Shuffleboard History

Shuffleboard players, limber up your arms and come on down to the Dave & Buster's arcade!

Shuffleboard is a conversation-friendly game that players can enjoy at their own pace. In our arcades, you'll find table shuffleboard,* where you slide small palm-sized pucks at scoring areas on the far end of a long slippery-smooth table. Use your skills to stop the puck just teetering on the edge of your opponent's side of the shuffleboard table and you'll score a ton of points. You can even bump opposing shuffleboard players' pucks off scoring spots to reduce their scores! There's nothing like a little shuffleboard betrayal to up the fun quotient in your group.

Check out a location* near you for shuffleboard availability and start playing!

Shuffleboard History:

Shuffleboard has a lengthy and rich history. In fact, King Henry VIII was a passionate shuffleboard aficionado who even forbade ordinary Englishmen from playing this "royal" game. Historians guess that "big shuffleboard" was invented more than 500 years ago.

Around the start of the 20th century, the more modestly-sized table shuffleboard enjoyed incredible popularity in the United States, competing with boxing and baseball for column inches in major newspapers. Even in 1848, table shuffleboard was a passionate topic, because Pennsylvania records show a case asking "Is shuffleboard a game of chance or a game of skill?" reaching the courtroom. (In case you're curious, the judge ruled that shuffleboard is, indeed, a game of skill.) Table shuffleboard peaked in clout in the 1950s, with thousands flocking to nationwide tournaments. Pop icons like Alan Ladd, Merv Griffin, and Betty Grable installed shuffleboard tables in their homes for the enjoyment of their guests.

Now shuffleboard, especially table shuffleboard, is experiencing a renaissance as bar patrons and funseekers discover the charms of this simple but hard-to-master pastime. If you think you've got a light touch and keen eye, come try your hand at shuffleboard at Dave & Buster's! We can't guarantee you won't get schooled by your friends, but we can promise you'll have a good time.

*Shuffleboard is available at select locations. Check locations pages for availability.