Poker Players Cure MTT Boredom with Grinder Gadget

April 14th, 2015 | by Kaycee James

New Grinder Gadget created for tournament players.

Two poker players have created a gadget that charges and holds tablets during live poker tournaments. (Image: Grinder Gadget)

Finding a way to push through the monotony of a live tournament when all you’re seeing is bad cards can be tough.

Fortunately, modern technology is on hand to help players push through the boredom barrier and the latest product to hit the market is a cross between a tablet stand and charger.

By Players, For Players

Named the Grinder Gadget, the new piece of kit sits neatly on the rail of virtually any live poker table and acts as both a platform for a tablet as well as a charging station.

Designed to tackle the problem of batteries running flat during a long session, the product reportedly capable of providing additional power for two devices at once and will accommodate tablets up to 10 inches long.

To help get the product to market, the creators, Sean Hansen and Jacob Burns, have put together a Kickstarter crowd funding campaign.

Aiming to raise $20,000 through the online appeal, the inventors have stated that the Grinder Gadget has been “designed by poker players, for poker players.”Â

No More Power Outages

The original idea for the product was the result of continued frustration from the two players after they kept losing power on their tablets during long MTTs.

With no way to change their devices at tournament tables (something you can do on some cash tables but not tournament tables), the pair eventually sketched out some ideas.

After sketching out 50 designs, the pair eventually came up with a rough design of a product that will be a +EV for poker players.

With a rough design ready, Hansen and Burns took it to TXS Industrial design for some finishing touches before putting together a prototype.

After confirming that its design complies with the World Series of Poker’s guidelines, the product is now ready to go into product if the Kickstarter fund target is reached.

The Grinder Gadget Key Features

The overall aim Hansen and Burns had when they put together the Grinder Gadget was quality. Knowing that poker players demand the best when they’re grinding, the pair ensured the product complied with the following standards, as stated on their Kickstarter project:

Durable – we wanted to offer a Lifetime Warranty on the chassis.
Flexible – It had to work on ANY rail, and also on airplane trays, desks, wherever you might want to use it.
Recyclable materials – We shot down a bazillion plastic designs, and finally chose aluminum, both for its ability to be recycled AND its durability
Made using as many USA vendors as possible – Aside from the battery itself, the product is made and assembled 100% in the good ol’ USA.