Patent ID: 7367561

Claim:
A method performed by a card shuffler, the card shuffler having a movable storage device with compartments, the method comprising: a. receiving unshuffled cards in an input portion of the shuffler; b. transporting a card from the input portion to the movable storage device; c. controlling movement of the storage device such that a transported card is received by a randomly selected radial compartment and clamping cards within said selected radial compartments; d. controlling movement of the storage device to output at least one card from a randomly selected compartment to an output portion; and e. repeating step d one or more times until an entire hand of cards is deposited in the output portion, a hand being the initial number of cards a player needs to play a particular game for which the shuffler is being used, further comprising sensing an absence of cards in the output portion and performing step d to supply cards to the output portion, and wherein a spring is provided with a bend-off which covers radially outer openings of the compartments and prevents cards from being ejected outwardly by centrifugal force during rotation of the carousel.