To automate the card-dealing process in poker games, reducing errors, and enhancing the overall gaming experience
The Automatic Poker Dealer is a machine that can replace a poker dealer for home-level tournament games. When a game of poker is played, there must always be one person dealing the cards at all times: the dealer. Many people do not enjoy this aspect of the game as it takes time and effort, and shuffling cards is not an easy thing to do. Considering some people play poker while under the effects of substances, they can lead to mistakes in dealing. Especially when money is involved, this can lead to awkward, non-ideal situations where players have to figure out what to do with a misdealt hand.
In addition to this, the inability to deal out cards in a quick, robust, and efficient manner leads to fewer hands played overall per hour. People can get distracted and lose their focus, causing the game to slow down and other players to become annoyed. We have built an automatic poker dealer which deals each player their cards face down and deal the table the common cards face up.
This project was completed as my intermediate design capstone project, along with 4 other engineers. My involvement in this project include:
The procedural flowchart for the Automatic Poker Dealer is shown below. This includes the cases when all but one player folds and the game ends.
Below is the operational flow chart in terms of the user to show what steps happen next. The Poker Dealer was fitted with LED indicators to show input was received, the current sage of the game and large buttons for user input. A rotary style knob was also fitted onto the machine for the current player count.
