Shuffle Master Slot Machines
Shuffle Master/SHFL Entertainment is an established table game and electronic terminal manufacturer. It has years of experience in developing Electronic Table Systems (e-Tables) for casinos as well as innovating baccarat, craps and Pai Gow to allow casinos to introduce side bets.
It now forms part of the SG Gaming giant, along with many established slots and online gaming brands. However, its range of leading casino products makes Shuffle Master stand out from the crowd. Let's take a peek at what Shuffle Master offers the punter in 2017.
About Shuffle Master: The Casino Games Pioneer
Shuffle Master has a history entrenched in the 1970s MIT card-counting scandals. Back in the day, card counters were able to take advantage of weak dealers who weren’t shuffling the cards well enough.
John Breeding spotted the need for a mechanised approach, and designed one of the first card shufflers to be used in Vegas casinos. Shuffle Master's first machines handled one deck at a time, and even a single-deck game - Let It Ride - was invented to take advantage.
Setting up HQ in Sin City, Shuffle Master moved into slot machines, partnering up with established players in the 1990s like IGT. Around the late 1990s and early 2000s, Shuffle Master continued to developer new table games of its own and bought up smaller casino developers like BET Technology.
One of Shuffle Master's star buyouts was Stargames Ltd, which produced one of the first electronic roulette terminals, used in conjunction with a real-life physical wheel which decided bets. The company moved into online poker briefly by purchasing the Ongame Network.
Shuffle Master, which had enjoyed one of the strongest monopolies in card shufflers, was spreading its wings. However, in 2013 - by which time the gaming firm was known as SHFL Entertainment - it was bought out by Bally Technologies for $1.3 billion. A year later Bally itself was the subject of a $3.3 billion buy-out by SG Gaming (Scientific Games). SHFL Entertainment now finds itself under the same umbrella as leaders in the industry like WMS Gaming, Barcrest, and Bally.
Free to Play Shuffle Master Slot Machine Games
Shufflers and Casino Equipment
Shuffle Master designs and develops shufflers and innovative tech for poker and table games in land-based casinos. Multi-deck shufflers are Shuffle Master's bread-and-butter and allow for super-speedy gaming for players and casinos.
With casino poker rooms doing a roaring trade, the QikTable allows casinos to assign 'shot clocks' to each poker player in a cardroom to keep the action moving. The developer also supplies the latest roulette chip distributors to casinos, as well as specialty card shufflers in keeping with its long history.
Popular Shuffle Master Games
While Shuffle Master started out with basic card shufflers (and continues to, with new designs like the DeckMate2), the company has moved into designing whole new table games. If you've hit a Vegas casino in the last 10 years you'll have probably seen an electronic card shuffler and may have even placed a bet on a SHFL table. Let's look at some of the manufacturer's babies.
Table Games & Side Bets
Shuffle Master provides table games to many of the leading casinos in the US. Many have exciting side bets for the sick punters who like to enjoy an added wager.
Baccarat: Baccarat side bets include the Dragon Bonus which pays out more depending on the margin of winning points between the winner (Player or Banker) and loser. The OneUp! Bet pays out when a hand wins by 1, or wins 1 to 0.
Blackjack: Shuffle Master has developed a whole range of blackjack added bets which spice up the classic table game. Cool side bets include the 'Bet the Set' 21 wager that pays out depending on the player's two up cards. In a good example of the developer's partnership with Bally, the Bally's Blazing 7s Progressive takes the slots giant's classic title and transfers it to the blackjack table. Players win the progressive if an extra bet is made AND their two up cards are sevens. An even bigger jackpot can be won if the third card dealt is also a seven.
Craps: Although away from Shuffle Master's traditional arena of cards, two Craps side bets have been designed - the Fire Bet and Sharp Shooter - which can pay up to 1,000/1 on an individual points 'Shooter' bet.
Casino Hold'em: Texas Hold'em is now a house table game played between players and the dealer. Texas Hold'em Bonus lets players play a type of Hold'em poker one-on-one against the croupier. Payouts are made based on the strength of the winning hand. It is wholly developed by Shuffle Master and casinos can implement the manufacturer's 'Cover All' bet that allows players to wager across ALL hands on the table.
Progressives: Shuffle Master had led the way in progressive jackpot table games and bets which allows casinos to bring a touch of slots jackpot fun to the casino floor. Casino War, Caribbean Stud, and Pai Gow by Shuffle Master now all include variants seen at US casinos which carry linked jackpots.
Electronic Tables (e-Tables)
As well as designing casino table games, Shuffle Master has also pioneered electronic table games which let gamblers place bets on real roulette wheels via touch-screens or on gaming terminals with totally virtual games.
Fusion: Fusion Auto Roulette is a popular touch-screen version of roulette which features a real-life roulette wheel controlled mechanically. Bets are placed by gamblers seated around the wheel who use touch-screens to place their bets. Cameras display the ball drop and payouts are paid out straight after a win. Table Master Fusion works like online casino Live Dealer games, where the action is guided by a croupier and beamed in via video link.
i-Table: The latest in casino blackjack, i-Table lets players place bets using a touch pad on the table, with cards being "dealt out" by an electronic i-Shoe Auto card distributor.
PRIZM Game Tables: Huge touch screens are changing video slots, and Shuffle Master's PRIZM features a 65" screen which allows for playing video slots, roulette, and other games in the middle of the casino. There are even holders for players' beer!
Hit The Casino And Enjoy Shuffle Master Games
If you've played in a casino in the US or enjoyed some real money poker online in the last 10 years, chances are you've played a game developed or operated by SHFL Entertainment. Innovations in gambling keep coming thick and fast, and even though they have a new owner don't think that the firm is finished with developing fresh games. Expect a lot more from the legendary casino games manufacturer in the years to come.
