Patent ID: 7316396

Claim:
A card game machine for manipulating a plurality of playing cards, the card game machine comprising: a holding unit for holding the plurality of cards in a stack; a distribution unit for distributing the plurality of cards held by the holding unit one by one in a state wherein each of the cards is distributed face down; a tilt surface, the tilt surface having a substantially flat surface set at an incline so that a lower end of the tilt surface projects farther forward than an upper end of the tilt surface, a plurality of channels being formed on the tilt surface for receiving the cards distributed by the distribution unit, each of the channels being defined by guides formed on the tilt surface on either side of each channel, the tilt surface being configured to receive the cards from the distribution unit, and allow the cards to slide down the channels under influence of gravity; a stopper protruding from the tilt surface within each channel, each of the stoppers being configured to stop one of the cards at a specified position within the channel as the one card slides on the tilt surface, whereby each of the cards sliding on the tilt surface comes in contact with one of the stoppers and is stopped; and a card reversing unit for forcibly reversing the one card stopped by the stopper so that the one card is flipped over to expose a face of the one card, the card reversing unit being configured to apply a force to the one card at an upper area of the face of the one card causing the one card to rotate around an edge of the one card that is in contact with the stopper, wherein a back side of each of the cards that is stopped on the tilt surface is viewable, and the face of each of the cards is viewable after being reversed by the card reversing unit.