A hybrid card game apparatus for conducting an online card game, comprising: a playing surface having at least six card hand stations on which playing cards for remote players other than a human dealer that is physically present at the playing surface can be positioned, the at least six card hand stations being distributed around a dealer position along a side edge of the playing surface, the at least six card hand stations including a leftward card hand station and a rightward card hand station being positioned closest to or touching a plane that is parallel to the side edge of the playing surface at the dealer position on a left side and a right side respectively of a dealer when the dealer is positioned adjacent to the dealer position and facing the playing surface, and at least one other card hand station, further comprising at least one card sensor system (60, 312) positioned to sense an identity of the playing cards positioned face down on each of the at least six card hand stations and generate card identification data enabling identification of the playing cards positioned on each of the at least six card hand stations, wherein the at least one card sensor system (60, 312) includes at least one radio-frequency identification ("RFID") reader positioned to read an RFID tag in each of the playing cards positioned on each of the at least six card hand stations, wherein the card identification data includes RFID data from the RFID tag in each of the playing cards positioned on each of the at least six card hand stations, wherein each of the at least six card hand stations includes an at least partially transparent region in the playing surface, for placement of at least one imaging device in a suitable position to image the playing cards positioned on the at least partially transparent region, and wherein the card identification data further includes image data generated by the imaging device, characterised in that the playing surface includes a raised rear edge adjacent to each of the at least six card hand stations and distal from the dealer position to inhibit sliding travel of the playing cards beyond the at least six card hand stations, wherein a distance between the dealer position and a nearest edge of each of the at least one other card hand station is at most 68.58 centimetres, wherein an arc length of the nearest edge of each of the at least six card hand stations is not more than 14.13°. a playing surface having at least six card hand stations on which playing cards for remote players other than a human dealer that is physically present at the playing surface can be positioned, the at least six card hand stations being distributed around a dealer position along a side edge of the playing surface, the at least six card hand stations including a leftward card hand station and a rightward card hand station being positioned closest to or touching a plane that is parallel to the side edge of the playing surface at the dealer position on a left side and a right side respectively of a dealer when the dealer is positioned adjacent to the dealer position and facing the playing surface, and at least one other card hand station, further comprising at least one card sensor system (60, 312) positioned to sense an identity of the playing cards positioned face down on each of the at least six card hand stations and generate card identification data enabling identification of the playing cards positioned on each of the at least six card hand stations, wherein the at least one card sensor system (60, 312) includes at least one radio-frequency identification ("RFID") reader positioned to read an RFID tag in each of the playing cards positioned on each of the at least six card hand stations, wherein the card identification data includes RFID data from the RFID tag in each of the playing cards positioned on each of the at least six card hand stations, wherein each of the at least six card hand stations includes an at least partially transparent region in the playing surface, for placement of at least one imaging device in a suitable position to image the playing cards positioned on the at least partially transparent region, and wherein the card identification data further includes image data generated by the imaging device, characterised in that the playing surface includes a raised rear edge adjacent to each of the at least six card hand stations and distal from the dealer position to inhibit sliding travel of the playing cards beyond the at least six card hand stations, wherein a distance between the dealer position and a nearest edge of each of the at least one other card hand station is at most 68.58 centimetres, wherein an arc length of the nearest edge of each of the at least six card hand stations is not more than 14.13°.