Playing poker live for the first time can be a nerve racking experience, and also a bit intimidating. The last thing you want to do is upset another player by doing things you shouldn’t, right? Well, the purpose of this article is to offer some hints and tips on good poker etiquette and to make the introduction to live poker as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

I’ll assume that you already know the basic rules of poker and how to play the game. If not, then you can find this information elsewhere on the site. It’s one thing to be familiar with the fundamentals of poker, but there are many more rules, regulations, and etiquette issues you should know before embarking on your first foray into live poker.

Don’t let anything in this article put you off playing live poker – everyone was a novice at one stage, and poker players are generally friendly and welcoming to new players. If you explain you’re new to the game then they won’t expect you to be perfect, but the following points should help you integrate into the game without any unexpected bumps:

#1 – Keeping Up with the Game

Poker players get frustrated when the game is moving slowly. Pay attention to the game so you know when it’s your turn to act. When it’s your turn to post blinds/antes, then do so without having to be continually prompted. Everyone can forget sometimes, so don’t beat yourself up about this too much – but players will appreciate it if you pay attention and keep up with the flow of the game. Also, only act when it’s your turn – don’t check, call, or fold out of turn. This annoys other players.

#2 – “I See You….And”

So you’ve probably seen poker in the movies where they all say “I see you…and I’ll raise” – STOP! This is incorrect, and phrases like “I see you” are classed as a call, plain and simple. If you wish to make a raise then just say “raise”. Then make your bet. At some venues you might get away with this kind of sloppy table talk, but it’s a bad habit and one that should be eliminated early on.

#3 – Saying “Raise” When You Mean “Bet”

Another very common verbal error that beginners to poker make is saying “raise”, when they are just making a bet. Don’t say raise when you mean bet. For example, after the flop the first to open the betting should say “bet” rather than “raise”. Even though there is money in the pot, they aren’t raising a new bet – they’re making a new one. Saying “raise” should only occur when you’re actually increasing the bet and thereby raising someone else’s previous bet. Other players probably won’t say anything because it’s such a common occurrence, but a good one to avoid nonetheless. It won’t get you into trouble but saying raise when it’s just a bet is like holding up a big neon sign saying “I’m a poker novice”.

#4- String Betting

A string bet is when a player entering his chips into the pot as a bet or raise proceeds to move chips in multiple chip movement, such as dropping chips one at a time or going back to their chip stack to pick up more chips. The ruling for string bets varies from region to region, with some places being far stricter than others. Avoiding a habit for string betting is a good idea as it can prove to be a costly mistake. Here’s some advice – when you want to make a bet, put the chips in one smooth movement. Better still; verbally declare your bet amount before even touching your chips.

If you’re wondering why this is even at all important, then let me be clear about why string betting is frowned upon. String betting is not allowed because it opens up the possibility for cheating, by trying to gain a visual tell or response from another player in the pot. Other players will probably pull you up on string betting – so just be extra careful when making bets.

#5 – the One Chip Rule

Here’s another betting situation that beginners to live poker often fail to understand – until it’s too late. If you don’t announce raise or call and throw one chip into the pot then it can be classed as a call. For example if it’s 100 to call and you place one 500 value chip across the line without declaring raise or call it’s usually only classed as a call. This is why it’s good to declare your action verbally before moving your chips. Just like with string betting, verbal declarations help cut out any potential mistakes.

#6 – Verbal Goes

In a few of the points mentioned so far, I’ve recommended making verbal declarations. I even said “verbal declarations help cut out any potential mistakes” – but they can also be costly, if made in error. You’ll often here poker players say “verbal goes”, and what they mean by this is – what you said first and foremost stands. If you say “call” and proceed to muck your cards, then your call stands and you have to put the chips in (you cards will be dead though in this example).

Make sure you’re up with the game (see #1) before making any verbal declarations. For example, if someone had made a raise before you and you thought there hadn’t been a raise, yet you announced call, then your call will stand. Sometimes this ruling is relaxed, especially for beginners, but it could cost you a lot of chips/money. So use verbal utterances with great care and concentrate on what’s occurred before it’s your turn, so you know exactly what you’re calling or raising.

#7 – Cards on the Table

The cards should remain on the table at all times. Sometimes new players like to hold the cards up towards their chest when sneaking a look – and most people won’t be too strict about this. It’s something beginners tend to do. However, your cards should be visible at all times. Do not hold your cards under the table or away from view. It’s quite obvious why this would be unacceptable, but I’ve seen many new players do this.

When your cards are on the table, avoid covering them with your hands. Other players should be able to see who is involved in the hand, and shouldn’t have to ask “do you still have cards?” If you want to protect your hand then just place a chip onto of them or buy a card protector.

#8 – Mucking Your Cards

When the time comes to fold (muck) your cards, then place them into the muck pile. A lot of new players will barely push their mucked cards forward. This can cause confusion, with other players unsure whether they’ve actually been folded. Avoid any potential confusion and properly muck your cards face down along with the other mucked cards.

Be careful and muck your cards properly. Don’t wildly throw your cards into the muck, because if you cards should miss their intended target and end up on an opponent’s hole cards, then their cards could be declared dead. They won’t be best pleased with you either! This is one reason why it’s a good idea to protect your cards (see previous point), should someone do the same to you.

#9 – Talking / Gesturing During a Hand

When a hand is in progress you should refrain from talking about the hand. General table talk is usually acceptable, but if things get serious then you should pipe down. If by chance you would have made a great hand, then don’t let the whole table know about it either. For example, you fold 7/2 pre-flop and the flop comes 772. Don’t thump the table, yell “Oh my god!” or shake your head profusely. Do this after the hand if needs be, but never during it. It indicates what you had to the other active players involved in the hand and is very poor etiquette.

#10 – Slow Rolling

If a hand enters a showdown (where cards are revealed) then you should show your hole cards as soon as possible, if you’ve been called. If your opponent has shown their cards first and you have a better hand, then reveal it immediately. Do not let your opponent think they might have won the pot, and slowly turn over your winning cards. This is known as slow rolling and is one of the main ways to upset people at the poker table. You want to win their chips, not upset them!

Remember, Live Poker is Great Fun! I hope you’ve found this article useful, particularly if you’re interesting in playing live poker for the first time. If you’re playing in a casino or cardroom and are unsure or confused about any aspect of the game (such as the structure, blinds/antes) then just ask the dealer when you’re not involved in a hand, preferably upon sitting down.

Related posts:

1. Adjusting from Online Poker to Live Poker
2. Playing the Wild Man

Can hypnosis and other techniques affect your poker game?

Picture the scene; you’re sat at the same poker table as Paul McKenna (the stage hypnotist) playing no limit hold’em. After a few hands you hit a royal flush and make a small bet, hoping to induce a re-raise from one of your opponents. McKenna then re-raises, but he also looks you straight in the eye. You feel slightly weird and the next thing you know, you muck your cards and pass your chips to the smiling hypnotist. “Good fold” he remarks.

You then move table and are now sat opposite Derren Brown (the psychic entertainer). This time you get down to the river and you have absolutely nothing, but after a few words of wisdom from Mr Mind Control, you feel the urge to call his massive bet for all your chips. You lose and are out of the tournament! So what happened? Were you hypnotised, brainwashed, subjected to subliminal messages? Or did you just play like a fool who doesn’t know any better?

Hypnosis is a subject that is full of misconceptions and misinformation. Put simply, hypnosis is the art of communication and the avoidance of conflict. For rapid hypnotic inductions, such as those used by stage hypnotists (hypnotherapy is very different), only certain types of people can be influenced and manipulated. For many reasons, conventional hypnosis techniques would not work at the poker table. If it did then you’d expect to see a few more hypnotists playing at the WSOP – and winning. The notion of controlling people using ‘Jedi Mind Tricks’ is the act of fiction. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying stage hypnotists cannot get people to do strange things, such as believing that they’re Elvis or running around the stage like a headless chicken, but these occur in a controlled environment on the stage. The ’subjects’ are willing participants who have ultimately given their permission to play along.

Although one should not dismiss hypnosis completely, because I believe that hypnosis can be very applicable to poker when used for self improvement. There’s absolutely no reason why self hypnosis or hypnotherapy couldn’t help you become a better poker player. It could be used in many ways, such as helping you stay relaxed, increasing your attention and focus, improving your unconscious memory, controlling your emotions, and much more. There is a self hypnosis CD / MP3 download from HypnoShop.com called “Perfect Poker“, which I would recommend. Of course hypnosis can also be used for many other areas of self improvement – and it can be highly effective.

If hypnosis won’t help you develop any ‘Jedi Mind Tricks’ for your poker game, then what other options remain? Well, there are other ‘mind control’ techniques aside from hypnosis such as NLP, which stands for Neuro-Linguistic-Programming. It’s a popular self help communication tool, which in layman’s terms could be described as “sort of like hypnosis but with the eyes open”. There are many different aspects that fall under the umbrella term “NLP”, and it has many devoted followers. In my opinion it’s mostly over-hyped nonsense and full of rhetoric. However it might be worth looking in a little more details how some of the better aspects of NLP ‘might’ help at the poker table.

Gaining rapport is a major aspect of NLP. Once you have rapport with someone, you can take the pace and start to lead them in the direction you want. If you’ve ever bought something you didn’t want then the sales person did their job properly and used such techniques on you. Whether they referred to their efforts as NLP or just good sales technique is irrelevant. In poker terms, you could start pacing someone into doubting their hand. Suppose you were to use the following language pattern:

“I’m not too sure about my hand. I think it’s good and it feels like a winner, but there are doubts in my mind, major doubts . You know when you look at your hand and think about it. You know those hands that you were positive would win and then you lose a lot of money!”

Of course you’d have to be a good talker to try and use such techniques, and it would require some skill to pull it off without looking like an idiot. What if you don’t talk much at the table? Well this brings me onto the subject of anchoring. This is an NLP technique which ‘anchors’ a feeling or emotion to anything from a movement, word, or touch, etc. This is the same process as when we hear a certain song and the memories and emotions associated to that song come flooding back. How about ‘anchoring’ a poker player into doubting their hand?

The first step is to gain rapport, and once the player is in the peak state of realizing how rubbish their hand is, you anchor this state with a touch or gesture, such as tapping the table in a particular manner. This is repeated a few times to enhance the association. This would then be used later for the desired response i.e. getting them to doubt there hand and fold it. Anchoring could also be used on yourself. How about anchoring the feeling of having the best hand, and firing this anchor when you want to bluff. You’d have the perfect poker face!

There are many other NLP techniques such as eye accessing cues, but these are too unreliable and deserve no explanation here. As I said earlier, much of NLP is over-hyped and many of the techniques are rather hit and miss, and not at all reliable. However I hope I might have opened your eyes to what could be possible. Of course the most reliable way of winning at poker is to play the good hands and fold the bad ones.

* This article was originally written and published on this site on the 3rd March 2005.

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And how to reduce the chances of being cheated!

It is generally known that much deception is practiced at cards. Since a child I’ve had a keen interest in magic – sleight of hand in particular. You’ve no doubt heard the saying “the hand is quicker than the eye”, yet this is false. The hand is not quicker than the eye, it’s cleverer, and the key to any decent card trick is keeping complete control of the cards. Therefore the methods of cheating that I’ll be discussing in this article are mainly related to card manipulation, also known as ‘mechanics’.

I won’t be going into great detail about the card manipulation methods because this would be breaking the age old magician’s code. The reason for writing this article is that I believe it’s important to have an understanding of the potential card cheating methods employed in order to reduce the chances of being cheated. Anyone reading this who is thinking of using this information to cheat – don’t even think about it! It’s important to have morals and good ethics, and if this is beyond you then just consider that any rewards would be far outweighed by the huge risks of cheating.

Marked Cards

Marked cards are also known as ‘readers’. Such cards can easily be identified by looking at the back of the card. Whilst it is possible to buy specially manufactured marked cards, the usual method would be for the card cheat to mark the cards themselves during a game. A whole deck of cards can easily be ‘doctored’ fairly quickly. Although most cheats would probably just mark the higher value cards. Since there is virtually no skill (except for avoiding attention) to marking cards it is an appealing cheating method for many cheats.

The cheat can mark cards in a variety of ways. The most common way of marking cards is by putting a nail mark into the card by squeezing the card between the thumb and forefinger. Other methods include crimping the corners, grease marks, dirt marks, etc. If you play a lot of live poker then you will probably have been involved in a game where cards have been marked. It doesn’t always mean that someone has attempted to cheat, as even the best playing cards can get marked naturally. But keep a close eye on the cards and if you spot a marked card then immediately request a new deck. If you’re not completely happy then leave the game.

To diminish the influence of marked cards you should always use ‘burn cards’ when you play poker. The great advantage is that the cheat would not know what the next card is from the deck. I would also suggest that the deck is kept square on the table and not spread out as some people prefer. If the deck is spread, even slightly, then the corners of the cards are exposed and it gives the card cheat an opportunity to see where the marked cards are. Some players also have a habit of discarding the burn card before the betting round has finished. If you see people doing this then politely tell them not to do it. It’s bad form!

The Cold Deck

This is a prearranged deck that the cheat would bring into the game at an opportune moment. The deck would have two or more hands already setup or ’stacked’ and it would be ready for dealing. The cheat might also give the deck a false shuffle and then deal his winning hand. With a prepared deck the card cheat would ensure his victim has a very good hand, just not quite as good as his. Little skill is required in this method of cheating as the deck could have been prearranged hours before the game.

False Shuffling

As you can imagine the ‘cold deck’ has limitations for the cheat. Therefore another cheating method is to ’stack’ the deck during a seemingly legitimate shuffle. During this ’shuffle’ the desired cards are shuffled into the correct location in the deck. Suppose it is a five handed game of poker; the shuffler/dealer has secured the two Aces at the top of the deck, he then proceeds to perform simple overhand shuffle. In this shuffle the card cheat has just separated the Aces by ‘running’ four cards between them. Now there is just one Ace on the top. Another quick overhand shuffle and the Aces are now laying 5th and 10th in the deck. The cards are dealt and hey presto the cheat has pocket Aces!

Contrary to what people would imagine, the card cheat is able to stack a deck very easily by using the overhand shuffle. This is because cards can be pulled off one at a time, breaks can be formed between packets, and the sequence can easily repeated. Such manipulation is far more difficult with the riffle shuffle technique.

Of course when it comes to card shuffling you should also be aware that the deck may already be prearranged. The whole deck doesn’t need to be but maybe just the top 10 or 15 cards. The card cheat will then ensure he doesn’t interrupt this part of the deck. This is called ‘top stock control’. This sort of stock control is also done with the riffle shuffle. It is pretty easy to spot as the shuffler will be attempting to avoid disturbing the top cards.

Cheating using the riffle shuffle is far more difficult. It’s still possible to do false shuffles using this method but to stack a deck requires considerable skill and years of practise. So the warning to you is be very wary when someone you have seen using the riffle shuffle, changes and starts using the overhand shuffle. People who shuffle with the riffle shuffle very rarely need to do an overhand shuffle. It should also be noted that the professional card cheat will never show off his skill at manipulation. This would be very stupid. The clever cheat would look clumsy so as not to arouse suspicion.

False Dealing

There are two main ways of dodgy dealing. The first is what is called ‘dealing seconds’. This is where the card cheat would have his desired card at the top of the deck. This card will remain on the top throughout the deal until it gets to his turn, at which point the top card is dealt. This is a difficult card sleight and even more difficult to detect if it is done properly. The card cheat will usually push the top card over very slightly, at which point the right thumb (if right handed) comes in and clips the second card out whilst the top card is simultaneously pulled back into position by the left thumb.

The Second Deal:

Stage 1

Stage 2

Of course the card cheat only has the advantage of dealing himself one desired card using this method. The far more effective crooked deal is the bottom deal. As you’ve probably guessed, the bottom deal means dealing from the bottom of the deck. This is extremely hard to master and you shouldn’t worry too much as very few people can perform the bottom deal without giving away tell tale signs.

The card cheat will in all probability be holding the deck in what is known as ‘the mechanics grip’. The middle finger then comes in and takes the bottom card from the deck. This is all done in a very fluid manner, assuming of course that the card cheat is a good manipulator. The biggest give away sign to the bottom deal is that ‘mechanics grip’. It is not a natural way to hold a deck of cards. Another give away is the noise made by the bottom card when it is dealt. If performed badly the bottom of the deck will also wedge out slightly. Watch out for these!

The Bottom Deal:

The “Mechanics Grip”

The “Wedge” occurs when badly executed.

Of course you should always have a postilion (the plastic card) at the bottom of the deck when dealing. This makes it very difficult to perform a bottom deal. If you don’t have a postilion then use a joker card as a substitute. Please remember that it takes years of practise to achieve an effective bottom deal, and when you add the postilion to the equation it would require a true expert. So don’t worry too much about it.

Confederacy

When two or more card cheats work together the difficulty of their task is dramatically reduced. The chosen cards would be gathered before the shuffle (i.e. scooped from the last hand), secured, shuffled into the desired location, and then cut. If the rules of the game dictate that someone other than the shuffler is obliged to cut the cards, then the cheater’s accomplice will duly cut the deck at the desired location.

You may ask how the cheat knows where to cut the cards? One common method is for the 1st cheat to bend the deck then cut the deck themselves, but in the act of doing this cut the top half of the deck is bent backwards. The cut is completed and as the deck is on the table there is a clear arch between the top and bottom halves, which is where the 2nd cheat will cut. This brings the deck back to its original position. Whilst this method is fairly simple, the giveaway signs are easy to spot. If this method were employed then the cut would be done very quickly to avoid being caught.

Another method is for the 1st cheat to cut the deck but to out jog slightly. The 2nd cheat then just cuts at the point where the deck slightly overlaps. The deck is then setup for the deal with the cards in place. As you can imagine, when two or more people are involved in cheating it doesn’t have to be about card manipulation. There are many ways to cheat when collusion is involved and far too many to list here.

Good Practise to Follow

The following procedures should be common place in your poker game to help prevent cheating;

Seating - Players should draw cards to determine who sits where. You should never be able to just sit where you like as it increases the odds for the card cheats who are in collusion.

Shuffling/Cutting/Dealing - The same player shouldn’t shuffle and deal the cards as well. The player to the dealers left should shuffle, the player to the dealer’s right then cuts, and the dealer then deals. This eliminates lots of possible opportunities to cheat.

Use a Postilion - Always have a postilion or joker on the bottom of the deck. Not only does it stop the bottom card being glimpsed, but it helps prevent bottom dealing.

Count the Cards - At regular intervals the cards should be counted to ensure they are all present. If two Aces are missing, start worrying!

Check for Markings - Regularly check the cards for marks, crimps, etc. Of course some marks will be accidental but if this affects the game then get a new deck of cards.

Cards on the Table - Ensure that playing cards are kept on the table at all times. There is no reason why a player should have to remove the cards from the table.

Of course there are many methods of cheating in poker and I don’t claim to know all of them. I also don’t want you to think that card cheating happens all the time. It doesn’t. Playing poker live is great fun and you shouldn’t let what I’ve shared with you put you off. So long as you play poker in an environment you’re comfortable with and are having fun, then don’t worry. However it is always wise to know the methods which could be used to cheat you and for this reason you should follow the procedures explained above. Anyway, I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading this!

* This updated article was originally written by Tim Ryerson on 3rd February 2005.

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1. Learn How to Shuffle Cards
2. Buying the Perfect Playing Cards
3. Ruling! #3 – Three Hole Cards

6 Card Shuffling Tutorials

Many people have difficulty shuffling playing cards, and this can be problematic when playing at a table without a professional dealer – such as in home games or self dealt games (where each player takes it in turn to shuffle and deal). The solution to this problem is to get a pack of playing cards and learn how to shuffle – which is the objective of these card shuffling tutorials.

Over the years I’ve sat next to lots of players who say “I can’t shuffle” or “excuse my poor shuffling”. If they’re really bad then someone usually offers to shuffle for them, for which they’re usually grateful. If you fall into this minority of poker players then now is the time to learn. You probably can’t shuffle because you’ve never been taught the correct techniques. While you may think shuffling cards looks hard or complicated, it’s actually fairly easy. It’s similar to when you learn how to play poker, i.e. understanding the correct techniques, and then practicing. Repetition is the key to success!

The Different Methods of Shuffling Cards

There are many different ways to shuffle a deck of cards. For these card shuffling tutorials I’ll be covering the following methods:

• The Overhand Shuffle – This is the shuffle used by most people. A good simple, lazy, sloppy shuffle.
• The Hindu Shuffle – A simple, quick and very elegant shuffle. One of my personal favourites.
• The Weave Shuffle – A very simple shuffle to perform and for those yet to master the riffle shuffle.
• The Riffle Shuffle – This is a great way to shuffle cards and not as difficult as it looks.
• The Table Riffle Shuffle – This is easier than the in the hands riffle shuffle, yet just as effective and elegant.
• The Strip Shuffle – Also known as running cuts and is a great finish for the table riffle shuffle.

The Overhand Shuffle

The overhand shuffle is the shuffling technique most employed by beginners so this is where we’ll start. The standard overhand shuffle is a simple way to shuffle cards. It is a very open, casual, somewhat sloppy shuffle, in contrast to the more elegant riffle shuffle and table shuffle which will be explained later.

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The Handling

1. Hold the deck by the sides so that the deck is on its edge.
2. The fingers of the right hand rest lightly against the back of the deck, thumb on top.
3. The left hand grips the deck and lifts off as the thumb holds a few cards back
4. The thumb moves out of the way as the left hand comes back down.
5. The thumb then takes a few more cards.
6. As the left hand again moves up
7. This action is repeated several times
8. The deck is finally squared up.

Important Points / Tips

• The important point with this shuffle is to have a light touch.
• You may also like to curl the index finger of the right hand around the deck to offer extra support.
• If you find the thumb is taking too many cards in big groups or it is only taking single cards then don’t worry about this, with further practise you will get the balance right.
• Instead of using the thumb to pull the cards off, you can just use the other hand to throw the cards down. Some people find this easier to do and a more natural action.

The Hindu Shuffle

I don’t know why this is called the Hindu shuffle, but my guess is that it originates from India. I have seen lots of Asian people shuffle cards using this technique. There is a similar shuffle called the Arab Shuffle, but I prefer this handling. The shuffle is very simple and quite easy to perform. Once you have the hang of this shuffle I’m sure you’ll use it all the time.

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The Handling

1. Hold the deck by the end with the thumb and middle finger. The index finger can rest lightly on top for more support.
2. Here is an image from below.
3. The right hand comes underneath the deck. The thumb, middle and ring finger touch the side of the deck. The index finger stays out in front.
4. The right hand lightly takes packets of cards from the top of the deck.
5. The removed cards fall onto the palm of the right hand. The index finger stops the cards from flying forward.
6. The right hand goes beneath the deck once more and removes another packet.
7. This action is repeated several times until there are only a few cards left. These are placed ontop of the deck, which is then squared.
8. An image from behind to show you the correct technique.

Important Points / Tips

• The key to this shuffle is to form a trap with the fingers so that the cards fall neatly into the palm. The index finger is especially important as it will stop the cards from flying everywhere.
• The index finger of the other hand can go where you like. I usually keep it well out of the way.
• It is up to you about how many packets you glide off the top. I usually drag about ten packets then repeat the shuffle again.
• Don’t go too fast at first, unless you want to perform the 52 card pick up trick!

The Weave Shuffle

To be honest I rarely use this shuffle as I prefer the riffle shuffle, which is much quicker. However this is a very easy shuffle and is ideal for people who have yet to master the riffle shuffle. It’s easy yet it does a good job of mixing the cards.

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The Handling

1. Hold the cards by the edge and using the thumb seperate about half the cards.
2. Align the upper pack of cards against the lower pack.
3. Weave the cards together by the edges.
4. Push the cards together by about an inch or so.
5. Bend the cards with the palm of the left hand and then release the pressure.
6. Square the cards up.

Important Points / Tips

• Don’t be too rough with the cards. This shuffle can damage the cards when performed badly. Use a light touch and you will find the cards will weave together more easily.
• It’s also easier if you weave the corners together rather than the whole sides.
• You do not have to perform the cascade finish with this shuffle. The other option is to just push the two packets together and square the deck.

The Riffle Shuffle (in the hands)

This is a great way to shuffle cards. While this shuffle looks impressive, it’s actually far easier than you might think. Yes, I’ll admit it does take some getting used to, but once you have a feel for the cards it’ll be second nature.

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The Handling

1. The start position is this. The thumb of the left hand goes on the top edge. The middle and ring fingers support the bottom edge. The little finger can be placed on the back edge and the first finger can either go on the front edge or bent ontop of the deck to lend support.
2. The thumb now riffles have the deck away. The first finger can lend support here by bending in behind (i.e. on top of the deck).
3. The riffled packet can now fall onto the the middle and ring fingers of the right hand. The index finger of the right hand should come to the front edge and the little finger on the other edge.
4. Both packets should now be firmly gripped in the position shown. The use of the index and little fingers should lend support here.
5. As you can see in this picture, the fingers are supporting the deck with the two thumbs on the top edge of the deck.
6. The hands are turned over whilst keeping a good grip of the cards. Because of the solid grip, the cards should not fall.
7. The thumbs now riffle the deck together. The thumbs should just move slowly up the edge of the cards. The cards will riffle together.
8. The solid grip of the cards supports them as they riffle together. Some people are in the habit of using their knee or a table. With a solid grip it isn’t necessary.
9. The cards should now shuffled together an inch or so. You can either push the two packets together and square up….or…
10. You can perform the cascade finish. Simply bend the cards whilst keeping your thumbs on the top. This will stop them from going everywhere.
11. Now just gently release the pressure from your thumbs and the cards should cascade.
12. Square up the deck and shuffle again if necessary.

Important Points / Tips

• Some people are in the habit of doing this against their knee or against the table. It is not really necessary to do that as long as you’ve got a good grip on the cards.
• If you’re having trouble getting the cards to shuffle together then just experiment with the distance between the cards and the position of your hands.
• You do not have to perform the cascade finish with this shuffle. You can just push the two packs together. However the cascade finish looks really nice and it is the easiest part of the whole shuffle. It is basically self working.

The Table Riffle Shuffle

This is a simple shuffle which you will see performed at the casinos or poker rooms. The reason this shuffle is used is because it is very effective and it is impossible (depending on the dealer) for the players to see exposed cards. The previous shuffles often give other players a chance to glimpse at the bottom card.

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The Handling

1. Start by lifting off about half the deck with the right thumb.
2. Move the packet over to the right and hold each packet with the thumbs placed on the inside edge, index fingers lightly on top, and the remaining fingers at the corners of the front edge.
3. The thumbs now lift up the edges of each packet. This is supported by applying pressure with the index fingers of each hand.
4. The corner edges of the two packets should be nearly touching as the thumbs now riffle up the edges of each packet
5. The cards should now be shuffled neatly into each other.
6. Push the two packets together.
7. Square up the pack and repeat the shuffle if necessary.
8. Here is an image of the closed shuffle, see below for more info.

Important Points / Tips

• This shuffle can be done in several ways. It can be done open or closed. What I mean by open or closed is the way you position your hands. I prefer the open style because it is handled in a more open manner. If you look at dealers in a casino or poker room then you’ll see that they often use the closed method. This method is sometimes called the dovetail shuffle.
• I’d suggest experimenting and see which method you prefer.

The Strip Shuffle (or Running Cuts)

This is a very nice casino type action and an ideal shuffle to combine with the riffle table shuffle. It can be quite tricky to get used to the handling, but definetly worth the effort.

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5:	6:	7:	8:

The Handling

1. Place the deck on the table and place the thumbs of each hand on the back edge, fingers at the front.
2. The right thumb grips a small packet from the top of the deck whilst the left hand removes the rest of the packet by moving out and forward.
3. The left hand brings the packet back on top of the smaller packet and the right index finger lifts up out of the way.
4. The packets are not aligned together. The left hand packet should be jogged slightly to the left whilst keeping a grip on these cards.
5. The right index finger then clips another small packet which fall ontop of the previous packet as the left hand moves away again.
6. The left hand packet comes back on top again as before and the right index finger clips more cards from the top.
7. The cards move away again and the small packet drops onto the cards below. This sequence continues.
8. Until all the cards have been stripped and the deck is squared.

Important Points / Tips

• Start by doing this shuffle very slowly. You can then speed it up once you’ve got the hang of it.
• You will often find that cards pop out of the deck when they shouldn’t. Don’t worry about this. Just square the cards up quickly and carry on.
• The key to this shuffle is the clipping of the cards by the index finger.

Related posts:

1. Cheating at Cards
2. Buying the Perfect Playing Cards
3. Fun Card Propositions