ShuffleTech automatic card shuffler review

[William]

Yessssss, I finally received my ShuffleTech machine, and here's my review of it:

The Package
It comes in a plain box. No printing or advertising what's inside it. I assume a more decorative box will come with the later models. The shuffler is well packaged in cardboard, with a plastic bag to keep it from getting damaged by the rough packing materials. There was no instruction manual, though you can download it from their website.

The adapter is a universal 6V adapter which can handle 100V~240V AC. With the adapter come 4 plug types which will fit almost all the outlets in the world. Fitting a different plug is a bit tricky, and took me a few minutes to figure out as no instructions are given, also not in the instruction manual available online.

The plugs included are:
- NEMA 1-15 (North American/Japanese 2-pin unearthed)
- CEE 7/16 (European 2-pin Europlug unearthed)
- BS 1363 (British 3-pin unearthed)
- AS 3112 (Australian/Chinese 2-pin unearthed)
see Wikipedia for more information.

The Flush Mounting Kit
The FMK is supplied with all the bits and pieces necessary. It also came in a plain brown cardboard box, and this one did come with instructions and a paper template.

The Mechanics
The mechanics of the riffle are as follows:
- The bottom half of the deck is stripped to the left, the other half to the right (the cut).
- The center tray is then moved down and both halves are then simultaneously stripped into the center tray (the riffle).
- The center tray is moved up, and the next riffle or strip cycle begins.
The riffle mechanics are identical to a manual riffle.

The mechanics of the strip are:
- The deck is stripped in 6 sections: left-right-left-right-left-right (the strip).
- The center tray is then moved down and the right half is fully stripped into the middle, followed by the left half.
- The center tray is moved up, and the next riffle cycle begins.
The strip mechanics are different from a manual strip. Assuming the order of a 6 strip starts with 1-2-3-4-5-6, a manual strip will result in 6-5-4-3-2-1, the shuffler's strip ends up with 2-4-6-1-3-5.

Clearing jams:
- When a Jam occurs while cutting the deck from the center tray, the shuffler will commence a third cut.
- When a Jam occurs when stripping the two halves back into the center tray, the shuffler will move the rollers on both sides back and forth until the jam is cleared. If the shuffler is unable to clear the jam it shuts down and a red light will blink.

The Performance
I decided to test it out right away. Put both of the decks of Copag 1546 (poker size) decks, which were supplied with the shuffler, in there and performed a 3 riffle shuffle (2 riffles, strip, 1 riffle) on both.

The order of both decks were as follows when they entered the shuffler (order when facing up):

 
 
 
 

The first deck came out in the following order:

 
 
 
 

The shuffler jammed once during the first riffle, but managed to clear itself automatically, and once during the third riffle when it needed a little help.

The second deck came out in the following order:

 
 
 
 

The shuffler jammed once during the second riffle and needed a little help to keep going.

While the cards seem like they shuffled quite well and randomly at first sight, you can still see a decreasing trend in the card values by suit. The noise of the shuffler is very noticeable, but not bothersome. The shuffler was on the table top (folding table) during the shuffle. I noticed only a slight vibration in the table when the machine cuts the deck.

Next I performed a 7 riffle shuffle (2 riffles, strip, 5 riffles) on both decks after reorganizing the cards as noted above.

The first deck came out as follows:

 
 
 
 

The shuffler jammed on the second riffle, but managed to recover by itself, and again on the seventh riffle when it needed a little help.

The second deck had the following order:

 
 
 
 

The shuffler jammed on the fifth riffle and needed help to continue.

As you can see the randomization is much better on the 7 riffle shuffle, no discernable pattern anymore. The shuffler didn't manage a complete shuffle on it's own once in the four runs I did.

I tested a 7 riffle with a deck of Casino KEM Selects (Bridge Size, slightly thicker than the Copags). The machine jammed up so badly I had to reach in and take cards out. I reset the shuffler by pressing the 3 & 7 button at the same time and the deck was ejected (I had it set to table mount so the cards were always ejected through the top). I retried the 7 riffle, and this time it went off without any problems.

A 7 riffle with a deck of pre-USPC Casino KEMs (Bride Size, slightly thinner than the Copags): The shuffler didn't jam.
A 7 riffle with a deck of USPC KEMs (Poker Size, slight thinner than the Copags): The shuffler didn't jam.
A 7 riffle with a new deck of plasticized Bicycle Rider Backs (Poker size, same thickness as the Copags): The shuffler jammed 3 times.

[edit]
The jams only occur during the riffles. The cause of the jams turned out to be a bit of excess flash rubber that was slowing down one of the ejection wheels. After a quick response from Shuffletech's Rick Schultz with the solution the shuffler worked beautifully and didn't jam again on 10 consecutive 7-riffle shuffles. A few miss-riffles still occured, but the shuffler recovered easily.
[/edit]

The pros and cons (without having put the shuffler into action in a game)
+ It's a very cool gadget, and when it's flush mounted it will make your table even cooler.
+ The machine doesn't create a great deal of vibration, and looks great.
+ The mechanics are done extremely well, and are unmatched by any other shuffler avialable. (Except the Shufflemaster perhaps, but I haven't had a chance to test that one out.
+ The 7 riffle shuffle truly randomizes the cards, but also with a three riffle shuffle the shuffle is random enough not to be able to predict with any certainty who gets which cards.
+ Dealer mechanics are ruled out. There's no way to stack a deck in your favor when using the shuffler.
+ The cards showed no signs of damage or wear after the shuffles, though I only performed a few shuffles. Extended use might leave traces where the rollers touch the cards. The wear should be uniform however, and only on the face sides of the cards.
+ Early jams were quickly solved with a quick response from the manufacturer. The shuffler hardly ever jammed since.

- No instruction manual. Though the shuffler operates pretty straight foward, an instruction manual is a necessity. I assume this will be included with the next generation, or they simply forgot to include one with mine. You can download a very thorough manual from the Shuffletech website with operating, maintenance and troubleshooting instructions.
- The shuffler is unsuitable for paper (plasticized) cards, but if you can afford this shuffler, you can afford decent cards. Besides, the shuffler comes with a complementary Copag 1546 setup.
- The sound level is reasonably high, though I doubt it would interfere during a game.

[Martini]

I'm interested in getting one but the noise and jamming reports are making me hesitant. I know there is a 30 day MBG but I can see myself just settling for a product that I'm not completely satisfied with after I spend the time to set it up in an enclosure. Could you update us with a report with how it fared after you first use it on a poker night?

And could you explain the nature of the jam? It sounds like you're saying that it's not so much of a jam where cards run into each other (as I would have guessed) but rather a question of the rollers not being able to create enough contact with the cards to move them into the center tray? And I couldn't tell from your description but is it a problem with the cards getting crooked and that's why they won't move to the middle? Would it help to angle the unit to help keep one of the short edges of the cards in contact with the wall of the tray so that they stay perpendicular to the walls?

Thanks for the very comprehensive review, even taking the time to list the order of the cards! Feedback like this helps everyone involved so keep up the reporting. Also, how long did it take for your order to arrive after you ordered it?

[OldWestGambler]

great review.

Much more jamming than I have experienced.

@ Martini:
The jams are less like jams you might experience in a printer where the card or paper gets caught in the mechanisms. It seems like the rollers may stall because of the sticking of cards together so that the rollers are not able to push the cards through. Hence, adding a little tap or push with the tip of your finger seems to be enough to clear the "jam". that's my take on it. William may have another opinion and I will try and contact Rick next week to get his take on it.

I have been told by Rick that jamming has been less of a problem with the newer machines and that they are now shipping orders within a matter of days. I have yet to hear that this is a case from anyone.

As soon as I complete the revision of my company's site we will be featuring these shufflers and I am hoping to get a lot more feedback from customers.

[Martini]

great review.

Much more jamming than I have experienced.

@ Martini:
The jams are less like jams you might experience in a printer where the card or paper gets caught in the mechanisms. It seems like the rollers may stall because of the sticking of cards together so that the rollers are not able to push the cards through. Hence, adding a little tap or push with the tip of your finger seems to be enough to clear the "jam". that's my take on it. William may have another opinion and I will try and contact Rick next week to get his take on it.

I have been told by Rick that jamming has been less of a problem with the newer machines and that they are now shipping orders within a matter of days. I have yet to hear that this is a case from anyone.

As soon as I complete the revision of my company's site we will be featuring these shufflers and I am hoping to get a lot more feedback from customers.

Thanks for the info OWG. Despite the extended delay it appears that Shuffletech is a fairly stand up company. As I recall they comped the pre-orders due to the delay (is that right?). Do you know if they have any policy in place for current customers who have a unit of a previous generation? Like an upgrade path where they could send back their unit and have the guts upgraded or something like that? Sounds like at this point one would want to make sure they get the 1.5th generation units instead of the first ones out the door.

At this point I really don't see how I could *not* buy one of these things. I would hardly be called an early adopter (just got my first iPod last month) so I haven't put in an order yet. But I appreciate all of the input you've given on the matter and when i do order it I will definitely be going through Old West Games for the purchase.

Thanks.

[William]

@ Martini:
The jams are less like jams you might experience in a printer where the card or paper gets caught in the mechanisms. It seems like the rollers may stall because of the sticking of cards together so that the rollers are not able to push the cards through. Hence, adding a little tap or push with the tip of your finger seems to be enough to clear the "jam". that's my take on it. William may have another opinion and I will try and contact Rick next week to get his take on it.

All cards used were straight as an arrow. The jams the machine can't solve by itself are the jams where one card isn't ejected into the center tray completely, and the stack becomes crooked. This lifts the cards off of the rollers and you need to apply a little pressure on top of the cards in the side trays to help the machine out, as OWG mentioned.

I performed all shuffles with the lid open (so it doesn't have to be shut to perform the shuffle), and as soon as I heard the rollers hitting nothing but air I stuck my hand in the machine . I didn't feel there was any point in letting the ShuffleTech try and work it out by itself at that point. This also prevented me from having to reset the machine every time it happened.

I'm having a game on the November 28th, and I will be putting it into action then. I will not be building it into my table yet because I'm afraid I'll screw it up. An uncle of mine is a carpenter, I'll see if he can help me with it if I still like it enough after the game .

[William]

I ran the shuffler some more, and the jams seemed to become more and more frequent. I asked ShuffleTech for help.

Rick Schultz from ShuffleTech was quick to respond to my issue with the shuffler jamming almost every time, saying that it should, on a 3 riffle shuffle, really should jam no more than 1 in 1000 times.

His suggestions were to check the position of the tray diverters (which were in the correct position), and to cut a few millimeters off of a rubber blocker. There turned out to be a little flash on the rubber that might be slowing down the wheels of the left tray, causing it to jam. I cut off the excess rubber and lo an behold. On the 10 consecutive 7-riffle runs the shuffler didn't need intervening a single time. There were a few minor misses during the riffles, but the shuffler recovered from those with ease.

I changed the original review to reflect the performance of the shuffler now.

[Martini]

Excellent news. That's the kind of follow up resolution that is just about best case scenario. Quick response from the manufacturer, simple resolution, user serviceable.

[HarveyWallbanger]

that is cool.  i really want to like this product, but a couple reviews i read were making it difficult.

very glad to hear about the great communication from the company and the easy fix! 

[TheDuke]

I ran the shuffler some more, and the jams seemed to become more and more frequent. I asked ShuffleTech for help.

Rick Schultz from ShuffleTech was quick to respond to my issue with the shuffler jamming almost every time, saying that it should, on a 3 riffle shuffle, really should jam no more than 1 in 1000 times.

His suggestions were to check the position of the tray diverters (which were in the correct position), and to cut a few millimeters off of a rubber blocker. There turned out to be a little flash on the rubber that might be slowing down the wheels of the left tray, causing it to jam. I cut off the excess rubber and lo an behold. On the 10 consecutive 7-riffle runs the shuffler didn't need intervening a single time. There were a few minor misses during the riffles, but the shuffler recovered from those with ease.

I changed the original review to reflect the performance of the shuffler now.

Could you elaborate a little more when you say 'a little flash on the rubber'?  Do you have any pictures?

Mine jams up alot more than 1 in 1000.  Recently it has become closer to 1 in 5.

[William]

Sorry, don't have any pictures, but I can point you in the right direction as Rick did with me.

Push the center tray all the way down. (It will click when you force it down, but that's ok).
Underneath the white wheel on the left hand side you see a bit of rubber which is not on the right hand side (because that's where the cards get ejected into the collection tray).

This piece of rubber might have some flash molding on there, or be a little too high. Use a sharp knife, like an exacto knife or scalpel, to trim it down by a few millimeters. Don't remove it completely because it helps prevent the cards from bouncing up.

[TheDuke]

Sorry, don't have any pictures, but I can point you in the right direction as Rick did with me.

Push the center tray all the way down. (It will click when you force it down, but that's ok).
Underneath the white wheel on the left hand side you see a bit of rubber which is not on the right hand side (because that's where the cards get ejected into the collection tray).

This piece of rubber might have some flash molding on there, or be a little too high. Use a sharp knife, like an exacto knife or scalpel, to trim it down by a few millimeters. Don't remove it completely because it helps prevent the cards from bouncing up.

Cool, thanks!

I took a look at it - the rubber piece is about 1 millimeter from the wheel.  Mind if I ask how much clearance did you cut away for yours?  thanks!

[William]

I think it's about 3mm now. That should be plenty.

[William]

I used the shuffler in the tournament last friday, but only briefly.

The shuffler works remarkably well with poker size Copag cards, but jams frequently with the thicker, bridge size KEM Casino Select cards which also aren't as slick as the Copags.

While the argument could be made to just play with Copags then, I find they are too slippery for my taste, and the wider size puts too much strain on my hands and fingers when I'm dealing for 6 hours (even though I've got pretty big hands).

Also, shuffling the cards myself was quicker, less of a hassle, and good practice .

So we reverted back to the Bridge sized KEMs, which the other players preferred as well, and opted not to use the shuffler in the tournament.

I don't regret buying it though. I will put it by the second table where I'm not dealing, so others can use it who aren't as proficient in shuffling as I am. If, however, you are a reasonably experienced dealer playing a single table game, it's probably not worth spending all that money on.

It's a gadget, and a cool gadget at that. But for me personally it's not that useful.

[doc]

well, william, should the shuffletech become a dust catcher, let me know.  our cash group has been discussing the purchase of one for the group. 

doc