Is a shuffle tech worth it for my game. (3 Viewers)

[Rakrul]

Side tray can be used with 3 decks at the table, that's the only benefit.

 

[Tonystark137]

Introduced a Shuffle Tech to our game. Pro: Felt like we were getting more hand per hour. Con: Handling/Passing the deck back and forth was a bit annoying after a while.

 

[minedelta]

Introduced a Shuffle Tech to our game. Pro: Felt like we were getting more hand per hour. Con: Handling/Passing the deck back and forth was a bit annoying after a while.

Is it mounted?

 

[Tonystark137]

Side Cart mounted, self dealt game.

 

[minedelta]

Side Cart mounted, self dealt game.

Not enough room to just pass the cart around to every person or every 3rd person?

 

[upNdown]

Not enough room to just pass the cart around to every person or every 3rd person?

Or everybody could just grab their chips and move one seat to the left after every hand

 

[Tonystark137]

Not enough room to just pass the cart around to every person or every 3rd person?

Logistically that just sounds like a nightmare. @upNdown

 

[Tonystark137]

Does give thoughts to having two shuffle tech carts one on each side of the table....

 

[minedelta]

Does give thoughts to having two shuffle tech carts one on each side of the table....

If it was me I would have one of those portable camping batteries powering it up in a cart that rolls then as soon as the dealer grab the cards out the next person passes the machine while the current dealer deals.

Your second card shuffler would be cool.

I'm going to have mine table mounted but not sure if I should table mount it more centered of the table to allow at least the person across from the dealer spot to be an alternate dealer if I needed a break.

 

[divinerites]

Logistically that just sounds like a nightmare. @upNdown

We have 3 decks rotating.
This way one deck is always ready, one is in play and we can afford delays in the previously used deck transmission.
I am the only one dealing with the shuffler.

Never had problem even with my least brain-equipped players.

 

[Tonystark137]

If it was me I would have one of those portable camping batteries powering it up in a cart that rolls then as soon as the dealer grab the cards out the next person passes the machine while the current dealer deals.

Your second card shuffler would be cool.

I'm going to have mine table mounted but not sure if I should table mount it more centered of the table to allow at least the person across from the dealer spot to be an alternate dealer if I needed a break.

Just realize that you passing of the cart solution turns passing the need to shuffle deck/ shuffle deck around to passing a whole cart around.

With seats/chairs , that sound liked a logistic nightmare that would actually slow the game down.

 

[Tonystark137]

We have 3 decks rotating.
This way one deck is always ready, one is in play and we can afford delays in the previously used deck transmission.
I am the only one dealing with the shuffler.

Never had problem even my least brain-equipped players.

3 different Copag sets?

 

[upNdown]

We have 3 decks rotating.
This way one deck is always ready, one is in play and we can afford delays in the previously used deck transmission.
I am the only one dealing with the shuffler.

Never had problem even with my least brain-equipped players.

Hey whatever works for you is good for you.

 

[divinerites]

3 different Copag sets?

Yes. 3 different colors.

In fact not COPAG, but Tina's decks. Works perfectly.

 

[divinerites]

Hey whatever works for you is good for you.

You're right. We just should close this whole PCF forum in this case.

 

[upNdown]

You're right. We just should close this whole PCF forum in this case.

Okay then.
I’ve never heard of rotating three decks and it sounds like pure insanity to me.

 

[BPTDirector]

Like you said the noise does not bother me or my players, especially compared to the convenience it provides.

 

[minedelta]

If I ever build a round poker table. I'm going to have the shuffler built into lazy susan. It would need to be powered through a electrical slip ring so the cord wouldn't get tangled up.

 

[mikem_nyc]

So my new Shuffle Tech arrived today... pretty much 5 weeks after placing the order.

First impressions:

I couldn't find an on/off switch, which I thought was a little odd. NBD really all things considered.

It was packaged with a basic set of Copags, which was nice for testing. I opened the package, discarded the jokers and promo cards and dropped it in. Pressed the button with a '3' on it and it began whirring! After about 60 seconds it stopped and the stack of cards disappeared to the bottom tray.

Question: does ANYONE use the side tray vs. the top load ejection? If so why?

I found some old poker-sized Copags that I'd retired for wear awhile back... I ran them through to test the unit. The cards were pretty worn and bogged down with oils from wear... which probably contributed to one brief jam. The machine made a continual whirring noise until I noticed something was wrong but didn't seem to be laboring... I saw the jammed card on top and easily moved it to the center and the machine resumed doing it's thing. That was the only malfunction.

Switching to the top ejection was as easy as flipping a switch on the bottom of the unit. The automatic feature was nice - just drop the cards in and it does it's thing.

My biggest surprise was the noise. I'd been led to believe from multiple reviews that the unit is obnoxiously noise. I'd already planned on building a sound-insulated cart but after using the device I don't know if that will be necessary. It's not very loud to begin with, and closing the lid makes it a little bit quieter. I'm going to try it out in my next game to see how people feel about the noise before going to the trouble of building a cart.

I played a little Badugi with my 11 year old... he was able to operate it without a problem:

Oh and by the way... don't ask me how the match ended... ask this smug little turd instead LOL!

View attachment 1366973

I don’t use the side tray - mine gets stuck sometimes unfortunately. Top ejection is fine and works well for us! I’d say try it a few games with your group and see how they feel about the noise, my group got acclimated pretty quickly.

 

[jimstergg]

I bought an ST-1000 and have no regrets. It's worth every penny. The home games go by much more smoothly because no one has to shuffle. It does make a bit of noise but it's not too noticeable when people at the table are chatting. Also, the cards to get stuck sometimes, so you may have to use your fingers to unjam them. I do find it inconvenient that to reset the shuffler if it's jammed, you need to unplug and replug it rather than just hit a button.

 

[GoJo_Dingo]

Blasphemy!
$4+k on a shuffler and you don't have a set of nice chips - and you're a member since July!

Must have been a member of www.cardshufflerforum.com before joining here.

Ooooooooooh good one you!

 

[Coyote]

If you have to turn around to grab the shuffled deck from a cart, an expensive device isn't worth the cost, IMHO. Whether you as the host deal all the time, or you just handle the machine and have the dealing rotate.

A cheap Chinese $20 to $80 shuffler will do the job. If it breaks down, you get a new one and you can do that from 40 to 10 times till you reach Shuffletech cost. (NO 3 riffles though - just one).

BUT, if flush-mounted on the table, every penny is worth it. Hell, even the Deckmate would be worth it, if money isn't an issue.

For really high-stakes "home" games (i.e. underground games), though, I don't know if Deckmates can be trusted against hacking (those machines randomise cards electronically; not a mechanical shuffle like that of Shuffletech, cheapo shufflers and human hands).

Edited: Only if rigged with an inside camera can a deckmate "know" which card is which.

 

[minedelta]

If you have to turn around to grab the shuffled deck from a cart, an expensive device isn't worth the cost, IMHO. Whether you as the host deal all the time, or you just handle the machine and have the dealing rotate.

A cheap Chinese $20 to $80 shuffler will do the job. If it breaks down, you get a new one and you can do that from 40 to 10 times till you reach Shuffletech cost. (NO 3 riffles though - just one).

BUT, if flush-mounted on the table, every penny is worth it. Hell, even the Deckmate would be worth it, if money isn't an issue.

For really high-stakes "home" games (i.e. underground games), though, I don't know if Deckmates can be trusted against hacking (those machines KNOW which card is which and randomise them electronically; not a mechanical shuffle like that of Shuffletech, cheapo shufflers and human hands).

This goes the same for any poker game. Any game could be rigged regardless of a shuffler or not. I think we need to steer away from the narrative that because a Deckmate is used then we can't trust it. The statement should be you do not trust the establishment, house, or the host of the game you attend.

Cards can be marked, corrupt dealers "human hands", collusion between players, RFID, heck even high tech security cameras could catch folks not protecting their hole cards. These cheat can exist.

I just repaired a Deckmate for a high stakes underground game. There was nothing in his machine that would allow him to cheat. The only way the Deckmate 1 could be used to cheat is if a camera was installed in there and a major overhaul on the software side. It's a true RNG shuffler. One night they happened to have the Deckmate sitting on top of a cart instead of mounted. It was knocked over by one of his regulars. He said he could care less about having to make him pay. He even over nighted the shuffler back to him for $275. They pull in thousands of dollars a night on just rake because the Deckmate allows more hands per hour.

Because the Deckmate 1 doesn't have a way to know which card is which it just assigns a RNG to each cards and places them sequentially.

I do agree I like the flush mounted table way.

The Deckmate 2 is possible to be back via software through the USB port. We are talking about high level hackers who didn't release the hack to the world just exposing that the Deckmate is hackable. If you are a techy person really great video on the things they accomplish with the hack.

Here is a video of my Deckmate shuffling with out the cover.

 

[Coyote]

I edited my post accordingly.

 

[mikem_nyc]

If you have to turn around to grab the shuffled deck from a cart, an expensive device isn't worth the cost, IMHO. Whether you as the host deal all the time, or you just handle the machine and have the dealing rotate.

A cheap Chinese $20 to $80 shuffler will do the job. If it breaks down, you get a new one and you can do that from 40 to 10 times till you reach Shuffletech cost. (NO 3 riffles though - just one).

BUT, if flush-mounted on the table, every penny is worth it. Hell, even the Deckmate would be worth it, if money isn't an issue.

For really high-stakes "home" games (i.e. underground games), though, I don't know if Deckmates can be trusted against hacking (those machines randomise cards electronically; not a mechanical shuffle like that of Shuffletech, cheapo shufflers and human hands).

Edited: Only if rigged with an inside camera can a deckmate "know" which card is which.

I think it depends on what stakes you’re playing. I’m biased cause I have the Shuffletech but I’ve also used the cheap shufflers you mention and imo they’re garbage, I can hand shuffle faster than the amount of time it takes to run the deck through them. One riffle is criminal in any setting. FWIW you can just put the shuffler on a seat/stool right next to you, doesn’t have to be behind, so it’s faster to access, and in self dealt games you’re already pushing the deck for someone to shuffle so it’s not much more work. I’d say 25c/50c to 50c/$1+ is where you could consider getting one for long term usage. The company will fix it for free if there’s issues, it costs around $18 to ship to them and they’ll ship it back to you for free once it’s fixed. I’ve had the shuffler for around 2 years, sent it back like twice, no issues otherwise, and all my players love it and I don’t think they’d go back to self shuffle.

 

[Coyote]

Elementary "wash" while gathering the used deck, one machine riffle (4 seconds), plus a cut, have never produced any unpleasant phenomena in my game.
Dealing the cards is, of course, another mild way of randomizing.

Sure, the Shuffletech is superior, but I 'd only pay for it only if I could flush-mount it on the table.
That's actually the feature that would have been the decisive positive factor for me.
I have deeply regretted not thinking about it when ordering my table.
I can't see how you could have the cart by your side, unless the table is huge.

I have a "cart" upon which the cheapo shuffler is placed not right behind me, but diagonally behind, and I can reach it with relative ease, sitting on a revolving wheeled chair.
That would feel pretty tiresome if you 've spent $800+, IMHO.

 

[SetToBean]

Okay then.
I’ve never heard of rotating three decks and it sounds like pure insanity to me.

ShuffleTech's product descriptions says it's useful for heads-up gameplay when hands get very quick. Using three for a full table sounds excessive though.

 

[divinerites]

ShuffleTech's product descriptions says it's useful for heads-up gameplay when hands get very quick. Using three for a full table sounds excessive though.

I’ve never heard of rotating three decks and it sounds like pure insanity to me.

This not what we experience.
Game is so fluid with 3 decks. More than 2 decks. We made measurements.

I'm so sorry that our real life experience is not fitting your beliefs.

 

[TankingRowlet]

I play 5c/10c with a ShuffleTech, super casual low stake.
We had around a third of the group being semi-competent at casino shuffling (3 riffle, strip, riffle) and dealing, ShuffleTech increases our overall hands by around 30-40% more per night and don't have to worry about any shuffles.

Some downsides are that someone needs to constantly be turning back and forth to deal with deck if not flush-mounted to table. I have it mounted in an Ikea cabinet so far and experience has been alright (noise could be reduced but I'm lazy).

Upfront cost is a bit tough to swallow but I think the game goes smoother with it.

 

[divinerites]

We had around a third of the group being semi-competent at casino shuffling (3 riffle, strip, riffle) and dealing, ShuffleTech increases our overall hands by around 30-40% more per night and don't have to worry about any shuffles.

Some downsides are that someone needs to constantly be turning back and forth to deal with deck if not flush-mounted to table.

Exactly this. Thanks.