Shuffle tracking at blackjack

The theory of Shuffle Tracking is based on following and tracking the position of favorable groups of cards during the shuffling process in card games like Blackjack. The key concept is to identify sections of a deck that contain favorable cards and track their location throughout the shuffle.

Let's consider a simple example. Suppose the count is very positive, and at a certain point, the cut card appears: the deck needs to be shuffled. In the portion remaining in the shoe (the cutoff), there are many high-value cards, advantageous for the player. As the dealer reshuffles the decks, the player focuses on following this section of cards. When the decks are placed in front of the player, they cut them in such a way that the favorable portion ends up on top. The player already knows that the first cards in play will be high-value ones.

Sure, they may be somewhat scattered, but there will be many high cards.

For many Blackjack players, this was their first encounter with shuffle tracking.

It’s important to understand that this technique should be seen as a natural extension of card counting, with several advantages over more traditional forms:

1. To the eyes of casino surveillance, it will appear that the player is not betting according to the count progression, as they will start seeing results from the very first cards that come out of the shoe.

2. To the eyes of the observers, it will appear as if the player is playing their hands clumsily. If they know they are in a section of low or high cards, they will play accordingly, making appropriate deviations from basic strategy—something normally done when playing with a single deck. For example, standing on a 15 against a face card from the dealer when there are other face cards on the table...

3. This seemingly foolish style of play will allow the player to use a wider range of betting without raising much suspicion.

4. One of the most important aspects of this strategy is that with traditional card counting systems, when the count goes up, players start betting bigger, but the favorable cards don’t necessarily come out. They may be located elsewhere in the deck (even in the cutoff). With shuffle tracking, when the player starts betting big, the high cards come out because they are there.

It’s worth noting that there are different methods of shuffling decks and therefore different ways to perform shuffle tracking.

If players are working as a team, they can also track ALL segments of the decks, keeping a mental count for each assigned portion.

Other, more advanced techniques include:

Sequence tracking: This technique refers to the fact that few shuffles are able to completely destroy the relative order of the cards. There are several studies on this topic, the most famous of which was conducted by Dr. Persi Diaconis from Harvard University.

Ace location: It’s possible to track the movement of aces and identify where some of them will be dealt.

Since the way the cards are shuffled is imposed by the casino, the dealer will always shuffle in the same way. By analyzing the shuffle, it becomes evident that certain sections of the deck always end up in the same position. No matter what type of shuffle is used, the shuffle tracker will always be able to create (often on paper) an actual map of the shuffle. In fact, if the player is not able to create a map of the deck, they won’t be able to track it.

In general, to track favorable segments, the following procedure should be followed:

1. Learn the casino’s shuffle
2. Draw it on paper
3. Make a “map” of it
4. Identify its weak points
5. Find the most vulnerable dealer.

Of course, these are basic techniques. More advanced and professional operational techniques are currently used by our teams.