Hi All.

Working hard on my next book, I'd like a few details about the "selective shuffle" used by some casinos. Why, how, when, etc.

Thanks to anyone who can help!

Selective shuffling means just what it says. It means changing the shuffling procedure against “selected” people and it can take a number of different forms but it usually means the dealer will shuffle sooner or with less depth of deck penetration.

Most casinos have a specific shuffling procedure and a specific deck penetration point in BJ. This shuffle point is often marked by a plastic “cut” card. When the cut card comes up during the hand, the dealer knows he must shuffle after the current hand is completed. Selective shuffling can mean the cut card is moved up higher in the deck thereby reducing deck penetration against selected individuals. It can also mean the dealer shuffles after one hand, or two hands or any pre-determined number of hands against a specific individual usually because they are trying to stop a card counter from gaining an advantage. It can also mean the dealer is counting the deck down and shuffling when it becomes favorable for the players.

It is often used in lieu of barring the card counting player.

Thanks Cag.

Is it considered "fair" to shuffle after 2 hands? I mean, in a way, it could be seen as "cheating" the player. In another hand, casinos proceed the way the fell like, I know.

@AMcD: Most casinos have the right to shuffle the cards at any time. They are just protecting themselves from card counters. The alternative is to bar the counter from playing.

When the casino starts to use selective shuffling, the counter realizes he has been discovered and usually will leave the game or the joint when the casino starts to employ this tactic.

AMcD,

One of the issues with preferential shuffling (the more common term) is that it affects non-counters as well as the counters that it's being used against.

You can read about it in:

Gambling For a Living by Sklansky/Malmuth
Beyond Counting by Grosjean
Million Dollar Blackjack by Uston
Casino Game Protection by Forte
Theory of Blackjack by Griffin
Smart Casino Gambling by Vancura
Gambling Times Guide to Blackjack by Roberts

it's also briefly mentioned in Blackbelt in Blackjack and The Big Book of Blackjack by Arnold Snyder.

The NGCB ruled that preferential shuffling is legal, although it appears to violate certain language in the NRS section on cheating. In any case, as Cag mentioned, it never did much to the card counters except drive them away.

Jason

Some counters have also advanced the idea that if a dealer uses preferential shuffling (shuffling up early when the counter raises his bets, under the assumption that the count is in favour of the player), a player could exploit it by raising his bet in negative counts, making the dealer shuffle up in that situation instead, and ending up playing in high counts more often.

Thanks to all.

If the dealer is counting as he deals and shuffles when the deck becomes favorable but deals further down when it is unfavorable, that certainly would affect other players at the table. I have not seen that done (with single deck play), for many years and in my opinion, that would constitute cheating on the part of the casino operators or they would be walking a very narrow line.

However, if the dealer is instructed to move the cut card higher in the deck if someone at the table is suspected of counting, this would not affect the other players in this instance. Even if the joint deals one hand and then shuffles it will not affect the other players unless they are trying to count. In my opinion, a well-run casino will have their shuffling procedure and deck penetration laid out specifically and all dealers adhere to those standards. They could then modify it in a specific instance to thwart counters.

One joint years ago used a weak variation of this dealer discretion ploy of shuffling when the deck becomes favorable (with single deck play). The dealers were instructed to shuffle if no aces showed in the first 20 cards or so. If most or all of the aces were out in the first half of the deck, they were instructed to deal deeply into the remainder of the deck. It was a very small joint that did this and the pit personnel were idiots to try something this foolish. I believe they eventually got pulled up on this by gaming control.

As Jason mentioned, Preferential Shuffling is a more common euphemism for the procedure as it seems political correctness has entered into all areas of our lives.

I believe that concept was advanced initially by Ed Thorp in Beat the Dealer.

You see this more in AC because the law prevents them from removing advantage players so they tend to be a bit more... crelative then Vegas.

-Whiskey

"Creative" ...stupid phone keyboard

I liked it better the first way. I thought I was getting privy to a new, unknown gambling term.

Blackjack is the one game where what happens the hand prior directly impacts the odds of the next hand. For example in a double deck pitch game if you see 4 aces the odds of getting a natural have just dropped dramatically. This is what card counters exploit.

The deeper you deal the more information that is available to the attentive. This is why the casino does not deal that deep. This is why they deal particularly shallow to those they think may be tracking cards. This is a simple counter measure that is often enough to discourage many card counters.

The continuous shuffle machine also makes it for all intents and purposes as if you play against a new shoe every hand.

It is all about making sure they keep their edge.

This seems like a recipe for disaster. I say seems as I have not tried it or done the math.

Slow chip escalation works often as does removing your original bet with the winnings. Obviously attentive dealers still see it.

This is why I prefer multiple do ck shoes. You can escalate slower.