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Review of the DB2 DBDealer.com Dealer Button with Built in Tournament Blind Timer
| | Reviewed 16th March 2007
This is the THF review of the DB2 DBDealer button with built in tournament clock.
You can comment on this review here.
* This article was written by Kevin Muldoon (aka fonzerelli_79) of TexasHoldemForums. This article may not be reproduced without our consent.
I was lucky enough to get sent 3 versions of the latest dealer button from DBDealer.com. It is just over a year since i reviewed the original debdealer button from dbdealer. Their new button has exactly the same dimensions as before and has all the features that the original has too so i encourage you to read the review of the first button here.
So heres what i got sent :
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The DB2 Digital Dealer Button retails for $19.95 but comes down to $17.95 if you order 3 or more. This is the standard version of the DB2.
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The World Poker Tour Dealer Button retails for $17.95 but comes down to $15.95 if you order 3 or more. Please note that this is not a DB2 button, it's an original DB button which has been branded with the WPT graphics. It should also be noted that the original DB Dealer Button has now dropped to $15.95 and $12.95 if you order 3 or more. An absolute bargain in my opinion.
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The DB2 Limited Edition retails for $24.95. It's the same as the DB2 except it comes with a chrome finish with its own custom metal case. Very snazzy!!!
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They now sell DB branded cutcards in packs of 6 for $2.95. I haven't had a chance to use them in a game as yet but they feel like good quality.
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As mentioned above, the World Poker Tour Edition is just a rebrand of the original dealer button from DB so if your interested in that please read our review of the original DB dealer button.
Before i proceed i have to stay that my review of the DB2 may come across as biased since im a huge fan of the original dealer button. I kept one of the original dealer buttons for myself last year and donated the other 2 to my local poker club. The poker club was basically a pub which started off with 30 or so players on a monday night and after 6 months became 70 players on a sunday, 120 on a monday, league game on a tuesday and 20 players on a friday night. It was so popular some of the local casinos complained because some of their regulars where going there instead of the casino (which was badly run). During the games the owner would use the DB Dealer to time when the blinds would go up and at the final table it would be used as a button as well as a blind counter.
One of the main reasons the original button was so good was its simplicity. It didnt try and cram loads of functions into a small unit and overcomplicate things - it did what it was supposed to do - which was a button which could tell you where the blinds are and could also tell you when the blinds were due to up
So when i noticed that they were bringing out a new version i held some reservations. I thought they were gonna ruin a good product by adding in more features that just weren't needed. Thankfully they haven't. It's pretty much the same product apart from one new main feature - they have now added a BET button. If the BET button is pressed a 30 second clock is started and continues to count down to 0 at which point it starts beeping. continuously. This is actually a very handy feature to have. It allows someone involved in a hand to call time on a player who is spending too much time deciding whether to fold, call or raise etc.
It works incredibly well. The normal blind timer dissapears and is replaced with the bet timer. So for example, say you have blinds set to go up every 15 minutes and when someone calls time the timer is sitting at 11 minutes and counting down. When the BET button is pressed the blind counter goes away and 30 seconds appear on the clock and starts counting down. The button will then beep at 10 seconds and then beep at 3,2 and 1 seconds before finally beeping continuously for 5 seconds to signal time is up. After that is finished the clock then returns to the blind timer so the blind timer would be around 10 minutes 25 seconds and counting down - ie. the bet button does not interfere with the buttons main functionality.
Another small difference is that they have now included a small light at the top of the button. It quickly flashes red whnever the button beeps. So it will flash red when time is up or when there is a beep countdown. It doesn't really add much to the functionality of the button but it's still a nice little extra feature.
Some more points :
- Like the original, the button is still the same size as a standard dealer button.
- The button still only has 3 buttons however the set button has been replaced with a red BET button. To accomodate this the reset button is now a set/reset button - ie. you use the 3rd button to set and reset the button. You wont notice any difference when using it and it's still easy to use.
- The new DB2 button is the same price as the original at $19.95 which is very good value. The original and still very capable DB1 button has dropped in price to $14.95. Bargain!
- I am not 100% sure of the battery life of the new DB2. I can say with good knowledge though that it took about 3-4 months of using it 5 times a week last time before the battery has to be replaced which is pretty good. I don't forsee this new button using any extra battery life considering its the same size etc and its just the functionality that has changed.
- The shiny limited edition is quite funky!!!!
If you have the original dealer button then deciding whether to get the DB2 is really up to you. The only change is the BET button so it might not be worth your while buying another one just for this new feature (though its a great addition).
If you don't already have a DB Dealer button and you play a lot of home games then you should be ashamed!!! Seriously, if you play home games a lot then this is an essential accessory to add to your poker set. The one thing you need to think about is whether you get the new DB2 button at $19.95 or save yourself 5 bucks and get the original. Whilst it is only a small new feature i think you'd be crazy not to pay the extra 5 dollars and get the new DB2 with this extra feature as you'll find it incredibly handy - particularly if you have some sloths in your home game!
All in all i am thoroughly impressed with the new button. They have kept things simple but still managed to add a new feature whilst retaining the same size and 3 buttons of the original. Strongly recommended.
I took loads of pics of the new button which you can see below. Some of the pics arent the clearest but i hope they will show you what the buttons are like - hey, give me a break, im not a professional photographer!!! haha
Gallery
Here is some more pics i took of the DB2 dealer button. Just click on the picture to see the full size.
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