[unclepat]

I was wondering if anybody used a card shuffler in their home games to speed the game up....(have one in the machine being shuffuled as the other one is in use) If you do use a machine where can I find competitive prices

If so does it cause any damage to Plastic cards at all ....or shorten the life of the cards. I use COPAG cards and I wouldn't consider using the machine if it causes damage to the cards.

I am trying to quicken the pace of my home game and thought this would help considerably

[pocket snowmen]

i dont use a shuffler at my game, so this may be totally false, but ive always heard that shufflers are more trouble than theyre worth, especially with plastic cards. Maybe someone else can confirm this. I cant really expand on this, but ill bet someone else can.

[KYBill]

The one time we used one it took to long for the shuffler to work. We stopped using it and went back to doing it by hand.

[Dan808]

agreed
i have never used one in our game, but i've had a shuffler for years (as a collector). i have to figure it would be way to much of a hassle. just teach everyone in your game to shuffle properly (and quickly), get em to practice for hours, and that's all you'll need.

[hachkc]

There are no automatic shufflers for the home market other than the $20 ones and they are more work than doing it by hand (separate the cards, load the cards, unload the cards, repeat).

As for speeding up the game, have 2 decks running. The person to the left of the dealer shuffle the next deck a head of time. When the hand is finished, the next deck is ready to go as soon as the old cards are picked up by the person to the left of the new dealer and the old dealer cuts the new deck.

[panthershutch15]

Don't waste your money...I found they actually slow the game down..

[yaw]

here's one of my replys to a similar topic on another board. i agree with what everyone else has said, this is yet another reason why they are a bad idea.

i would never play in a game that uses a cheap visible auto shuffler. unless you are 'washing' them before and/or after they come out, you are inviting a lot of cheating. if i can get a good idea where the cards from the previous hand are in the deck, i can bet the farm that someone else at the table has the same ability. then again, maybe not that many people pay attention during a shuffle?

[psy]

try rotating two decks normal shuffling. At the end of the hand the previous dealer scoops the cards, the new dealer starts dealing with the preshuffled deck, and the previous dealer shuffles the deck up during the current hand for the next dealer(the little blind)

You're not shuffling twice as much, but just shuffling at a more oppurtune time.

[unclepat]

Thanks for all your help guys.... I guess I'll save my money and take your suggestions of introducing a second deck into the game

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by unclepat

Thanks for all your help guys.... I guess I'll save my money and take your suggestions of introducing a second deck into the game

Yeah, we've been using two decks for quite a while now, and it speeds things up considerably. Of course, we do get new people occasionally that aren't use to this, and start shuffling the deck that's handed to them, when it's already been shuffled and cut ... all they had to do was start dealing!

And to also agree with everyone else ... card shufflers suck and are a waste of money.