What is that compartment on a poker table for that the dealer puts the cards into?
On shows like Poker After Dark, the table has a compartment that looks like it can hold two decks of cards. What is that for or what does it do?
3 Responses to “What is that compartment on a poker table for that the dealer puts the cards into?”
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July 14th, 2010 at 10:08 am
Auto shuffler. alot of casino tables have them.
edit: Gee in comparison to geno’s post mine feels small and insignificant
July 14th, 2010 at 10:30 am
That is an automatic shuffler – most are made by a company called ShuffleMaster. You are right, they usually hold 2 decks of cards because that way while one hand is being played, the other deck is being shuffled and will be ready to go when the current hand is over. It saves a lot of shuffling time between hands so it is a big favorite with poker players. Shufflemaster claims that its machine can take a brand new deck of cards and get a complete shuffle within 10 seconds or so. Dealers usually “riffle” the cards together (like a quick shuffle) before they are put in the machine, but that is really to just look like you are adding a safety measure to the machine – there is no need. Plus, if the cards do not shuffle correctly, the machine realizes this and a red light comes on to signal “incomplete shuffle”. Great device.
July 14th, 2010 at 10:30 am
geno gets the credit for best answer. I’ll just add that one of the extra benefits is that the little red light he mentioned also catches a deck with an extra card, or too few. If a player tried to cheat by holding out an ace between deals, this would be immediately detected. Most errors in building the deck will also be caught.