, Bee, Tally-Ho), and any poker table works.
Which iPhones work? Can I use Android or an iPad?
Any iPhone on iOS 16 or later. An iPad can be the control panel but not a camera. There's no Android app.
Can I use webcams I already own?
Usually, yes. Most USB (UVC) webcams work as long as they can output MJPEG. If yours can't, the panel shows "Camera not supported". Logitech C920s are a bad choice for a full table: only two run at broadcast quality on one USB port. The XOCLON kit webcam runs ten on one port.
What Windows PC do I need?
Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit) with a dedicated NVIDIA or AMD GPU (RTX 3050 / RX 6600 class or better), an 8-core CPU and 16 GB of RAM.
Can the computer be in another room?
Yes. Run an active USB 2.0 extension cable from each hub under the table, along the floor, to the computer. The phones and the control panel are wireless, so only those extension cables make the trip. Use an active cable: a plain extension that long drops out.
How many webcams can I connect?
Up to 10. On a Mac, the real limit is bandwidth per USB controller: ten kit webcams fit on one, but heavier webcams fit fewer. On Windows, plan on 5 webcams per USB root port, so 6 to 10 seats need two hubs, each plugged straight into its own root port on the PC.
A webcam is plugged in but shows no picture. What's wrong?
- Too many cameras on one controller. The extra cameras look connected but never send video. Move some of them to a port on a different controller.
- macOS is asking "Allow accessory to connect?" Click Allow.
- Camera permission: open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera and allow Poker Panel.
- The webcam can't output MJPEG. The panel shows "Camera not supported" for these. Swap it for a supported model.
- Otherwise, unplug the webcam and plug it back in, then check its cable and the hub's power.
Do the phones need to be on the same Wi-Fi as the computer?
No. Phones can connect over the internet through our relay, over the same Wi-Fi, or with a USB cable to the computer. A wireless phone sends about 2.5 Mbps through the relay, or up to 5 Mbps on the same Wi-Fi. Use a cable if you want 4K from a phone.
Do I need the overhead CardEYE phone?
No. It reads the board automatically. Without it, the dealer scans the board with the panel phone, holding it close so it can use its ultra-wide camera. Only one phone can be the CardEYE camera.
How fast does my internet need to be?
The stream uploads at 6 Mbps by default (adjustable from 2 to 8 Mbps at 720p and 1080p). Each wireless phone going through the relay adds about 2.5 Mbps. Phones on the same Wi-Fi or on a cable send their video locally.
Where can I stream?
Twitch, YouTube, Kick, VK or any custom RTMP destination, including several at once. You can stream at 720p, 1080p (the default) or 4K.
How do I get table audio?
Each camera phone's microphone shows up as a table audio source named after its seats, and the computer's mixer takes other inputs too. Don't select an iPhone that macOS lists as a Mac microphone: doing that interrupts that phone's camera. Commentators can join from a browser with a booth code, and you approve each one.