Continuous shuffling machines are a mainstay in the casino game of Blackjack. The game's basic components contributing to your outcome is luck of the draw. Shuffling of cards automatically can affect both the odds of the players to win and the house advantage.
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This method significantly reduces the profitability of card counting, as the benefits of card counting are the highest towards the end of a shoe. Counting cards also loses its meaning if the casino uses a CSM (continuous shuffling machine). CSM is a device for automatic shuffling of cards. Therefore, after the completion of each round, the used. Even though CSMs make counting impossible, we counted just for fun. We found an interesting phenomenon. Using Hi-Lo (without dividing by the number of decks, for obvious reasons), we were getting. Counting cards in blackjack is tough, and though not illegal, it's frowned upon and can get you booted from casinos. But if you already have a firm grasp of the game, it's a great way to help you understand when the odds are in your favor. So if your local casino only has CSM blackjack tables, and you are still wanting a game where you can use your skill to obtain an advantage, you might as well switch to playing poker. Card counting works on the concept that some cards are good for the player, while others are bad.
Whilst this factor used to vary quite significantly depending on the shuffler of a game, with the advancements in technology new methods to shuffle cards have emerged, enabling a fairer game wherever played. Most casinos will not manually shuffle cards. Rather they will use machines which are called ‘continuous shuffling machines.'
Understanding the Shuffling Machine
Shuffling machines are used across the casino industry to create more efficient randomisation of cards for any game in comparison to shuffling manually. Since their invention, different variations of card shuffling machines have emerged, such as automatic shufflers and the continuous shuffling machine (CSM).
The continuous shuffling machine facilitates a type of automated shuffling used by most, if not all, casinos in an attempt to stop card counting in games. Continuous shuffling machines work by randomising the deck of cards, thereby allowing the game to be played at a quicker rate, (not having to wait for the dealer to shuffle and deal), whilst providing a fairer game through a more thorough, entirely objective shuffling system.
How Continuous Shuffling Machines Work
Typically, five decks of cards are placed into a CSM, with the machine throwing out and putting back in cards from each deck at random. The shuffling, as the name suggests, is going on continuously, with cards already used in the game having the chance to show up in subsequent hands. This makes attempts of card counting less likely to be successful than games with a traditionally shuffled deck of cards.
The original continuous shuffling machine uses an elevator-type system in which a shuffler will insert cards into the device's shelves at random as the machine moves up and down. The Shuffle Master then randomly picks a deck for the game and places it into the dealing shoe. There are numerous different types of CSM, all providing a casino game with an effective, thoroughly random shuffle.
How Continuous Shuffling Machines Affect Player Strategies
Whilst playing a game of Blackjack that involves a CSM, there are a few things to consider in order to develop an effective gaming strategy, and to further yield the best possible outcome:
- Cards that have been used are placed back in the deck at random throughout the game. Therefore, counting cards throughout a game with a CSM will be less likely to work, if not impossible altogether
- Apart from card counting, games involving CSM will not change other basic Blackjack strategies, as these are almost always concerning elements of the game outside the shuffling of a deck
- Shuffle tracking could possibly be done if the CSM is integrating cards already used in the game back into the dealing shoe. Through this, players may be able to predict what cards are likely to be grouped together
- In a game of Blackjack with a CSM, the distribution of cards used is weighted in favour of the larger cards
- The fewer the decks of cards a CSM is set up for, the better the advantage for the player
Consideration of the above factors can help a player significantly whilst working out how to get the best possible outcome during a Blackjack game that uses a continuous shuffling machine.
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Can Continuous Shuffling Machines be Beaten in Casinos?
It has been claimed that Blackjack is the only game players can learn to beat regularly. Those that learn basic strategy techniques are much more likely to win a game, and with experience under their belt, move on to card counting to further increase their chances of winning.
The implementation of continuous shuffling machines within most casinos has drastically restricted the lengths to which card counters can go to. There are still various things that can be done to put an advanced player's skill set to good use!
There are many different types and models of continuous shuffle machines, one of which is made by leading manufacturer Shuffle Master and is the One 2 Six Machine.
The One 2 Six types of the shuffler, similar to most of the basic layouts of continuous shuffling machines, have cards inserted into it at random and throughout the duration of the game, and then presents a predetermined, thoroughly shuffled, number of cards into the dealing shoe for use in the game.
Although players cannot know the exact cards distributed, what can be determined is that the cards in the game will not be dealt for a few hands. Therefore, this provides players with a move accurate guess as to what will be in this new pack of cards by filtering through what is least likely to be in it.
However, each type of continuous shuffling machine will slightly vary in its techniques, being able to hold different amounts of decks within the shuffling process. The higher the amount of decks involved in the shuffling machine, the harder it is to estimate what is in the deck and therefore the lower the advantage for the player.
Shuffling When Playing at Online Casinos
When playing Blackjack at a live online casino, determining what shuffling technique is being used is a bit more difficult as simulations and algorithms are used for the most part.
Therefore, to help guess what type of shuffling technique is used and adapt player strategy accordingly, here's what to bear in mind with online casinos:
- They often use a random simulation program in its shuffling technique to avoid bias
- Shuffling is typically done after every hand
- If you see the same card twice in a game, the casino is not using traditional methods, and rather is much more likely to be using CSM-styled shuffling
While continuous shuffling machines have made it harder for the more experienced Blackjack player to win, they level the playing field. Adapting your strategy towards beating the shuffler through a good knowledge of how your shuffling is done, and what this means for the hands dealt in a game.
Card counting has been the most-popular advantage gambling method since the 1960s. It gives virtually anybody a chance to gain an edge casino in blackjack.
A skilled card counter can beat any hand-shuffled game over time. However, you may find it impossible to beat tables that use a continuous shuffling (CSM).
Many say that games with a CSM can't be beaten through card counting. But is this really the case?
I'm going to discuss more on continuous shuffling machines along with if there's any possible way for you win with such games.
Why You Can Normally Beat Blackjack Through Card Counting
The 'Four Horsemen'—a group of four Army engineers—became the first blackjack players to surmise that blackjack could be beaten. They developed a rudimentary card counting method to improve their chances of winning.
As smart as the Four Horsemen were, though, their system didn't have enough refinement to overcome the house edge. It wasn't until a few years later that another gambler took their work to another level.
A mathematician named Ed Thorp developed the Ten Count method in the early 1960s. Although still rudimentary by today's standards, Ten Count can beat single-deck blackjack when properly employed. Thorp used this method to win profits for himself. He then popularized card counting through his book, Beat the Dealer.
This 1962 publication blew the doors open on card counting. Soon after its release, many gamblers showed up to casinos in hopes of winning profits.
Unfortunately, casinos also had access to Beat the Dealer. They reverse-engineered the advice to think of ways to thwart card counters.
They added more decks and created 'shoe' games in an effort to make counting much more difficult. However, gamblers eventually figured out how to beat shoe games as well.
Using the Hi-Lo system, for example, one simply needs to convert their running count into a true count. The latter accounts for the multiple decks involved.
Gamblers also need to find games that allow enough deck penetration. The latter refers to how far a dealer goes into the shoe before shuffling. If they deal six out of eight decks, for example, they're allowing 75%.
This is the kind of penetration that one needs to beat blackjack on a consistent basis. They'll have more confidence in their counts towards the end of a shoe and make more money.
What Does a Continuous Shuffling Machine Do?
A CSM shuffles the cards so that a dealer doesn't have to stop a game to do so. It includes an opening at the top that allows the dealer to insert a number of cards from the discard tray.
CSMs put cards into little slots inside of it. This random method of placing cards into slots ensures that the piles get well-shuffled.
This machine pushes its shuffled card clumps to the top. The dealer, meanwhile, can continue dealing the game with no time wasted.
The main reason why casinos love continuous shuffling machines is because they stand to earn more profits.
A CSM increases the play rate by 20% and allows casinos to better capitalize on their edge over recreational players. As I'll cover next, casinos also appreciate the fact that these machines hamper card counters.
Why Is a Continuous Shuffling Machine Bad for Card Counters?
Again, card counters need games that offer adequate deck penetration. They can't reasonably expect to make profits when only a quarter of the shoe is dealt.
In this situation, three-fourths of the shoe would remain. Even with a +4 true count at this point, one couldn't have much confidence in this figure when considering how many cards are remaining.
A CSM never gives advantage players the kind of deck penetration they need to win money. Instead, dealers can simply keep inserting cards into the machine and not have to worry about shuffling.
You may wonder, though, why dealers don't just shuffle earlier in the shoe. They could just shuffle at the halfway point, for instance, and make card-counting profits very difficult.
However, dealers would also have to stop the game many more times throughout the day. In turn, this process would cost the casino more money than card counters do on average.
Continuous shuffling machines solve this problem by performing the shuffling. Meanwhile, a dealer can just focus on dealing the cards.
Is There Any Way to Beat CSM Blackjack?
Years ago, I saw a CSI-type show where a group of blackjack players figured out the innerworkings of a continuous shuffling machine.
However, this was just a fictional show. Nobody in real life has figured out how to beat a blackjack game that uses a CSM.
Again, you need enough deck penetration to maintain faith in your count. You can't simply increase your bet 10x because you have a positive count after one out of six decks are dealt.
With so many cards remaining, your positive count isn't as reliable. You need a game that allows at least 75% deck penetration so you can increase your bets shortly before the dealer shuffles.
Of course, you could theoretically beat a blackjack game with a CSM. This scenario would require a dealer forgetting to put discards into the machine.
They'd then need to continue dealing through the whole shoe without recognizing their mistake. However, most dealers have gone through extensive training and know better than to make such a blunder.
Knowing what you do now, you would probably avoid any table with a continuous shuffling machine anyways. So, you wouldn't be around for this rare occurrence.
- Cards that have been used are placed back in the deck at random throughout the game. Therefore, counting cards throughout a game with a CSM will be less likely to work, if not impossible altogether
- Apart from card counting, games involving CSM will not change other basic Blackjack strategies, as these are almost always concerning elements of the game outside the shuffling of a deck
- Shuffle tracking could possibly be done if the CSM is integrating cards already used in the game back into the dealing shoe. Through this, players may be able to predict what cards are likely to be grouped together
- In a game of Blackjack with a CSM, the distribution of cards used is weighted in favour of the larger cards
- The fewer the decks of cards a CSM is set up for, the better the advantage for the player
Consideration of the above factors can help a player significantly whilst working out how to get the best possible outcome during a Blackjack game that uses a continuous shuffling machine.
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- 100% up to £200 + 200 Free Spins
- 100% up to £300 + 300 Free Spins
- 200% up to £100 + 100 Free Spins
Can Continuous Shuffling Machines be Beaten in Casinos?
It has been claimed that Blackjack is the only game players can learn to beat regularly. Those that learn basic strategy techniques are much more likely to win a game, and with experience under their belt, move on to card counting to further increase their chances of winning.
The implementation of continuous shuffling machines within most casinos has drastically restricted the lengths to which card counters can go to. There are still various things that can be done to put an advanced player's skill set to good use!
There are many different types and models of continuous shuffle machines, one of which is made by leading manufacturer Shuffle Master and is the One 2 Six Machine.
The One 2 Six types of the shuffler, similar to most of the basic layouts of continuous shuffling machines, have cards inserted into it at random and throughout the duration of the game, and then presents a predetermined, thoroughly shuffled, number of cards into the dealing shoe for use in the game.
Although players cannot know the exact cards distributed, what can be determined is that the cards in the game will not be dealt for a few hands. Therefore, this provides players with a move accurate guess as to what will be in this new pack of cards by filtering through what is least likely to be in it.
However, each type of continuous shuffling machine will slightly vary in its techniques, being able to hold different amounts of decks within the shuffling process. The higher the amount of decks involved in the shuffling machine, the harder it is to estimate what is in the deck and therefore the lower the advantage for the player.
Shuffling When Playing at Online Casinos
When playing Blackjack at a live online casino, determining what shuffling technique is being used is a bit more difficult as simulations and algorithms are used for the most part.
Therefore, to help guess what type of shuffling technique is used and adapt player strategy accordingly, here's what to bear in mind with online casinos:
- They often use a random simulation program in its shuffling technique to avoid bias
- Shuffling is typically done after every hand
- If you see the same card twice in a game, the casino is not using traditional methods, and rather is much more likely to be using CSM-styled shuffling
While continuous shuffling machines have made it harder for the more experienced Blackjack player to win, they level the playing field. Adapting your strategy towards beating the shuffler through a good knowledge of how your shuffling is done, and what this means for the hands dealt in a game.
Card counting has been the most-popular advantage gambling method since the 1960s. It gives virtually anybody a chance to gain an edge casino in blackjack.
A skilled card counter can beat any hand-shuffled game over time. However, you may find it impossible to beat tables that use a continuous shuffling (CSM).
Many say that games with a CSM can't be beaten through card counting. But is this really the case?
I'm going to discuss more on continuous shuffling machines along with if there's any possible way for you win with such games.
Why You Can Normally Beat Blackjack Through Card Counting
The 'Four Horsemen'—a group of four Army engineers—became the first blackjack players to surmise that blackjack could be beaten. They developed a rudimentary card counting method to improve their chances of winning.
As smart as the Four Horsemen were, though, their system didn't have enough refinement to overcome the house edge. It wasn't until a few years later that another gambler took their work to another level.
A mathematician named Ed Thorp developed the Ten Count method in the early 1960s. Although still rudimentary by today's standards, Ten Count can beat single-deck blackjack when properly employed. Thorp used this method to win profits for himself. He then popularized card counting through his book, Beat the Dealer.
This 1962 publication blew the doors open on card counting. Soon after its release, many gamblers showed up to casinos in hopes of winning profits.
Unfortunately, casinos also had access to Beat the Dealer. They reverse-engineered the advice to think of ways to thwart card counters.
They added more decks and created 'shoe' games in an effort to make counting much more difficult. However, gamblers eventually figured out how to beat shoe games as well.
Using the Hi-Lo system, for example, one simply needs to convert their running count into a true count. The latter accounts for the multiple decks involved.
Gamblers also need to find games that allow enough deck penetration. The latter refers to how far a dealer goes into the shoe before shuffling. If they deal six out of eight decks, for example, they're allowing 75%.
This is the kind of penetration that one needs to beat blackjack on a consistent basis. They'll have more confidence in their counts towards the end of a shoe and make more money.
What Does a Continuous Shuffling Machine Do?
A CSM shuffles the cards so that a dealer doesn't have to stop a game to do so. It includes an opening at the top that allows the dealer to insert a number of cards from the discard tray.
CSMs put cards into little slots inside of it. This random method of placing cards into slots ensures that the piles get well-shuffled.
This machine pushes its shuffled card clumps to the top. The dealer, meanwhile, can continue dealing the game with no time wasted.
The main reason why casinos love continuous shuffling machines is because they stand to earn more profits.
A CSM increases the play rate by 20% and allows casinos to better capitalize on their edge over recreational players. As I'll cover next, casinos also appreciate the fact that these machines hamper card counters.
Why Is a Continuous Shuffling Machine Bad for Card Counters?
Again, card counters need games that offer adequate deck penetration. They can't reasonably expect to make profits when only a quarter of the shoe is dealt.
In this situation, three-fourths of the shoe would remain. Even with a +4 true count at this point, one couldn't have much confidence in this figure when considering how many cards are remaining.
A CSM never gives advantage players the kind of deck penetration they need to win money. Instead, dealers can simply keep inserting cards into the machine and not have to worry about shuffling.
You may wonder, though, why dealers don't just shuffle earlier in the shoe. They could just shuffle at the halfway point, for instance, and make card-counting profits very difficult.
However, dealers would also have to stop the game many more times throughout the day. In turn, this process would cost the casino more money than card counters do on average.
Continuous shuffling machines solve this problem by performing the shuffling. Meanwhile, a dealer can just focus on dealing the cards.
Is There Any Way to Beat CSM Blackjack?
Years ago, I saw a CSI-type show where a group of blackjack players figured out the innerworkings of a continuous shuffling machine.
However, this was just a fictional show. Nobody in real life has figured out how to beat a blackjack game that uses a CSM.
Again, you need enough deck penetration to maintain faith in your count. You can't simply increase your bet 10x because you have a positive count after one out of six decks are dealt.
With so many cards remaining, your positive count isn't as reliable. You need a game that allows at least 75% deck penetration so you can increase your bets shortly before the dealer shuffles.
Of course, you could theoretically beat a blackjack game with a CSM. This scenario would require a dealer forgetting to put discards into the machine.
They'd then need to continue dealing through the whole shoe without recognizing their mistake. However, most dealers have gone through extensive training and know better than to make such a blunder.
Knowing what you do now, you would probably avoid any table with a continuous shuffling machine anyways. So, you wouldn't be around for this rare occurrence.
Will Continuous Shuffling Machines Destroy Card Counting?
CSMs definitely aren't anything new. They've been around in the blackjack world for years.
People still continue making money through card counting. Therefore, continuous shuffling machines definitely haven't destroyed this type of advantage gambling.
Great for Casinos, Bad for PlayersCasinos would love to use these machines on every table possible. They'd increase their profits through faster games and also ruin any chance of card counting. However, some players don't like gambling on tables with a CSM. Part of their hatred towards continuous shuffling machines comes from misconceptions. The quicker game speed causes them to lose more money on average. Therefore, they mistakenly believe that a CSM increases the house advantage (it actually lowers the house edge).
Gamblers just don't like the idea of playing blackjack with a machine involved. They may like this game for its traditional atmosphere or feel that casinos could rig the action with a CSM.
This feeling is yet another misconception surrounding these machines. But it serves as one more reason why some casinos don't want to rile up their customers by introducing CSMs.
Where Can You Go to Avoid CSMs?
Unfortunately, certain gambling destinations have filled their tables with continuous shuffling machines. They enjoy the previously discussed benefits of stamping out card counting and boosting their profits.
Macau is the biggest casino hotspot to roll out CSMs all over the place. Monte Carlo is yet another famous gambling spot that heavily uses these machines.
If you've been planning to count cards in either Monte Carlo or Macau, you should definitely take these places off your travel list. Luckily, though, you can still count on a number of other casino havens.
Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Laughlin, Reno, and several European countries (especially Poland) offer many hand-shuffled games. You can look forward to these games whenever playing at casinos in these areas.
Of course, you shouldn't just blindly go to Las Vegas, for example, and expect every table to be hand-shuffled. Some casinos do use CSMs, especially at the lower stakes.
However, you still have enough options when looking for beatable blackjack games. You just need to do some research on the matter ahead of time.
Conclusion
Casinos initially started adding more decks in their mission to stop card counting. But players eventually figured out how to beat shoe games.
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Gambling has come up with a more-final solution by introducing continuous shuffling machines. A CSM renders card counting impossible as long as the dealer remembers to keep putting discards into it (which is nearly 100% the case).
You simply can't win long-term profits at tables that use a continuous shuffling machine. The good news, though, is that you can still find a number of tables that are hand-shuffled.
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Casinos realize that a portion of their customers hate CSMs. So, they still offer hand-shuffled tables that you can beat with card counting.
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