Ryecraft is selling used DM1 for 6k and DM2 for 12k

I really want an autoshuffler. However that is a shitload of money, so just curious if anyone would have opinions if it might be justifiable, or just hell no

I deal for 20 hours a week and would really not mind if I didn't have to hand shuffle anymore

With the DM1, you will still be hand shuffling a decent amount of the time because they are pretty slow. The DM2 are faster, but in my experience seem to jam a lot and/or chew up the cards.


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that sounds like a vote for no then

They say they have other models available (One2six. MD2 MD3 etc.) but I'd imagine Deckmate is condsidered top of the line, and always have heard about incessant technical difficulties

They break half the time at the casino even it seems lol

DM2 seem particularly sensitive to the type of cards and to being set up properly. In our room we started with Gemaco, which I've used before with DM1 without issues. The shufflers ripped them to shreds, so we switched to KEM which seemed to tolerate them better.

Deckmate sends in a guy to clean/adjust the machines on a schedule, not sure how often. Anyway - sometimes he does something to screw them up. Like, they'll all be jamming constantly until he comes back and fixes them. Once he gets it right they're great. Occasionally they will try to move two cards at once which results in a jam. It's easy to fix, but still a pain. Usually I can reach in and pull them back out from the top, but once in a while they make it too far into the mechanism. Getting them out requires pulling the machine, opening the cover, and digging them out. This usually destroys 1 or 2 cards.

Deckmate is the only brand I've ever seen in a legal room, it's hard to say if any other brand would actually perform better in heavy use.

Source: Have used DM1s and DM2s in a professional environment for over a dozen years.

You do not want to invest in one of these machines for personal use. They break down all the time. They need too much maintenance. Frankly, they're just over-engineered and fiddly pieces of equipment. They are worth it for professional places of business that can have a dedicated technician come in once a week or two to perform the essential maintenance. It is not worth messing with for a person in a private or semi-private dealing situation that it sounds like you are in.

For 20 hours a week just stick with what you got.

You should want the shuffler so you can deal out more hands and make more money, not so you "don't have to hand shuffle anymore".,.. you're a dealer right, that's what dealers do I dealt 8 decks of blackjack for 8 hours a day back in the day.

I agree with Quadstriker. Without a maintenance contract they're pretty much going to be useless. They need calibrating, maintenance, cleaning, etc.

There is the very real issue of wear and tear on your hands when you are shuffling all day every day for year after year. I once made a comment on the job about how these shufflers "are more trouble than they're worth" when a long time coworker turned me on the fact that they were probably saving us from carpel tunnel, etc. I hadn't considered it, but it's true.

Yeah but I’ll pull out my back from having to constantly pull and replace the dm2, especially now since I’m doing it around plexiglass


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Remember that hot cheerleader from high school? Well what did she look like at the 10 year reunion? Yikes!!

While it may sound awesome to be one of the few people who have one of these on their own table, IMO the joy will wear off quickly. And yes, you will need a good supply of 'nice' cards and probably the ability (or a friend) that feels comfortable taking the cover off and tinkering around inside the unit. GL

As someone who has hand shuffled for 8 years now, I can't imagine how much better I'd feel and how much more energy I'd have every day if I didn't have to hand shuffle every single hand.

Have you spoken to any techs to see what they would charge you for monthly visits to service the machine? Add that as a monthly expense going out. How does your P&L statement look now?

IMO not worth it. The extra rake you would take in would go back out in service fees.calls.

+1

Once a week in my room, we'd have the maintenance guy come in to fix the broken machines which piled up in the back office. I think about 5% or more of our machines needed fixing every week.

Also the difference between DM1 and DM2 is not worth $6,000.

I guess I'll be one of the few that says it is worth it. I was strongly opposed to a buddy who runs a raked game getting one. I was trying to look out for him and didn't want him to have such a big expense. I just couldn't see how he could justify it. Boy was I wrong. That things is absolutely great. I can see what everyone is saying in regards to maintenance but at the same time my question would be how often is it in use? He runs every two weeks and hasn't had any major issues yet (2 years). Does it occasionally jam? sure. Does it sometimes chew up cards? yeah. In regards to still having to hand deal because the deckmate1 is slow. I would say that rarely happens. Sure if there is a misdeal or someone gets a walk then yes. But it completes the cycle in about 50 seconds which is more than enough with the time it takes to deal and go a full orbit of preflop action. I won't go into the specifics of the rake it generated but it only took a couple of games before the thing had paid itself off. I will also say it makes his game run way smoother if his regular dealer needs to step away from the box. He or someone else helping him run can step in and still not miss a beat. Now the justification between a DM1 vs 2? Im not sure if you can justify the price difference based on the fact that its just faster. I know it has some additional features but none that seem to be worth that price for game play. Just my two cents.

I'll second that...

I have ALWAYS wanted a 'real-deal' ShuffleMaster Deck Mate, but could never justify the steep price. I bought the custom table, the pricy plastic playing cards, some slot machines and custom chips and all that was left was a good flush-mounted shuffler. I was one of the first (if not THE first) orders in Michigan to receive the Shuffle'Tech' machine with flush-mount kit all those years ago, but it doesn't hold a CANDLE to the ShuffleMaster.

The Shuffle'Tech' worked just 'o.k.'... It jammed a LOT and was really loud and annoying - people constantly made fun of the COW under the table (MOOOO.... MOOOOO.... MOOOOOOO.... all night long).

I waited and waited and finally found a used Deck Mate on eBay that was in pristine condition with service manual and reconditioned with new rollers and never looked back. FWIW, it DOES require that you set the unit up for the exact type and size of the cards you are using. I also took it apart and adjusted the brake roller just right and fabricated some shims for the grippers. It functions absolutely flawlessly. To this day it has never jammed. NOT ONCE. EVER. This device should last a lifetime mostly because I only host a handful of games per year.

I deal at the games I host and do not play in them or take a rake. We play cash games these days (no tournaments) and the shuffle is ALWAYS completed before we need it. Does it speed up play? Yeah, maybe a little, but not much. Will it EVER pay for itself? Not a chance in hell. Is it a novelty item that is the envy of anyone and everyone who comes over to play? You bet!

Just like in a 'news' article .. You just can't seem to get past the first two sentences and sometimes the meat is at the end. GL

My casino didn't even buy the autoshufflers, they rented them out. This was a pretty big casino too.

I thought that initially leasing to casinos was the only or at least primary way ShufflrMaster preferred to do biz. The small fees charged for every deck shuffled was a much better deal for them and saved the casino capex.

Yes, leasing used to be their standard business practice.

I think it’s worth getting. I would add that you shouldn’t get the cheaper one. There’s a reason there’s a 6k price differential. If anything you should be considering even better models that are MORE expensive. I have found that you get what you pay for in these situations. The cheaper one would be the worst option like calling. Raise or fold imo.

Degens. Just invest in some good cards and stop shuffling like a noob. Shuffling was the least strenuous part of my job.

The reason the casinos don't buy them is because leasing the units from shuffle master includes unlimited servicing. When these things are in a casino and running virtually 24/7 365 they do have issues. It's usually a quick call to the manufacturer who in turn has a tech out there to repair the machine or switch it out to a working unit.

I just bought one of these myself and am more than happy with it. I know the other 2+2 er in this thread who has one says he likes his too but doesn't think it speeds up game play. I would disagree with that and say i personally do think it speeds up game play considerably. Lots of good dealers think they can always beat the shuffler machine. They absolutely can shuffle faster than the machine. The point they always seem to overlook is the multi tasking the machines take on. Yes the shuffle takes about 45 seconds but that is done while the current hand is going on. It takes about two seconds from when the hand is complete and the cards are scooped and then straightened to then push the button, drop in the used deck and retrieve/cut the new deck before the first card is pitched.

To the cost of the machine, most probably can't justify it so like the other guy said you could chalk it up to a novelty item.

Update -

The Deckmate I bought still works flawlessly. After my initial setup, it has not needed any adjustments. Use plastic cards like KEM or Copag and keep in mind that they will need to be washed (soap and water) every 18-24 hours of play or they will fail to feed (people's oily hands are the culprit).
These are all over eBay - for anyone seriously contemplating the purchase, here are some key takeaways from my perspective having owned one -

Pros:

No need to hand shuffle
Counts for exactly 52 cards every cycle (this is my favorite feature)
Quieter and infinitely more reliable than the ShuffleTech
Single best overall product to ensure the integrity of the game
Adds novelty and prestige to the gameroom


Cons:

Price (DeckMate 1 shufflers are still running $4k+)
Service (when it breaks or needs belts/hardware - GOOD LUCK)


Just my 2¢

Tanagra, any advice on company to purchase from? All of the posts I see on eBay and from other casino surplus vendors seem sketchy at best. Descriptions are vague. So how did you know you were getting a quality used shuffler?

It is a lot of money.

I'm not convinced it really matters WHO you buy from, but as it's priced like a used car, you want to make sure it will be reliable for years to come. It is essential to take it apart so you can scrutinize the internals.

Things to looks for -

Dust-free and clean (especially the mainboard and fan filters)
No weird noises
No loose belts
No bad fan bearings
LCD works
All LCD pixels and main RED/GREEN lights work
RED/GREEN button springs are 'firm' and switches are 'responsive'
Rubber surrounds for buttons aren't brittle/worn/cracked

Having a new set of rollers installed is a big plus.

I vetted mine pretty well, asked a LOT of questions, and insisted on meeting the seller at a mutually agreed upon venue to THOROUGHLY and BRUTALLY stress-test the unit and learn exactly how it functions before committing. He agreed and I spent about an HOUR with him to test and learn. Paid cash and we parted ways. He gave me his phone number in case I have any issues, but to be honest, after an hour tinkering, I felt like I was more intimately familiar with how the internals work than he was.

I don't anticipate anything will fail in the near future - it gets VERY minimal use (probably 100 hours per year). I only have games every-other Saturday, during the winter months.

If I needed parts (belt/motor/sensor/fan/light assembly/PSU) or service I suppose I would try to get in touch with RyeParkGaming - they seem to be the ONLY place I could find who could help.

Oh, and there is a 5 digit numeric passcode you will need to access the maintenance portion of the software when powering it up.

Make SURE to have that...