Casino Grade Automatic Card Shufflers (1 Viewer)

[zip99]

Hello everyone, why is it that automatic card shufflers like those that you would find in the poker room of a casino are so expensive? Is it that there is a standard of randomness and security that makes it so costly, or perhaps that they simply aren't meant for the home poker market? Surprised that the technology or demand hasn't warranted someone to offer a somewhat reasonably priced automatic card shuffler that could be mounted in a table. Any explanation?

 

[tabletalker7]

ShuffleTech ST-1000. Buyer beware - a lot of people who bought that thing said it was horrible.

 

[GenghisKhan]

Search on this site for Shuffletech.
Instead of 8 to 15 thousand like Shufflemaster, they're more around the $600 range I believe.

Lots of negative reviews, although I've read a lot more positive reviews here recently.

 

[stevea]

Shuffle tech is about the best for home game that’s out. It can be mounted in the table. It’s not bad, but not as good as the casino shufflers. I’ve never seen a casino shuffler jam. It’s quite a bit louder though and will jam some if you don’t do regular maintenance on it. You also need to use cards that work better in it (Stuff/textured/poker size) usually work best.

 

[zip99]

Search on this site for Shuffletech.
Instead of 8 to 15 thousand like Shufflemaster, they're more around the $600 range I believe.

Lots of negative reviews, although I've read a lot more positive reviews here recently.

What about a Shufflemaster makes it cost thousands of dollars? How is the $10,000 price tag justified?

 

[stevea]

Silent and dependable! I know the way it shuffles is different than the way shuffletech shuffles. It’s more like sorting cards randomly than a traditional shuffle I think. There’s a couple people in here that have one if you can find them you can ask if it’s worth the price.

 

[zip99]

I think perhaps I am underestimating the complexity and mechanical intricacy of a casino grade automatic shuffler. I just can't help but scratch my head and wonder how a black box that you stick cards in is possibly $10,000. Thanks all for your responses.

 

[sheikh617]

ShuffleTech ST-1000. Buyer beware - a lot of people who bought that thing said it was horrible.

I honestly, LOVE mine. I'm sure I'll need service one day and itll be an expensive paper weight. But the thing has earned its weight already.

 

[tabletalker7]

I think perhaps I am underestimating the complexity and mechanical intricacy of a casino grade automatic shuffler. I just can't help but scratch my head and wonder how a black box that you stick cards in is possibly $10,000. Thanks all for your responses.

I want you to read up on everything these shufflers can do. There is a lot of hardware and software that goes into these things! You make it sound like you are spending a ton of money on a pinto. Trust me they are big time man, and well worth every penny.

 

[zip99]

I want you to read up on everything these shufflers can do. There is a lot of hardware and software that goes into these things! You make it sound like you are spending a ton of money on a pinto. Trust me they are big time man, and well worth every penny.

Will do! Now I'm intrigued by these shufflers, going to read up on them!

 

[Amish Rabbi]

I think perhaps I am underestimating the complexity and mechanical intricacy of a casino grade automatic shuffler. I just can't help but scratch my head and wonder how a black box that you stick cards in is possibly $10,000. Thanks all for your responses.

You have to think about how many times per day they are built to be used and how small the items are that they need to separate then combine.

You have a machine that is made to be used several 100 times per day (minimum) and not need to be serviced every day. On top of that, it has a ton of small parts in it, so now it needs small very tough parts and you need to guarantee to very big companies that it works perfectly every time, 10k-20k in a row.

And it can’t leave any marks on the small paper bits it is manipulating.

I would not want to give my boss a timeline on the project of designing one if he came to me and asked that’s for sure

 

[justsomedude]

There's a guy from Florida on eBay who sells used/reconditioned Shuffle Masters...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/One-Deckma...310557?hash=item42035da61d:g:t38AAOSwImRaZk7p

I've messaged him a few times. He also services them if you ever have an issue.

He's also willing to negotiate. I got him down to $4,800 on a unit before I walked away. Nothing wrong with him or the deal, I just decided $5k was too much for a shuffler.

 

[Outkicked]

I bought a shuffle tech just last week after about two years of research, if you use the poker size deck of cards it will run the best with no jamming through 25 shuffles, the bridge decks jammed only 4 times of the 25 shuffles but the shuffle tech will auto correct itself and keep shuffling. Using brand new cards is the absolute best, the shuffle tech is great for home games, it does not have the randomness as the casino style but it’s more relatable to the average person shuffling cards, a simple cut of the deck once it’s done shuffling always works best definitely speeds up home games 10 fold and overall I would give it 4.8/5

 

[Coyote]

Search on this site for Shuffletech.
Instead of 8 to 15 thousand like Shufflemaster, they're more around the $600 range I believe.

Lots of negative reviews, although I've read a lot more positive reviews here recently.

1000 Euros or $1,100 for Shuffletech here in Greece; with unknown after-sales service. If your table isn't huge, you 've got to have a dedicated little coffee table on wheels to install this thing, too. That's why I haven't made the move.

 

[johnnycnote]

I bought a shuffle tech just last week after about two years of research, if you use the poker size deck of cards it will run the best with no jamming through 25 shuffles, the bridge decks jammed only 4 times of the 25 shuffles but the shuffle tech will auto correct itself and keep shuffling. Using brand new cards is the absolute best, the shuffle tech is great for home games, it does not have the randomness as the casino style but it’s more relatable to the average person shuffling cards, a simple cut of the deck once it’s done shuffling always works best definitely speeds up home games 10 fold and overall I would give it 4.8/5

Any updates on your ShuffleTech? Curios to know how it's holding up for you

 

[sheikh617]

Any updates on your ShuffleTech? Curios to know how it's holding up for you

I've had mine since June now. Only one fatal jam since my ownership. This means that I had to assist with unjamming the card and do a hard reset of the shuffler to return all the gears/mechs to the default positioning. It's really easy to do so it's not a big deal. Aside from that I just keep the rollers clean and I air dust the inside every couple games. Mine is holding up great and it's possibly my favorite addition. I'd buy a second one if this one stopped working lol.

 

[Outkicked]

Running perfectly! Have used it a handful of times and no issues at all, worth every penny!

 

[Dix]

For the questions on here about how the Shufflemaster (& the like) work and/or why they're so expensive.... here's the drill (yes, I'm getting old & it was over a decade ago it was all explained/demonstrated to me... but, anyway.... as memory may, or may not, serve...)

The simple Shuffletech performing your standard "riffle" simply cuts the deck in two (approximately, it's no where near perfect), & then fires those two halves toward each other into a central tray. (you can watch one work on YouTube... do a search). Not only is it not perfect, it's rather dumb as well. It has no idea WHAT it's shuffling. Could be a Pinochle deck. Could even be baseball cards for all it knows.

Shufflemaster has a lot more going on... it is, you might say, a "smart" shuffler.

First thing it does is verify that all 52 cards are present. & not just by counting the number of cards, it scans each card to verify that each one of all 52 unique cards are present.

That test passed, it then proceeds to "shuffle" the deck.

You may wonder why I put the word shuffle in quotes. Well, before I explain that part I want all of you conspiracy theorists who swear online poker is rigged and live poker can't be to exit this topic right now.... if not, you proceed at your own risk... don't say I didn't warn you.

The "shuffling" process is (yes, really) much like online poker. The shuffler gets a "random order" for the deck via a built-in random number generator. It then sorts the deck into that predetermined "random" order.

Think all that can be done with just 600 bucks worth of parts & technology? Obvious answer.... nyet.

Not to mention that we here in recreational poker land can put up with the occasional jam or two per hour. A Casino isn't likely to be as tolerant.

Also these things have to be built to work at a near a constant duty cycle, even up to 24 hours a day maybe. Not a schedule your average Shuffletech is going to ever need to come anywhere close to.

Now think about what might be some of the costs you don't see. Like proving your RNG is truly "random" so as to get it approved by various gaming commissions & whatnot. Patent red tape, R&D, replacement units & parts on hand & ready to go, etc. Remember, you're dealing in the world of professional gaming now. Not weekend games in man-caves. That's a whole different altitude to be flying in. Having a table out of commission with a big hole in it while the shuffler gets sent out for repair isn't going to fly. So, some sort of regional support network is going to need to be in order at minimum.

And all those costs are just from looking down the rabbit hole from the surface.

10 grand?.... yea, I can see it getting there.