Barona Shuffles the Deck With Its New Chipless Blackjack Game


SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire - February 4, 2010) - Combining the excitement of the traditional blackjack table game with state-of-the-art technology, Barona Resort & Casino's blackjack dealers are dealing chipless hands and offering new side bet options with its newly unveiled electronic i-Table game.

Developed by gaming manufacturer Shuffle Master, live dealers and standard casino playing cards are used in this easy version of the classic casino card game. But there are no chips to worry about as all wagers are made on individual touch screens and results are verified electronically.

"This all results in a less intimidating and faster game, without chips and with instant payoffs," said Mike Patterson, vice president of table games operations of Barona Resort & Casino.

Additionally, players can place side bets with higher odds on each hand, including "Bet the Set 21" and "Royal Match 21."

According to Patterson, once a hand has been dealt all players also have the option to place an "odds bet," essentially the probability that they are going to win or lose the round.

The fast paced action also means gamers can make lower minimum bets on blackjack games at Barona.

Just as with the other chipless games introduced at the casino earlier this year, Patterson thinks i-Table Blackjack is going to be "a big hit with table game players."

"We are pleased that Barona has added our i-Table product to its floor," commented Tim Parrott, Shuffle Master's Chief Executive Officer. "Its electronic betting interface gives players access to a wider range of betting opportunities while ensuring speedy and secure game play. In addition, the ability to have live player tracking will allow players to get the recognition they deserve."

Barona's dealers have already been dealing chipless hands and offering new side bet options on Rapid Roulette and Rapid Baccarat tables, in addition to 75 traditional table games including Blackjack, No Commission Baccarat, Pai Gow Poker, Barona Roulette, Caribbean Stud, Barona Craps, Three Card Poker, Four Card Poker, Mississippi Stud, Let It Ride and 15 traditional poker tables. Barona also has 2,000 of the most current and popular slots and video poker machines.

About Barona Resort & Casino

For the last two years in a row Barona Resort & Casino has won the J.D. Power and Associates Award for the "Highest in Satisfaction in the Southern California Indian Casino Gaming Experience" in the J.D. Power and Associates Southern California Indian Gaming Casino Satisfaction Study.

Barona Resort & Casino blends the best of San Diego's leading resorts with the gaming excitement of Las Vegas. Barona is San Diego's leading destination resort featuring 400 guest rooms and suites all with beautiful views of the Barona Valley, a variety of award-winning dining options, the AmBience Day Spa, a full-service events center and the 18-hole championship Barona Creek Golf Club, rated the 3rd best resort course in California by Golfweek magazine.

Barona Resort & Casino received the highest numerical score in the proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2008-2009 Indian Gaming Casino Studies SM-Southern California Region. The 2009 study, which only surveys casinos with a minimum of 1,000 slot machines, is based on 4,452 responses from gaming players who visited an Indian casino in Southern California between December 2008 and May 2009. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed in May 2009. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com.

For Barona Resort & Casino reservations and information, visit www.barona.com, or call toll free 888-7-BARONA (722-7662).

You can also join Barona Resort & Casino on Facebook, Twitter and Myspace at: www.barona.com/facebook, www.barona.com/twitter and www.barona.com/myspace.

About Shuffle Master, Inc.

Shuffle Master, Inc. is a gaming supply company specializing in providing its casino customers with improved profitability, productivity and security, as well as popular and cutting-edge gaming entertainment content, through value-add products in four distinct categories: Utility products which include automatic card shuffler, roulette chip sorters and intelligent table system modules, Proprietary Table Games which include live table game tournaments, Electronic Table Systems which include various e-Table game platforms and Electronic Gaming Machines which include traditional video slot machines for select markets. The Company is included in the S&P Smallcap 600 Index. Information about the Company and its products can be found on the Internet at www.shufflemaster.com.

Contact Information: CONTACT: Audrey Doherty/Jordan Cole 619-236-8397 Kelly Jacobs Speer 619-933-5013

iTable