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Questions about shuffling in Blackjack |
Questions about Shuffling
In blackjack appendix 10 you explain how CSM machines actually decrease the houses edge, stating that because the way people play basic there is a tendency for more "10" cards to be drawn. Just playing basic, not counting cards at all, would this not mean that the closer you get to the end of the deck/shoe the worse your odds would be since there there would be a tendency for the 10s to have already been extracted thus leaving more smaller cards to the end? - Hector from Miami, Florida
There is no particular time to expect the small cards. The last hand in a cut card has just about the same odds as the overall shoe. However if the dealer deals out much more than the average number of hands in a cut card game the last hands tend to be very bad for the player. This is because in the early hands the players and dealer didn't hit much, which in turn is because lots of large cards came out, leaving more small cards for later in the shoe. So if you notice that you have already passed the average number of hands and the cut card is still a ways off then the deck is probably small card rich and it would be a good time to drop your bet or take a walk. However with other players jumping in and out of the game, and inconsistent cut card placement the practicality of this strategy is very small.
March 20, 2006
Dear Wizard, I have read your comments about online blackjack and the fact that the decks are shuffled after each hand. Is there a casino online that has less shuffling or if not, am I forced to play live dealer blackjack which has more decks stacked and at least I can be aware of when shuffling does occur. Cheers. -- Ken from Oxford, UK
Perhaps you misunderstood the point I was trying to make in my blackjack appendix 10. The bottom line is that unless you are a card counter shuffling after every hand, as opposed to using a cut card, is a good thing. The house edge is reduced 0.02% in a 6-deck game, to 0.11% in a 1-deck game, by shuffling after every hand.
March 13, 2006If the house edge in a shoe game of blackjack is "x"
percent for the first hand after a shuffle, does the house
edge also work out to be exactly "x" percent on average if
you play through the entire shoe (assuming flat betting and
basic strategy)?
In a cut card game the answer is no. However in
a game where the dealer dealt exactly x hands every shoe
the answer would be yes. The reason is hard to explain.
For more information please see my blackjack
appendix 10. Sept. 26,
2003
The Mohegan Sun casino here in Connecticut recently
added a limited number of blackjack tables that don't seem
to be addressed in your synopsis. It is a 4 deck shoe dealt
from a Shufflemaster that, essentially created an infinite
deck, inasmuch as the dealer puts the dead cards back into
the machine for reshuffling pretty much as the completion of
each round of decisions. The game allows splitting to 4
times, double down on splits, dealer stands on all 17's,
early surrender, and double on any first 2 cards except 10's
and face. I have had some very good luck at this game and
was wondering if it is one I should continue to play or
switch back to the conventional 6 or 8 deck shoe. - Ray
Zaleski from Shelton, Connecticut
There is a common misconception that a
continuous shuffler is equivalent mathematically to an
infinite deck game. It is not. If the first card dealt is
an ace, for example, the probability that second card is
an ace is slightly less than 1/13, because one ace has
already been removed from the shoe. As I have explained
in great detail in my blackjack
appendix 10 a continuous shuffler actually lowers the
house edge marginally compared to a cut card game.
However the dealer never stops to shuffle so you are
being exposed to more hands per hour, so expect to lose
more per hour. I doubt very much they allow early
surrender at the Mohegan Sun, if they did the player
would have an edge of 0.28%. Assuming you really meant
late surrender the house edge is coincidentally 0.28%,
according to Blackjack Edge software.
June 28, 2002
I am playing blackjack with unified gaming software.
They claim they do not shuffle after every hand especially
in the six deck, yet I have never seen it stop to shuffle.
When I called the company to ask they said it is indicated
when shuffling but I have never seen anything written on the
screen that it is shuffling. After playing for usually 45
minutes to an hour it does freeze up and one can not even
use the exit..everything shuts down. ? - Janice Dennee from
Muskego, Wisconsin
It is my understanding they shuffle after every
hand in the single deck game. When I have played the
six-deck game you can hear a shuffling sound and the
bottom of the screen says "shuffling" from time to time.
Perhaps you were only playing the single deck game. It
seems like they do this at random times. The lost
connection is a known annoyance with Unified Gaming
software. I mention it myself in my review. Some people
say if you disable your sound card it helps with this
problem. April 15,
2002
I was just wondering if Las Vegas Video Blackjack
reshuffles after every hand or after all the decks are
played. I know the tables in Las Vegas do it after all the
decks are played because if they did it after every hand no
one would play. Are the odds that you'll win worse if there
is a shuffle after every hand? Is this even legal or
necessary? - Stephanie from Evans, USA
I don't know when they shuffle but I would
speculate after every hand. From my blackjack
appendix 10 you will learn that the player's odds
improve slightly if the dealer plays exactly n hands
between shuffles (including one) rather than playing to
cut card, finishing the hand, and then shuffling.
Mar. 6, 2002
On a CSM blackjack game, 5 deck, what would be the
effect of the dealer not putting discards back into the
machine every hand if 24 of 52 cards in the discard rack
were face cards? What about 48 of 102? What would be the
effect if 44 of 52 cards were non-face cards? Can the odds
be heavily skewed? I have a feeling that the odds skyrocket
in the casino's favor if the dealer leaves face cards in the
discard. - Doug Riley from Vancouver, Canada
The exact numbers would be difficult to
calculate and I won't get into that. However your
speculation is right that the odds favor the dealer if he
leaves a lot of high cards in the discard rack yet will
put back into play a lot of small cards. This would be
the same kind of thing as preferential shuffling, in
which the dealer of a hand held game shuffles when the
count is good but deals another round on a bad count.
Preferential shuffling is something that definitely does
happen here in Las Vegas so what you describe would not
surprise me either. Oct. 30,
2001
Can you please explain the "cut card effect" in
Blackjack. Why don't people use this when quoting BS house
edges for various numbers of decks rather than showing BS
house edges that take this into account? - Andrew from
Melbourne, Australia
I explain all about the cut card effect in my
blackjack
appendix 10. The reason house edge statistics are
based on a non-cut card game is likely out of tradition
and mathematical simplicity. However you make a good
point that it would be more accurate to inflate the house
edge figures to account for the cut card. Yet I am still
going to stick to basing my house edge figures on the
first hand of a freshly shuffled deck. Blackjack is hard
enough to analyze without worrying about the cut card
effect all the time. Oct. 30,
2001
Your house edge calculator is excellent. How do you
use it for continuous shuffle games? Also, if the shoe is
used, how does the house edge change? - Tony from Taylors,
South Carolina
My house edge calculator is based on the first
hand after a shuffle. So it is perfectly suited for a
continuous shuffling machine game. Contrary to popular
belief the house edge is actually slightly higher on a
hand shuffled game as opposed to a continuous shuffling
machine game. I explain this in more depth in my
blackjack
appendix 10. Aug. 18,
2001
I've noticed that the CSM (Continuous Shuffler
Machine) at the blackjack table does not shuffle ALL of the
cards at the end of each hand. There are a few cards left in
the shoe part of the machine (anywhere from 1 to 20 or so)
that are not shuffled. Is there any way this can be used to
advantage? For example, I was thinking that there is a lower
(but still not zero) probability of having a card repeated
two hands in a row. Sit out if there were a lot of high
cards last hand . . . bet higher if there are a lot of low
cards last hand. The CSM I saw used four decks so, on a full
table, there are actually quite a few cards played each hand
and you could potentially get a true value of plus/minus one
if you made the simplifying assumption that none of those
would repeat. Maybe enough to skew the odds? - Chuck from
New York
You're right, the discards are not mixed among
all the cards but can not be placed close to the top of
the shoe. I don't know the exact size of this buffer but
it is about 10-20 cards I think. As a card counter it
would probably be safe to use a true count from just the
last hand played and off the top of a shoe. When
converting to the true count you will rarely get anything
far from +/-1. If you're any kind of counter at all I
would forget about playing against a CSM, it isn't worth
the bother. June 29,
2001
What basic strategy should you use for a CSM
(Continuous Shuffler Machine)? Is it the same as a regular
shoe for the same number of decks? It seems like the
strategy could be a little different (maybe a 4 deck CSM
should be played like a 3-deck shoe). - Chuck from New York
Yes, same as a regular shoe with the same number
of decks. Most CSMs use five decks, for which you should
use my 4-8 deck strategies. June
29, 2001
There is an article in the blackjack section that
indicates that a CSM, continuous shuffler, actually lowers
the house advantage for the basic strategy player. I assume
that is in a heads to head game. Would multiple players
increase the house advantage? - Gizmo from Los
Angeles
No, the number of players doesn't make any
difference. May 13,
2001
I was wondering if you thought continuous shufflers
have an effect on basic strategy. I know they speed up the
number of hands per hour which is usually bad for the
player, but is basic strategy still effective in this
instance? Doesn't basic strategy slightly change depending
on the number of decks? ñ Danny from Mission Viejo,
California.
I first addressed this topic in my December 1,
2000, newsletter. For those who missed it I just added
blackjack
appendix 10 to my site, which explains the effect on
the house edge under both a cut card and continuous
shuffler game. To answer your question, no, the basic
strategy does not change. Basic strategy is always
developed based on a freshly shuffled shoe, which is
always the case when playing against a continuous
shuffler. Jan. 7,
2001
Q: What is your opinion of the continuous shuffle
machines now being used at the Blackjack tables in Las
Vegas? Do these machines give the house more of and edge
even when a person is using basic strategy? - John Capirchio
from London, Canada
A: For those who don't understand what you're
asking there are new machines that take the blackjack
discards and place them randomly back in the deck after
each hand. If you are using basic strategy it shouldn't
matter on an expected loss per hand basis. It is my
understanding that they do provide an honest random
shuffle. However the shuffling machine allows the dealer
to waste less time shuffling and spend more time dealing.
This means you will spend more time playing, and thus
more time for the house edge to grind you down.
Personally I don't like automatic shufflers. A dealer
shuffle provides a break in the action and a chance to
engage in conversation. July 30,
2000
Q: What is the best manual card shuffle the house can
use to protect the games and increase hands per hour? Also
what are your feelings on shuffle machines? - Bry from
Laporte, USA
Shuffling is not my area of expertise. However
in my opinion if the house spends extra time shuffling
they will lose more than they will gain. The extra time
shuffling will mean less hands per hour dealt. The added
randomness of the shuffle will not benefit the casino
much. Studies by Stanford Wong as described in
Professional Blackjack do indicate that cards next to
each other before the shuffle are disproptionately likely
to stay close together after the shuffle. However this
will not matter to the typical player and is difficult to
exploit by even the professional player.
Mar. 25, 2000
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