Card Handling Device and Game

A game device for receiving and discharging play-ready decks of playing cards, the game device comprising:

• a housing able to stand upon the surface of a casino table and having three portals;
• the three portals viewable by the players at the casino table;
• a control panel positioned on the exterior of the housing for programming game parameters and indicating card movement progress and status;
• an input portal consisting of a single card receiving cavity for receiving an unshuffled card deck;
• a discharge portal consisting of a first output tray and a second output tray, each for receiving one play-ready card deck;
• a movable discharge track having two operating positions, each able to align with one of the first output tray or the second output tray;
• a dual-use portal consisting of a cavity for receiving either a play-ready card deck to be input to the device, or a faulty card deck to be discharged from the device;
• at least one verification sensor for detecting playing card integrity;
• at least one microcontroller responsive to the control panel and to the at least one verification sensor for controlling movement of the cards;
• a gripper mechanism located in the randomizing chamber;
• one slot-less elevator aligned with an axis of a randomizing chamber and movable along the axis within the randomizing chamber;
• the one slot-less elevator configured to move a faulty card deck to the dual-use portal;
• the one slot-less elevator additionally configured to move a play-ready card deck to the discharge track when the discharge track is aligned with one of the first output tray or the second output tray;
• the at least one microcontroller able to randomly choose either the first or second output tray for receiving play-ready decks from the slot-less elevator.