Playing cards have been around since the 14th century. Shuffling is a necessary process of playing any card game, as the luck factor of getting better cards and winning is what makes card games fun to play.
A typical playing card deck will consist of 52 cards, with a total of 4 different suits consisting of 13 cards each. When shuffling these cards, they make upwards of eight to the power of 67; that’s an eight followed by 67; that’s more combinations than there are atoms in the world!
When it comes to shuffling before a game, a good shuffle can randomize the cards to provide even distribution and a fair chance for each player. You can use these five ways to shuffle your deck for the perfect game during your game.
Why Is Shuffling So Important?
Shuffling is an art; a good shuffling technique often reflects the dealer’s experiences and the playing cards’ beauty. The five shuffling techniques we have selected for you today, namely the overhand shuffle, the riffle shuffle, the Faro shuffle, the waterfall shuffle, and the one-handed shuffle, offer a great mix of a good, even, and fair shuffle and look elegant and classy at the same time so that you can impress your friends and intimidate fellow players.
Before you read ahead, watch this video on how you can shuffle like a pro and impress your friends while you are at it.
What Are Some Common Shuffling Techniques?
As one might expect of a popular game, there are plenty of ways to shuffle the deck. Here are a few common shuffling techniques.
The Overhand Shuffle Is A Classic
The overhand shuffle is an age-old classic shuffle. It is easy to learn and is one of the most commonly used shuffles among novice players but provides a less even distribution of cards compared to other techniques discussed here due to its simplicity.
How To Do The Overhand Shuffle?
To do this shuffle, you rest the deck face down on your palm, gripping it from both sides with your fingers. Now place your other hand over the top of the cards and grip it from the sides as well. Try gripping a stack from the center while the hand holding the deck grips the stack above and below your selected one. Use your index finger over the top of the cards to slide out the stack from the center and place it on the top. Repeat this step, forming a fluid, repetitive pattern to shuffle. Repeat it 12-15 times for a good shuffle!
The Riffle Shuffle Is Popular
The riffle shuffle is one of the classic card shuffles that never fails to impress. Though it can be a little hard to learn at first, once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to do it without even looking at the deck.
What Is The Right Way To Do The Riffle Shuffle?
To start off, cut the deck into equal halves, placing them facedown on the table. Arrange the decks beside each other so that both decks are horizontal (the long sides are in the same line horizontally). Then place one hand over each deck, so your thumbs are side-by-side.
Proceed to grab the sides of the cards with your fingers to hold them while you grip the other sides with each thumb and lift them; bring the two decks closer until they overlap by about 1 centimeter or half an inch. Slowly let the cards slide down one by one, alternatively through each thumb.
The Faro Shuffle Is Very Precise
The faro shuffled is widely acclaimed due to the precision in its shuffle. It involved dividing the deck into exactly two halves of 26 cards and then arranging them alternatively to give a perfectly cut shuffle. If done precisely, doing the shuffle four times in a row will give you back your original deck!
How To Do The Faro Shuffle?
To do it, simply cut the deck in half, holding one in each hand, and then slowly open up the corners of each half with your thumb and slide them into each other so the cards alternate.Once you have slid in the cards and aligned one side of the cards, you can simply finish it up with the same technique from the finishing of the riffle shuffle.
The Waterfall Shuffle Is A Fancy One
If you’re looking for fancier shuffles to impress your friends, you should surely learn the waterfall shuffle. It is an extension of the Faro shuffle. You divide the deck into two halves and slice them together, just like in the Faro Shuffle.
Once you’ve done this, you have reached the waterfall point. Holding the two decks with their corners sliced in, insert your middle finger between the two halves and leave them up, letting them merge and fall into your other hand. It is hard to learn, but a little practice will help you master it in no time.
You Can Try The One-Handed Shuffle
The One-Handed shuffle is a more expert shuffle to learn, but it makes up for its difficulty by being one of the most elegant shuffles which can seamlessly be done single-handedly. It is also our personal favorite! To perform the shuffle, grip the deck with one hand and divide it into two halves, using your fingers for assistance.
Once the two halves have been made, use your index finger to act as a barrier between them. Then slice the bottom corners together like in a Faro Shuffle. To complete the shuffle, bend your thumb and fingers in so the deck gets a U shape.
Remove your index finger from the middle simultaneously to get a seamless slicing of the deck.
In Conclusion
Although these shuffles may look intimidating at first, know that none of them are impossible. Shuffling tricks require finger dexterity, which can only be improved by practicing the shuffles repeatedly!
Learning cards requires patience but once you have mastered these shuffling tricks than you’re likely to not forget them for a long time to come.
