Doug Polk has issued a warning to poker players about the risks of card shuffling machines in private games or unlicensed card rooms — saying you should “run for the hills” if you see them being used.
Polk made the comment during an interview for a new WIRED video, in which journalist Andy Greenberg revisited an earlier investigation into the vulnerability of automatic shuffling machines — specifically, the Deckmate 2 — and how they can be hacked to facilitate cheating.
The Deckmate 2 is one of the most commonly used automatic card shufflers in the world, found at the WSOP and in casinos around the world. It includes an internal camera capable of scanning and delivering the full order of a shuffled deck in real time to a connected device — information that can be exploited to cheat during a poker game.
Greenberg first reported on a hack of the Deckmate 2 two years ago. By accessing the machine’s USB port, researchers were able to bypass security protocols and alter its code to "hijack the machine and invisibly tamper with its shuffling." Even without the USB port, someone with access to the machine's internal components could set it up for cheating.
In the new Wired video, Greenberg shows the exploit in action, showing how someone could set up a poker game and gain an unfair edge using the compromised shuffler.
Doug Polk: Watch out for automatic card shufflers outside of casinos
When asked if he trusted the Deckmate 2, Polk clarified that players shouldn’t be worried about its use in regulated environments. “The Deckmate 2 in a casino location, you shouldn’t be too scared of,” Polk said. “They have all these casino contracts so they have licensed people fixing problems that they see."
However, he warned that outside of licensed premises, you should be very concerned.
“The problem is once someone has a Deckmate 2 on a black market or a secondary market – they’re no longer being upkept by the company itself. Some guy is just basically in the back fixing the machine and putting it on the table.
“I have heard so many cheating stories of people using these to cheat players out of their money when it’s not happening at a casino location.”
Greenberg then asked Polk what players should do if they walk into a private game or unlicensed room using a Deckmate 2.
“If you’re showing up at a private game and they’re using a shuffler,” Polk said, “I would say you should run for the hills.”
Greenberg emphasized that his investigation isn’t just about cheating, but about trust in technology, concluding, “As we add more digital smart components to everything… all of it becomes more vulnerable to surveillance and manipulation."
You can watch the full WIRED video below.
