Can automatic shuffling machines be hacked to cheat in poker? A journalist put that question to the test in a new video that explores the vulnerabilities of shuffling machines like the Deckmate 2 used in casinos and poker rooms around the world.
The video, titled “I Cheated At Poker By Hacking A Casino Card Shuffling Machine,” gathered more than 100,000 views in less than 24 hours. In it, WIRED Senior Writer Andy Greenberg speaks to security consultant and hacking expert Joseph Tartaro and poker pro Doug Polk before rigging a shuffler and putting it to the test in a real-world scenario.
Machine Hacking & Signaling
Tartaro has spent years researching how automatic shufflers could be used to cheat in games like poker. In the video, he shows Greenberg that the USB port on the back of shufflers leaves them vulnerable to hacking. He demonstrates by plugging in a device capable of reading the order of cards.
“This device has a Bluetooth model and it will wirelessly connect to this phone,” Tataro says in the video. “And every time a deck gets shuffled, it will get the exact order from the camera (in the shuffler) and send it to me.”
With a hacked machine ready for testing, Greenberg arranged a private poker game with Tataro and two unsuspecting players. Tataro, who had access to the shuffler on his phone, signaled to Greenberg whether to fold, call or raise by playing with his chips.
As a result, Greenberg was able to play perfectly and easily won the sit-and-go match despite not being an experienced poker player.
Should Players Be Concerned?
Hacking shufflers is one of several modern cheating methods that have emerged with advancing technology. In October 2024, psychologist Maria Konnikova told PokerNews about nano cameras that make card protectors, electronics and sunglasses all potential cheating risks at the poker table.
While automatic shuffling machines are common in poker rooms, Doug Polk, an owner of The Lodge in Texas, said there’s a much bigger risk of cheating in private and unregulated games than in casinos.
“The Deckmate 2 in a casino location, you shouldn’t be too scared of,” the content creator said. “They have all these casino contracts, so they have licensed people fixing problems that there might be. The problem is once somebody has a Deckmate 2 on a black market or a secondary market, they are now no longer being upkept by the company itself. Some guy is just basically in the back fixing the machine and then 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.”
A spokesperson for Light and Wonder, the gaming manufacturer that makes the Deckmate 2, told WIRED in a statement that they’ve addressed the security flaws and “updated the firmware on all our Deckmate shufflers to all our customers worldwide at zero cost to them.” Still, Tartaro says the machines remain a cheating risk.
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