Manual shuffling is more vulnerable to a biased shuffle and consequently some players try to exploit this by shuffle tracking and card clumping. There are numerous ways an online casino might cheat, but a bad shuffle I don't think is one of them. The list is based mostly on your country, as many bonuses are only valid to players from certain countries. However, other ranging factors, such as the bonus value and the casino's How To Casino Shuffle rating, have been added into the mix as well. How to How to Shuffle Casino Style. The idea of a casino shuffle is to not let the cards come off the table so that no one sees their faces. Have your hand on the deck and the deck on the table. Grab the top portion with one of your hands. The mobile casino has taken the concept of personalized gaming to a whole new level. Now you can How To Blackjack Shuffle play on the go 24×7 regardless of where you are. All you need is How To Blackjack Shuffle a How To Blackjack Shuffle smartphone that gives you Internet access via 3G, 4G, LTE, or Wi-Fi. We have listed for you some of the top mobile casinos around. Shuffle like a casino dealer. Many casinos now use automatic shuffling machines. This not only speeds up the games but also means that shuffles can be more random, as the machines can shuffle for.

If you’ve read this blog for a while, you’ll know that I’ve been banned from ALL UK land-based casinos, for what I believe is “suspected card counting” (although the casinos in question have never confirmed the reason in writing).

Ok, so I’ve played blackjack for a good 15 years or so. And yes, I’ve had some exceptionally lucky runs of cards. And yes, I’ve made good money along the way (and also faced those inevitable losing sessions too from time to time). But am I a card counter? And what if I was? Is it against the law to win a game using your mind?

In their efforts to stop card counters from playing and potentially winning at blackjack, many casinos have introduced continuous shuffle machines at their blackjack tables. Our local casino has the ShuffleMaster continuous shuffle machines on ALL blackjack tables in the main pit (only the VIP room has original blackjack shoes – and even then, they are a 6-deck game so hardly beatable).

Here’s a photo of the ShuffleMaster one2six unit, from the ShuffleMaster.com website.

In my blackjack playing life, I’ve played normal shoes, hand dealt single and double deck blackjack games, and these continuous shuffle machines. Are the continuous shuffle machines a friend or an enemy? That depends on your perspective. I believe that most casinos consider them friends and income generators: why else would a casino spend between $10,000 US and $20,000 US on EACH continuous shuffle machine?

From a general player perspective, these machines are an enemy. They don’t change the odds of getting certain hands, they don’t make a bad game worse (per se), they don’t alter the basic strategy that you should play against them. But what they do which is bad for players is INCREASE the number of hands played in an hour – there’s no longer a break in gameplay to allow the dealers to shuffle. So what does this mean? In real terms, you can play an extra 20% – 25% hands per hour – so that’s an extra 20% – 25% an hour you’ll lose over playing a hand shuffled shoe. If you were playing $10 a hand and playing 60 hands an hour on a hand shuffled shoe, at 1.5% average house edge, you’d be losing 60 x $10 x 1.5% = $9 per hour. If you’re now playing say 75 hands per hour, you’d be losing 75 x $10 x 1.5% = $11.25 per hour.

From a card counting perspective, they are a definite player enemy. You simply can’t count cards on these machines with any certainty. At the end of every hand played, the dealer puts the cards back into the shuffler, where they are instantly shuffled back into the cards in play. This completely changes the game dynamic from a typical shoe game. Shuffle tracking players are also unable to get an edge in this game – you can no longer shuffle track cards (which used to be easier with some dealers rather than others). You can’t see the cards (they’re enclosed in the machine), and the machine is CONSTANTLY shuffling.

How To Shuffle Like A Casino Dealer

Our local casino used to deal 6-deck blackjack, but it now uses the continuous shuffle machines instead – but they only have 4 decks of cards inside. That reduction in the number of decks used, all other things aside, is beneficial for the player. The lower the number of decks used, the lower the house edge for the casino. “Advantage players” are still very likely to avoid this game however, because they simply can’t count the cards with any certainty.

Knowing that the shufflers are putting some “advantage players” off the game, the casino has also increased its comp frequency lately. It’s much easier now to get free drinks than it ever was. In fact I barely wait 5-10 minutes without a drink, whereas a wait of an hour or more was commonplace before.

What I most like is that the tables aren’t as busy as before – so I can open and close multiple boxes on the table without heat from other players. Even though you can’t count in the normal way on these machines, you can still run a very small count exercise by looking at the last 15-20 cards dealt and calculating a true count / running count on that result set. It’s not entirely accurate (it’s a very small sample), but if you know for example that those last few hands were mainly very small cards, it makes sense that larger cards are coming. The ability to open and close boxes when required allows you more opportunity to catch those high cards. The casino gives me no heat when doing this either – whereas an increase in bet size does occasionally raise their eyebrows. I’ve had good results / luck doing this lately.

So, friend or foe? For most players, continuous shuffle machines should be avoided where possible (I think). However, I’ve found them no better or worse than hand shuffled games over the long term. Each to their own to decide!

One of the biggest myths in blackjack is about the house edge for the casino for games that use a Continuous Shuffle Machine (CSM). Recreational blackjack players are surprised to learn that the house edge doesn’t go through the roof compared to when cards are dealt from a shoe.

House Edge Of CSM Versus Shoe Blackjack Games

It’s true that it’s impossible to count cards when playing a blackjack game that uses a CSM. It’s not true that the house edge for those games is affected. A 3:2 blackjack game using six decks and typical rules has a house edge of about 0.43% when using a shoe. The same game when cards are dealt from a CSM has a house edge of about 0.41%.

The house edge calculator assumes that blackjack players are using correct basic strategy for both games. In the short term, anything can happen. However, the house edge for a casino game is derived from playing millions of games.

Blackjack Players Despise Continuous Shuffle Machines

The math says there isn’t much difference between the two games. So why do blackjack players hate the CSM so much? Personal preference and psychology both play a large role in why blackjack players don’t want to play using the continuous shuffle machine.

To be perfectly honest, I hate playing at a table that uses a CSM. First of all, this isn’t the blackjack game that I grew up with. Second, it feels like I won’t be able to count – even though I don’t try to count. I usually drink when playing blackjack and my count is as good as my memory that gets a bit fuzzier as the night goes on.

I’m not the only person who doesn’t like playing blackjack games that use a CSM. Professional blackjack players won’t touch the game. Plenty of recreational blackjack players that also feel the CSM gets in the way of the game.

Casinos like the CSM because they make the game move quicker. The more times a game with a house edge is dealt, in theory, the more profitable it will be. One of the problems blackjack players have with the CSM is the speed.

There’s never a break in play since the cards are continuously shuffled. Gamblers can take a break but there’s always a fear of missing out on a series of good hands. The break with shoe games isn’t very long anymore since most casinos don’t have the dealers shuffle by hand anymore. That said, the two minutes is still a nice break.

Playing Blackjack With Continuous Shuffle Machines

How To Shuffle Casino Chips

How To Casino Shuffle Cards

Continuous Shuffle Machines are typically used for low limits blackjack games. There are some casinos that use a CSM only for blackjack games with a minimum bet below $25. Most recreational gamblers usually play these games. There are some ways to make the best from a blackjack game that uses a CSM.

How To Casino Shuffle

The CSM doesn’t affect the house edge in blackjack as much as the rules of the game. Look for the best blackjack rules within the games that are offered. Always look to play a game that pays 3:2 when dealt a natural blackjack. Other rules to look for include dealer staying on 17, double and splitting rules, and surrender.

Playing blackjack games that use a CSM isn’t always optimal so make the best out of the situation.