Q: A friend of mine works for a major Las Vegas strip casino. She told me that their properties changed to a new back with a “secure edge” that offers protection against edge sorting. Are you familiar with the design?
LDG: Yes, and I will only state that those claims are a complete falsehood. I recently had an expert read and sort these designs as fast as I could sort the cards face up after I purchased the decks in the gift shop. As it turns out, this particular design is as easy to sort as any other back!
Q: What about Stingers?
LDG: Unfortunately, the same misconceptions exist, and any perceived benefit from a faded border is simply untrue. Stingers are just as vulnerable as any other back in respect to manipulation, marked cards, and asymmetries. In fact, asymmetries on Stingers are generally easier to read than the common all-over back designs, and they can be read from greater distances.
Q: What about the card manufacturers; will the Shark Trap system expose them in any way?
LDG: Only to the extent that they won’t be able to misrepresent their manufacturing tolerances, or make false advertising claims about the safety of their back designs. If they tell you that their cutting and punching tolerances are 1/32″, for example, and they’re not, operators will quickly learn the truth. More importantly, as just stated, the Shark Trap system offers a foolproof solution for detecting all forms of exploitable asymmetries.
Q: I see on your website, www.sharktrap.com, the term “super shuffler” is introduced; what is a super shuffler?
LDG: A super shuffler is an automatic shuffling machine with extraordinary capabilities. In addition to detecting marked cards and asymmetries, it will also monitor normal card wear and tear and provide guidelines for changing decks based on scientific evaluations. Instead of blindly following the traditional scheduling mindset, whether it happens to be—single decks changed every hour or two, double decks changed every two hours, etc.—the Shark Trap shufflers will provide invaluable help with these decisions. A small indicator on the back of the machine will indicate when it’s scientifically warranted to change decks, or when there’s no scientific justification for changing decks.
And that’s just the beginning.
Q: How is this accomplished?
LDG: Through a variety of tests that monitor changes from new-deck condition to used-deck condition over different time periods. We can look at expanding card thicknesses, departures from new-deck flatness, contaminant build up, and other changes from new-deck condition.
Q: So the goal of providing deck-changing guidelines is to save money on card costs?
LDG: Yes; it’s our position that millions are lost annually from changing decks that are in perfectly good condition. Also, the savings in card costs will be even higher with Shark Trap’s no-batch shufflers.
Q: Except for continuous shufflers, all of today’s shufflers are batch shufflers that use two decks or two sets of decks in rotation, so how do no-batch shufflers work? Also, whether you change one deck every hour in a game dealt by hand, or two decks every two hours in a game with a batch shuffler, isn’t the cost to the operator still one deck per hour?
LDG: Yes, your basic comparison is true, but it takes twice as many decks to open up a game. If a club opens ten games on graveyard, for example, and gets little or no business, they’re wasting twice as many decks as they would with no-batch shufflers. Conversely, with steady play, it takes twice as long to change twice as many decks, so supervisors are preoccupied longer. When you put it all together, the Shark Trap platform can offer dramatic savings in card costs.
Q: Okay, how does a no-batch shuffler for six- and eight-deck games work? For example, how long does it take to shuffle eight decks for baccarat?
LDG: About 10 seconds.
Q: How is that possible?
LDG: We’re currently developing two multi-deck shufflers. The first has the capability to offer both traditional and continuous shuffling formats with the same machine. The second model, however, shuffles only enough cards to deal each complete round, repeating the process throughout the shoe. It’s particularly suited for blackjack and baccarat and is currently called Shark Trap’s Round-to-Round Multi-Deck Shuffler.
The shuffler works as follows. Assume the game is baccarat. With a partial dealing shoe as part of the shuffler, from 416 cards, we randomly select and shuffle only 8 cards to a post-shuffle bin and push these cards flush against the inside of the shoe’s faceplate. Without any additional shuffling, the shuffler is ready to deal the first round. The 8 cards account for a burn card, a maximum of 6 cards to complete a round, if necessary, and a ‘cover card’ so there’s always at least one card visible in the shoe’s dealing slot. As each round is dealt, the shuffler replenishes the buffer of cards held against the faceplate by the number of cards required to deal a complete round, repeating the process for each subsequent round until the cut-card is reached.
The ten-second shuffling time is required to load eight decks and to randomly select and shuffle the first 8 cards. Each subsequent round only requires 7 cards (no burn card), and there’s zero downtime between rounds—as each card is dealt, a randomly selected card is immediately shuffled and added to the buffer. The shuffler can handle all burn card and cut-card procedures.
Q: How does this shuffler compare to other shufflers?
LDG: One way to make a technical comparison is to look at electromechanical movements. Shuffle Master’s MD3—their third generation multi-deck shuffler—is currently the most popular multi-deck shuffler. For six decks, it requires 312 electromechanical roller movements to split the decks into two halves and another 312 movements to combine the halves with a pseudo riffle. But one riffle is not enough, so the process is repeated seven times, resulting in 4,368 movements (624 x 7). To complete the shuffle, a final step is required. The shuffled decks must be moved to a bin closest to the dealer, which occurs one card at a time, so add another 312 movements for a total of 4,680 electromechanical movements (4,368+312).
With ST’s method of shuffling (random-selection), only 312 movements are required. In other words, it takes Shuffle Master 15 times as many electromechanical movements to shuffle six decks of cards (4,680/312) as compared to ST’s shuffler. This is a savings of 4,368 movements (4,680-312), which in percentage form is a 93% saving (4,368/4,680= .9333).
When compared to ST’s Round-To-Round Shuffler where only 10 cards need to be randomly selected and shuffled before the deal can start, this is a staggering savings of 4,670 movements (4,680-10), which in percentage form is a 99.8% saving (4,670/4,680= .9978).
For a speed comparison, it takes about six minutes for the MD3 to shuffle and be ready to deal the first hand. Since it only takes about 10 seconds for ST’s Round-To-Round Shuffler to shuffle and be ready to deal, it can be stated that ST’s shuffler employs a method that’s approximately 36 times faster (360 secs/10secs).
Q: How many shufflers do you have?
LDG: Shark Trap has designed a complete line of super shufflers. In addition to the two multi-deck shufflers, there are also models for poker, one- and two-deck blackjack, and novelty games.
Q: How do the single and double-deck shuffle cards? How big are they? How fast? How random?
LDG: The Shark Trap shufflers are ‘random-selection’ shufflers, so they randomly select cards from 1-52, 1-51, 1-50, and so on. By comparison, Shuffle Master’s I-Deal is a ‘random-position’ shuffler that drives cards from the unshuffled deck into randomly selected slots in a carousel, but then needs an electromechanical action to dispense the cards into complete hands or decks. Random-selection shufflers don’t require a dispensing action because they shuffle and deal simultaneously. After three cards are randomly selected and shuffled forward in a game like three-card poker, the hand is ready to deal.
Regarding size, they will be the smallest shufflers ever developed. Our one-deck prototypes currently measure less than 400 cubic inches, versus Shuffle Master’s smallest shuffler, which measures about 1500 cubic inches, with many models approaching 3000 cubic inches and more. The Shark Trap shufflers will be as fast or faster than previous models and just as random, as we utilize only the very best GLI-approved RNG.
Q: When will these shufflers be available?
LDG: We are currently building alpha-production models for poker and novelty games, which we’ll have for the G2E. The 1-2 deck blackjack shuffler will follow shortly thereafter. We expect to have GLI-certified models ready for field tests by the end of the year, and commercial shufflers should be available in April 2018. Development of the multi-deck prototypes will begin after the show.
Q: I’m trying to wrap my head around the impact of such a system.
LDG: We believe the Shark Trap system will be a game changer in the way casinos operate and generate revenue from their table games. The impact will be dramatic. From a procedural standpoint, there will never be a reason to wash or scramble the decks, or to turn half the cards 180 degrees during the shuffle. If a face down version of a particular game is more popular and profitable, operators can safely deal these formats. From an evaluation standpoint, if a player inadvertently spins a card, or intentionally does so for superstitions reasons, operators will never have to worry about the motive behind the action. From a card cost standpoint, deck(s) can be changed based on science, not tradition. And from a security standpoint, the threat of many scams and strategies will become a thing of the past, including scams that target shufflers like ‘no-shuffle scams,’ the reintroduction of previously played slugs, switching cards, and more.
Q: What is the purpose of networking the shufflers?
LDG: There are several advantages. Networking enables us to image the backs of millions of cards to establish a normal range for comparisons purposes. We do not rely on a so-called ‘perfect card’ for comparisons, for the obvious reason that, when the perfect card is compromised, the system is compromised. All pertinent data is sent from the individual shufflers to a central server that can communicate with all shufflers. This approach not only eliminates false positives, but allows operators to make game-protection decisions on a single game based on the data collected from all games. When a server communicates with servers in sister casinos, dumping data once every 24 hours, networking can allow those same decisions to be made based on data collected from several casinos, no matter their locations.
Q: When will the complete system be available?
LDG: My best guess is late 2018. The Shark Trap poker, novelty-game, and combination 1-2 blackjack shufflers will be available early next year. The multi-deck shufflers will come next, and the Shark Trap detection technology will be fully developed and integrated into our shuffles by late 2018.
We’re still trying to optimize the marked card detection technology. We have built a proof-of-concept unit that allows us to feed cards through the system at shuffling speeds of one card per half-second that is already detecting various categories of marked cards, but it needs to be perfect before we’ll welcome the industry to take its best shot.
Shark Trap has formed alliances with the country’s premiere companies specializing in computer vision, software development, engineering and manufacturing. Our engineering partners, for example, have 120 research and development engineers on staff, most with backgrounds working for Hewlett PackardThese partners, along with our management team and consultants, will continue to forge ahead until the Shark Trap system becomes a reality. It’s just a question of time.
Q: How about pricing?
LDG: Expect to pay about the same prices as you would for today’s shufflers, only with more bang for the buck than you ever dreamed possible. Think about it; if I can offer you shufflers at the same price you’re currently paying, with the same commercial reliability or better, but with features that will lower card costs, increase productivity, provide protection against many strategies and scams, offer an invaluable deterrent factor, and much more, how can you say “no”?
Q: What do you mean by “deterrent factor”?
LDG: Once the word gets out about Shark Trap’s technical sophistication, scientific capability, and analytical prowess—and it will, purposely, via websites, lectures, consultants, and conferences—the mere presence of the platform’s logo on shufflers will stop any player or cheater from attempting any strategy or scam that targets the integrity of the playing card, as well as other scams. In short, casinos with the Shark Trap system will be protected from many strategies and scams, while those that lag behind will be targeted and become more vulnerable.
Q: Any closing thoughts?
LDG: Only that it’s important to understand that the Shark Trap system is much more than a shuffling machine, or a system that detects marked cards or asymmetries. It’s ground-breaking security platform for table games that will reduce card costs, increase productivity, avoid the false sense of security that often comes with time-consuming and ineffective countermeasures, offer unmatched protection against many strategies and scams, and provide an invaluable deterrent factor.
In summary, the Shark Trap system finally offers a commercially reliable and superior alternative to the current shuffler monopoly that truly addresses the needs and wishes of today’s operators.
