The best poker players in the world are often described as having an almost incomprehensible sixth sense that allows them to decipher their opponent’s hidden cards and make mind-boggling bluffs and calls. While hand reading might seem like a mystical skill beyond the grasp of mortals, it’s actually an empirical science based upon deductive reasoning. Poker players observe their opponents’ actions, analyze them based on their previous experience and form assumptions that enable them to zero in on their opponent’s possible holdings.
In a poker game, a good player looks for clues in the facial expressions of their opponents and their betting patterns, as well any physical cues like if they have a stiff neck, a bad back or are wearing uncomfortable shoes. These tells will help a poker player determine if an opponent has a good hand. A poker card reader can go one step further and give a more accurate reading of the cards hidden in the player’s hands. This is possible because the RFID chips embedded in each of the playing cards are capable of transmitting data that can be read from a distance.
The data is then sent to a computer, which can use it to predict a hand’s winner. This technology is not only intrusive, but also accurate and reliable. The accuracy of this system is also bolstered with a number of features, including the ability of the camera to be adjusted in sensitivity, the ability to connect various accessories and the ability of the device to report who won.
The main screen of this poker card reader displays various pieces of information. These include the game type (1016, in this case), current results and a listing of settings. There is a button for selecting the number of players, and another button to turn on/off the haptic response.
Another important setting on this screen is the ‘game hall menu,’ which allows the user to select which games the device will analyze. As you can tell, the screen is packed with options. There is still room for more in the future.
The maximum reading range for the poker card scanner is 8-10cm. This is less distance than required for RFID chips but is still too much to reliably read cards stacked up on top of one another.
This table uses a reader that uses banking-grade cryptography to protect the transmission from the table to a back-end system which will ultimately determine the winner of the hand. This is a great security measure but it’s not foolproof. If a hacker with the right skills could intercept the transmission, they could determine the exact order of cards in the deck. This is why you should be very careful when handling poker cheating devices.