Shuffle Tech review (1 Viewer)

[2Chips1chair]

Hey guys, I know theres been other threads on this but wanted to give my build, and experience with the shuffle tech ST-1000.

I bought it from the manufacturer new with the flush mount kit. Came out to something like $815 after tax and shipping.
I bought a rolling wood file cabinet off craigslist for $25
used a jigsaw that was angled to make my 45degree cuts for the flush mount. I already had this so no extra cost there.
Took about 3 hours to make the cuts and set everything up, I'm not very experienced with woodworking so those who are could do it much quicker. I drilled out a 2.5"d hole in the back to let the machine breath and put the wires through the back to a multi pronged extension cord ($12) that also has USB attachments so the unit doubles as a phone charging station. I also plug my tables LED's into this outlet.

In total this project ran me around $860.

I have played 3 games with the shuffler with a total run time of 16 hours. It has jammed twice in those 16 hours. Both jams I was able to clear in under 15 seconds. We have been playing much more hands since this we started playing with this. Previously I'd say we were getting 15-20 hands per hour (the guys I play with are slow shufflers), now i'd say we're at 35ish.
As people have said before, the machine is loud. Only one of the guys complains about it because "a $1000 machine shouldn't make that much noise." but he also complains that theres not enough snacks, that the beer isn't cold enough, etc. He would probably complain about winning every single hand too. It can be heard over our normal level table talk, but when the game gets loud you dont even notice it. The other players say they can hear it, even those furthest away, but that it's below the noise level as people talking. I'll probably look at people's recommendations for quieting the machine.
I love having it in a side table. I also keep chips, cards, and the buy ins in this cabinet which has been really helpful when people go to buy back in. I would recommend this machine to anyone who has a semi-regular game going. I host games 3x/month so it has been great not having to shuffle.

 

[JoeBGo]

I just wish they made one for bridge size cards. Or at least some sort of spacer/adapter.

As far as the noise goes, have you thought about lining the inside of the cabinet with something like Dynamat? I know that used to be a big thing in cars to dampen noise and vibration.

 

[RowlettTexasChipGuy]

We used bridges cards the other night, for 6+ hours, only 1 jam all night, I used my finger to move the cards and it started right back up

 

[Omar65]

Thanks for doing the review. Is is possible to add more photos of the process of placing a deck in, shuffling, and taking it out? Or even a video? Might be able to demonstrate the amount of noise in a video?
Not trying to ask you to do more work. Just would love to learn more about it.

 

[JoeBGo]

We used bridges cards the other night, for 6+ hours, only 1 jam all night, I used my finger to move the cards and it started right back up

Tell me more! It’s the only reason I’ve never bought one.
I’d love to have a Deckmate one day, but damn they are spendy.

 

[RowlettTexasChipGuy]

it is loud if you have it on the table

we used a side table to the right of me nd it was a foot or so below table level

with the TV on, table chatter and some music in the back ground the only ones hat really could hear it were me and the guy to my right

ad to be honest after a while I really tuned it out my self as we playing and in hands

a great investment for our home game


by the way use search and you can find all of these videos you are asking for

 

[Machine]

Tell me more! It’s the only reason I’ve never bought one.
I’d love to have a Deckmate one day, but damn they are spendy.

I've used bridge cards a few sessions for about 4 hours, the majority of the time, its fine, but there are a few jams AND I've seen it box cards before as well.
a lot of the jams, you can just bounce the bottom of a fist off the corner and it will continue (doesn't have to be hard, just jaring)


For the machine being loud, there are a few things you could do.
1) Pad the top of your cabinet and felt it, this will make it look more expensive and refined.
2) you can insulate inside the closed cabinet as well.
3) You can make fun of the dude that complains, after you tried to make it less noise-y for his sake.

 

[doublebooyah85]

Asking as u have background music. Sports game or music it’s no problem whatsoever. And the people sitting by it enjoy watching it lol

 

[JoeBGo]

So is ordering one from Shuffle Tech on eBay the best way to get one?

 

[davethesave]

hmmm

 

[ktran]

We used bridges cards the other night, for 6+ hours, only 1 jam all night, I used my finger to move the cards and it started right back up

What kind of bridge cards did you use?

 

[swana]

I agree the thing is loud... I would say that is my main gripe with the shuffle tech.

Also, the first night I used it, I personally hated it, as I had to operate the thing and felt like it was a full time job that was taking away from my enjoyment of the game. However after setting expectations that the dealer is responsible for collecting cards after the deal and passing back in a neat stub has lead to more hands per hour and less work for me, which equals way better experience for the operator (me).

 

[ktran]

Is the durability known to be good and not wear down unusually fast? For $600ish I'd expect at least 10 years.

 

[RowlettTexasChipGuy]

What kind of bridge cards did you use?

copac

 

[grantc54]

Is the durability known to be good and not wear down unusually fast? For $600ish I'd expect at least 10 years.

I loved the shuffler when it worked.

I got mine as a refurb unit for $300. Lasted 1.5 yrs, then took a year to make contact (track down Rick) get it repaired and back, then it lasted another 6 months.

So in all $300 for 2 years of use, about $5 a game, so from that perspective a good value.

I think now its sitting on a shelf (been for the last coupke years) with me trying to figure out next best step.

 

[grantc54]

I also think you'd be crazy to cut a whole in a table to accommodate one based on their failure rate. That is unless you want to have a blank hole/spacer in your table at some point.

 

[TheDuke]

Is the durability known to be good and not wear down unusually fast? For $600ish I'd expect at least 10 years.

I think it depends on how hard the machine is run in those 10 years and how clean you keep it.

It's pretty much made out of 100% plastic so the gears and components are going to wear out.

I think 10 years is pretty unrealistic and overly optimistic if the machine is used with any regularity.

With the way things are manufactured these days, is there any household item that anyone expects to last 10 years these days?

If you compare the price of this to the current state of the poker chip market, it's less than the cost of a rack for desirable Paulsons.

 

[ktran]

So is a DeckMate durable?

 

[upNdown]

I have wanted a shuffletech ever since I knew they existed. But after playing in a game with one recently, I can say for sure that I'm not interested. The noise can't be overstated. This one was mounted in a cabinet below the table and my goodness, it was loud and constant, even with the TV going and people talking. And for a self-dealt game, somebody still has to be the deck captain. I certainly don't want that job all night - after every hand, loading and unloading the shuffler. And frankly, it doesn't save any time, unless your players are really bad shufflers. Think about the mechanics of it - After a hand, the cards still have to be all gathered up, put together and squared. Honestly, that takes longer than the actual riffle riffle box riffle. So the longest part of the process is still being done manually. Then you have to pass the deck to whomever is sitting next to the shuffler. This is an extra step - I don't want to exaggerate it, but honestly, unless the deal rotation has come around to where the dealer is next to the shuffler, passing a deck across the table can be a chore.
I guess a shuffletech is for you if your players are lousy shufflers or if you have a dealer for your games, or if you just like gadgets. But for me, the noise, the extra steps, not to mention the cost - no thanks.

@swana @2Chips1chair - you guys said it sped up your game. Can I assume you were only using one deck? Because using a two-deck system, I have a hard time seeing how an auto shuffler saves any time. In both cases, there should be a fresh deck ready to go as soon as the hand is over.

 

[doublebooyah85]

I have wanted a shuffletech ever since I knew they existed. But after playing in a game with one recently, I can say for sure that I'm not interested. The noise can't be overstated. This one was mounted in a cabinet below the table and my goodness, it was loud and constant, even with the TV going and people talking. And for a self-dealt game, somebody still has to be the deck captain. I certainly don't want that job all night - after every hand, loading and unloading the shuffler. And frankly, it doesn't save any time, unless your players are really bad shufflers. Think about the mechanics of it - After a hand, the cards still have to be all gathered up, put together and squared. Honestly, that takes longer than the actual riffle riffle box riffle. So the longest part of the process is still being done manually. Then you have to pass the deck to whomever is sitting next to the shuffler. This is an extra step - I don't want to exaggerate it, but honestly, unless the deal rotation has come around to where the dealer is next to the shuffler, passing a deck across the table can be a chore.
I guess a shuffletech is for you if your players are lousy shufflers or if you have a dealer for your games, or if you just like gadgets. But for me, the noise, the extra steps, not to mention the cost - no thanks.

You are def right…makes no sense for a self dealt game. U def need a dealer and we get twice as many hands in.

I wonder if some are louder than others…ours is absolutely manageable.

 

[swana]

@swana @2Chips1chair - you guys said it sped up your game. Can I assume you were only using one deck? Because using a two-deck system, I have a hard time seeing how an auto shuffler saves any time. In both cases, there should be a fresh deck ready to go as soon as the hand is over.

I mentioned it sped up the game with getting help from the other players to collect the cards and pass them to me instead of me doing all the collecting myself. We have always used 2 decks so overall, the pace of the game has not picked up by much... however the quality of the shuffle has been improved greatly! There was some pretty sketchy shuffling going on...

 

[ktran]

I think it depends on how hard the machine is run in those 10 years and how clean you keep it.

It's pretty much made out of 100% plastic so the gears and components are going to wear out.

I think 10 years is pretty unrealistic and overly optimistic if the machine is used with any regularity.

With the way things are manufactured these days, is there any household item that anyone expects to last 10 years these days?

If you compare the price of this to the current state of the poker chip market, it's less than the cost of a rack for desirable Paulsons.

Plastic gears are probably easy to replace if you can find the parts. It's mostly the motor that might be pricey probably determines its longevity.

 

[TheDuke]

In terms of hands per hour of a shuffletech vs 2 deck system, it's probably identical... assuming ideal circumstances in each case.

In the ideal instance of the shuffletech, that means a dedicated dealer. Having a rotating dealer will slow things down for sure.

In the ideal instance of a 2 deck system, that assumes every person is a competent shuffler and everyone is actually paying attention. Which is super questionable from my experience. Every home game I've been to there's at least one or two guys who can barely shuffle, one guy who gets so drunk/stoned I question if the deck even gets shuffled, etc.

In terms of noise it's not quiet. But it's not so loud that it hampers conversation, listening to music, or watching something in the background. I have mine mounted in my table which helps a bit with the noise. I wish they designed it with a heavier dense door to absorb the noise. But it's just a thin piece of plastic.

I took apart one of my shufflers and lined the interior with dynamat. It didn't really curb the noise that much since most of the noise comes from the top. I lined the underside of the door as well and that helped a bit.

 

[johnnycnote]

In terms of hands per hour of a shuffletech vs 2 deck system, it's probably identical... assuming ideal circumstances in each case.

In the ideal instance of the shuffletech, that means a dedicated dealer. Having a rotating dealer will slow things down for sure.

In the ideal instance of a 2 deck system, that assumes every person is a competent shuffler and everyone is actually paying attention. Which is super questionable from my experience. Every home game I've been to there's at least one or two guys who can barely shuffle, one guy who gets so drunk/stoned I question if the deck even gets shuffled, etc.

In terms of noise it's not quiet. But it's not so loud that it hampers conversation, listening to music, or watching something in the background. I have mine mounted in my table which helps a bit with the noise. I wish they designed it with a heavier dense door to absorb the noise. But it's just a thin piece of plastic.

I took apart one of my shufflers and lined the interior with dynamat. It didn't really curb the noise that much since most of the noise comes from the top. I lined the underside of the door as well and that helped a bit.

You just saved me a bunch of typing! The only thing I would add is that we average maybe two jams per game and it takes maybe 20 secs to get back to business. Keeping it clean and only using Copaqs helps

 

[apchipper]

In terms of hands per hour of a shuffletech vs 2 deck system, it's probably identical... assuming ideal circumstances in each case.

Is the shuffletech so fast that it's not worth using two decks with it?

 

[upNdown]

Is the shuffletech so fast that it's not worth using two decks with it?

No. It takes about 30 seconds to do a 3-shuffle shuffle. (Which is about 3x as long as a halfway decent human)

 

[2Chips1chair]

@swana @2Chips1chair - you guys said it sped up your game. Can I assume you were only using one deck? Because using a two-deck system, I have a hard time seeing how an auto shuffler saves any time. In both cases, there should be a fresh deck ready to go as soon as the hand is over.

We've always used two decks, but due to poor/slow shuffles it took forever and we'd often go 20-30s without any play at least once per orbit. . Not to mention if the person who should be shuffler also won a pot and was busy collecting/stacking chips. One of the guys that plays with us use to be a pro dealer and he was impressed by how fast/well the machine did.
I did hate having to organize the cards and run the machine myself. This last game I had everyone make the decks right, they are handed back stacked and either myself or the other guy next to the shuffler will drop it in. Now the only break at all is if there was a misdeal and the shuffler hasnt finished yet. I cant state enough how much i love not having to shuffle and the guarantee that it is randomized.

 

[2Chips1chair]

No. It takes about 30 seconds to do a 3-shuffle shuffle. (Which is about 3x as long as a halfway decent human)

You must be playing with some hard core dealers if they can consistently do 10s 3-shuffles. I timed my machine when i first got it and it was 26s, it takes me about 15s not including the pass backwards for the cut and forwards to get it to the dealer and I probably have the 2nd best shuffle in our group. The best was a professional dealer

To the other guy asking about longevity, I'm not expecting 10 years out of the machine, even though others I know have gotten 10 years. If I get 5 years at approximately 30 games/year it'll cost me roughly $5/game to have the shuffler. It was a group buy so my players helped pitch in for it so itll end up costing each of us less then $1/game

 

[lib]

To the other guy asking about longevity, I'm not expecting 10 years out of the machine, even though others I know have gotten 10 years. If I get 5 years at approximately 30 games/year it'll cost me roughly $5/game to have the shuffler. It was a group buy so my players helped pitch in for it so itll end up costing each of us less then $1/game

@rakrul has a ST-1000 from 2008 that's still going strong.

 

[Rakrul]

Well, strong is a bit of an exaggeration as it does need some minor "adjustments" now and then. I also got some spare parts from ShuffleTech to help it keep going.