Electronic Dealer Button

www.electronicdealerbutton.com
(Dead link as of Feb/10)

The Electronic Dealer Button is a poker tournament dealer button that incorporates a count down timer. It is about the same diameter as a normal dealer puck, but much thicker and somewhat resembles a flying saucer. It has an audible beeper plus flashing lights along the rolling edge.

Timer screen

The L.E.D. screen is black letters on a grey background. The digits are 9mm (1/3") high and are large enough to be read by the player at the button as well as the player to either side.

Alarm

The alarm beeps and flashes three times when there is one minute remaining in the level. It then beeps and flashes continuously when time expires. You must press a button to stop the alarm. The timer automatically resets itself to the previous time length and you must then press another button to restart the timer.

There are flashing lights in addition to the audible alarm. Four red L.E.D. lights blink along the rolling edge of the timer - this is a nice feature and is quite effective.

Operating the unit

There are two buttons on the unit, a Set/Off button and a Select/On button. You press the On button to power up the unit. The Electronic Dealer Button remembers the previous timer length and you can simply press the On button again to begin the timer. That's about all there is to it!

You enter the timer length by pressing the Set button followed by the Select button. You can set two things - the number of hours and the number of minutes. The digits rotate from 0 to 9 and then back to 0.

When the timer is in use, the button on the right pauses the unit. Unfortunately, the button on the left resets the timer ... even while the timer is counting down. This means that it is fairly easy for a player to accidentally reset the timer as it is passed around the table. Luckily, the buttons have to be pressed very hard but you better make sure to tell your players to not play with the button!

Battery

The battery is a standard watch battery CR 2032. To replace the battery you remove four small recessed screws holding the top of the unit to the bottom. The buttons are not easily (accidentally) pressed so you don't have to worry too much about the unit accidentally powering on or off while traveling.

Construction

The Electronic Dealer Button is quite sturdy and should withstand greater abuse than most other poker timers and clocks. It is 57mm (2.25 inches) in diameter, 15.5mm (0.7 inches) thick, and weighs 31 grams. It ships in plastic shrink-wrapping so you will need to store it in something else to travel.

Price

The price of the Electronic Dealer Button is $24.95 and includes a free deck of playing cards. There is a 30 day warranty period during which the unit will be replaced if it does not operate properly. You can have the Electronic Dealer Button customized with your own logo on the front and back.

The unit has Full Tilt Poker advertising on the front and rear and you can earn a free Electronic Dealer Button by opening an account and playing poker at Full Tilt Poker. Visit the Electronic Dealer Button website for more information.

Overall

The Electronic Dealer Button is a simple timer built into a dealer button. It will not help you keep track of your blinds or antes but it will help you time your poker tournament. It is small and sturdy and performs its intended function well.

Visit the Electronic Dealer Button website at

www.electronicdealerbutton.com