How Continuous Shuffling Affects the Odds
Written March 8, 2008 by Jack Jones
A common question asked is how big of a disadvantage does the blackjack player have who counts cards have against continuous shuffle machines? And a related question of how often do online casinos shuffle their cards? We turned to casino expert Mark Pilarski to allow him to help assist us with these questions and more.
Casinos thwart card counters by using different countermeasures. They can use more decks, which decrease the player’s advantage, or they can shuffle prematurely. The downside to frequent shuffling against a suspected card-counter is that it takes time, and if the dealer isn’t pitching cards to non-counting players and putting their kiss goodbye chips in the tray, the casino’s losing money.
Casinos can speed up play, and simultaneously curb counters with automatic shuffling machines.
Some shuffling machines shuffle-up one set of cards while another is in play. Others, known as Continuous Shuffle Machines, allow the dealer to simply return used cards to a single shoe, which allows play without any interruption. Because Continuous Shuffle Machines essentially allow minimal deck penetration, the advantage of traditional counting techniques is completely lost.
As for online casinos, the deck is reshuffled at the start of each hand, giving the card counter zip advantage. You will see some online casinos show an animation of the dealer shuffling the cards intermittently to give the illusion that the cards are being shuffled infrequently, but the cards are nonetheless actually shuffled after every round. It’s for show, Jack, not for wrapping you in dough.
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:
- The Math of Gambling
- Flat Betting v. Rating System
- Casino Games & Bonuses: BookMaker Tournaments
- Credit Card Sportsbooks
- How Sportsbooks Set Betting Odds
Got something to say?
No comments yet, but your thoughts are welcome!