A Thought For The WSOP - Automatic Shufflers!!!!

scottc25 · #1 05-21-2006, 06:06 PM

I realize they spend about $100 for the tables they use but wouldn't automatic shufflers make sense? The early $1500 events with 60 minutes would kick out a few more hands an hour.

Plus it would be a huge help for the satellite events when its 15 minute levels?

If you want to keep them out of the big buy-in events that's fine.

What does everyone think?

poker327 · #2 05-21-2006, 06:26 PM

How would this make Harrahs anymore money? That is the bottom line.

LLKOOLK1 · #3 05-21-2006, 06:27 PM

I think the cost would make it unlikley. I dont think they care how many hands we see. As for the shufflers, I think it might take that group of dealers longer to use these machines than just to shuffle normally. I have heard that it takes a couple of weeks for dealers to get these machines down pat and use them efficently. Not a bad idea, I just doubt it will happen
-LL

Philuva · #4 05-21-2006, 06:47 PM

I can't believe they don't use auto shufflers or two dealers for final tables. It is in the best interest of the players and filming to get as many hands per hour as possible.

DDH · #5 05-21-2006, 06:59 PM

The amount of time it saves would be lost in the time taken up by people calling for new set ups and manual shuffles because they aren't getting the right cards.

BiNgOsHaDo · #6 05-21-2006, 07:53 PM

[ QUOTE ]
The amount of time it saves would be lost in the time taken up by people calling for new set ups and manual shuffles because they aren't getting the right cards.

[/ QUOTE ]

The right cards? As if somehow the machine shuffles and gives them the wrong ones?

However, the real reason for not using the automatic shufflers in a lare tournament is cost. You see, casinos dont actually own the machines themselves, they lease them from a company. Now, on average, leases are longer than 2 months. But for the sake of the arguement, we'll assume that you COULD get a two month lease for all the shufflers you would need. Now, how many do we need? Well, assuming you had 250 tables (roughly what they had in the Rio during WSOP) you would need 250. So, you have to pay for 250 shufflers. Now, how much are they? Well most smaller casinos are paying in the realm of $750 a month for these in WA state, but we'll assume that, because of the large amount of shufflers you are asking for, you can get them for the super low price of $300/month. Now, you obviously need them for two months, so each individual shuffler costs $600. Multiply that by the amount of them we need, and you get ($600 x 250) $150,000. But wait! Theres more. Now we need to install all of these shufflers into the tables, which means cutting into all the tables you already have, and fitting them. Not only that, but you have to set up power strips for each row to power all of them, and assuming you did it dirt cheap, we'll say you did all of that for $25,000.

So you have a $175,000 bill. And you are increasing the hands per hour for the player, but the television coverage wont change, and the tournament would still last a week. Seems to me like that cost would get put on the players. You know, like increasing the rake (again) and I dont know any player that wants that.

Seems like a waste of money to me.

But maybe, just maybe, you could set it up so that the last 10 or so tables had one. That might make sense, especially in WPT tournaments where the rounds are shorter and the blinds increased more often. But thats a different arguement.

teamdonkey · #7 05-21-2006, 08:26 PM

automatic shuffler on amazon for $20

there are others for $10, the one linked above works on batteries. There's gotta be better options than leasing them for 2 months at $600 a peice.

As for benefits: more hands/hour means more play, they could shorten blind levels and maybe cut the tourney down to 6 days instead of 7 while getting the same number of hands in. This will become a much bigger deal as the tourney keeps getting larger every year.

pokergrader · #8 05-21-2006, 08:40 PM

[ QUOTE ]
automatic shuffler on amazon for $20

there are others for $10, the one linked above works on batteries. There's gotta be better options than leasing them for 2 months at $600 a peice.

As for benefits: more hands/hour means more play, they could shorten blind levels and maybe cut the tourney down to 6 days instead of 7 while getting the same number of hands in. This will become a much bigger deal as the tourney keeps getting larger every year.

[/ QUOTE ]

Casino Quality >>>>>>>>>>>>&g t;>>>>> Consumer Quality

This is the same reason the military doesn't use Honda Civics on the battlefield. Sure, they are automobiles, but they aren't nearly in the same class of a humvee.

BiNgOsHaDo · #9 05-21-2006, 08:52 PM

These are what casinos are using in WA state. You may also recognize them from Poker Superstars.

tom10167 · #10 05-21-2006, 09:20 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I have heard that it takes a couple of weeks for dealers to get these machines down pat and use them efficently. Not a bad idea, I just doubt it will happen
-LL

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't know where you heard that but I have no idea how it's true.

There are two buttons on the machine, a green one and a red one. Push the green button and the shuffler opens, put the deck on the table in, take the deck in the shuffler out.

The end.