Shuffling Techniques

[Doktor_Zeus]

Anyone who's dabbled in playing cards of any kind for any purpose probably knows the annoyance of seeing the same familiar repeating pattern turn up again and again, because you didn't shuffle your deck thoroughly enough. Personally, I find this worse when using inspirational decks since once you've interpreted that run of cards one way recently, there's a tendency to interpret it the same way again later. The answer is probably to work on your shuffling techniques. There are a lot of different ways to shuffle a deck of cards, some of which are more effective than others.

 

The Corgi Shuffle: aka 'Washing' or 'the Granny Shuffle'. You lay out all the cards on front of you then gently rub them around the table with your hands for about ten seconds as if you were washing laundry, then you push them together into a single pile. Lots of people don't like this method because it looks amateurish and weird, but it is in fact a pretty effective technique! Unfortunately it also involves rubbing your cards around on a flat surface, so some might worry about damaging them. Best performed on a silk or felt cloth.

 

The Riffle Shuffle: split the deck into two approximate halves, hold them close together on the table and lift the closest corners of each stack so that the cards bend. Run your thumb along the edge of the stack as if you were flicking through a flip-book and (in theory!) the two halves of the deck should dovetail neatly together. Although this method would seem to generate a set order of cards, alternating one half then the other, this isn't fully the case as there may be mistakes in 'halving' the deck and sometimes two or three cards from one side will flick at the same time. This is a great shuffle for splitting up adjacent cards quickly, plus it looks really impressive, but it takes practice to get it right and it involves bending the cards, which can damage them over time if you're not very careful. If your cards are regular poker-sized, a cheap automatic deck shuffler can achieve the same kind of effect.

 

The Overhand Shuffle: hold the deck in your off hand and take a large chunk of cards from the back. Flip the remaining cards over and repeatedly drop small batches of cards in front of it, effectively transferring cards from the back of the deck to the front. Some people like to flip the 'shuffled' portion of the deck over occasionally so that the 'unshuffled' cards fall sometimes in front and sometimes behind. This is a quick, easy and very card-friendly method, but its randomisation ability is poor and you'll often find clumps of cards hanging together, even after several attempts. Best used only in conjunction with other methods.

 

The Cut: pretty standard - take a random number of cards from the bottom of the deck and place them on top. Near useless as a shuffling technique, but a good way to allow a client to interact with the deck and get that 'personal' feel, as well as allowing their subconscious to affect the outcome. It's also a good quick technique to use in between 'true' shuffles, especially those which are less random such as the Riffle or the Mongean. See also the Strip, below.

 

The Strip: not really a shuffle, this is fundamentally similar to what many people call 'cutting the deck'. Grab a random number of cards in the middle of the deck, pull them out and put them on top. It's not suitable to use only this method since the bottom cards in the deck will remain entirely unchanged, but it's a very handy technique when combined with other shuffles, especially ones that may generate a predictable order like the Riffle or Mongean shuffles.

 

The Hindu Shuffle: functionally identical to the Overhand Shuffle, but the hand position differs. Hold the deck in your off hand, move your dominant hand underneath it and reach around to the top of the deck with your fingers. You can then pull a small chunk of cards off the top of the deck. Continue until all of the cards are in your dominant hand. Otherwise, the same as the Overhand.

 

The Pile Shuffle: this should never be used in card games because it lets the players 'count cards' and predict where each one will be, but it's good for prognostication because, so long as you don't consciously count cards yourself, it allows your subconscious to do the reordering. It's also very card-safe, but time-consuming. Simply take one card at a time off the top of the deck and place it randomly into one of five piles. Try to place each of five cards into a different pile, then repeat with the next five, so that all five stacks remain more or less equal. Change the order you place each card into at random. Once all cards are in one pile or another, pick up the piles in a random order and reform the deck. This is actually my favourite single shuffle as it works well with any size and shape of card, splits up repeating runs very effectively and allows maximum subconscious control. Even so, I usually don't use it alone.

 

The Mongean Shuffle: take each card in turn from the pile and place it alternately on the top or bottom of a new pile. This is a good shuffle for breaking up the deck, but it is time-consuming, predictable, and if you do it twelve times in a row the card order will repeat itself! It also does not look very professional. Otherwise, it's good for breaking up repeating runs of cards but should be combined with other techniques rather than being used alone.

 

The Faro Shuffle: I hate this one but it looks amazing! It's superficially similar to the Riffle but likely to cause damage to the edges of your cards. You simply split the deck in two, hold the edges of each half together and push until they naturally interlace themselves. The technique is very difficult to describe, but what you're basically doing is using a 'shovelling' motion with one half of the deck which causes each card to contact its neighbour and spread them out like a fan. Once you've got them halfway interlaced you can press gently on the outer edges and have them riffle into place. It looks very cool if you can do it, but it's basically the same as a riffle shuffle and twice as bad for the cards. Practice with cheap decks first and only attempt this if you really want to impress someone.

 

The Mexican Spiral: nobody uses this one any more because it takes FOREVER! You basically deal every single card in the deck onto the table in a spiral formation, then push them back together into a single pile. The goal was mostly to bore cheating cardsters with the process so they lose track and can't count cards any more. It's about as effective as the Corgi shuffle but takes rather longer. Still, it also causes less damage to the cards since there's less pushing them around.

 

In terms of randomisation, the best option is to combine several methods together. Before the more advanced auto-shuffling machines became available, croupiers used to use a technique called the Casino Combo. This is basically 'Riffle - Strip - Riffle - Strip - Riffle'. This produces a good amount of randomisation while separating common runs of cards. According to one site I'm familiar with, a more effective method would be 'Riffle - Strip - Riffle x2 - Strip - Riffle x4' but that's a lot of card manipulation to do in between rounds of poker!

[Misterei]

Great post. I used to riffle and cut my tarots and it was fine. But then I got arthritis in my hands and shuffling became a nightmare. I usually overhand shuffle now when i'm with a client. I will try the Hindu shuffle for variation since it looks like I could do that one, too.

 

Still, I had to invent better techniques for those times where i have a new deck or I've put the deck in order for teaching purposes but now need to randomize it for readings.

 

I've used the "granny shuffle" [apt name] and a variation of Mexican spiral + pile shuffle which I just organically started doing.

I deal the cards 1 by 1 into a grid of 9 piles. I alternate how I deal. Sometimes going around the perimiter of the grid, sometimes making tic-tac-toe shapes, sometimes going around the corners only or the middle cards only.

when all cards are dealt onto the grid ... then pick up the piles in random order. It takes time but it DEFINITELY randomizes a deck!

[Eugenie]

@Doktor_Zeus, thank you for the excellent post! I use Overhand, the Cut, Pile Shuffle and Mexican Spiral, but I didn't know their names. The Spiral doesn't bore me because I am not in a hurry and it is a meditative thing to do. 

[Natural Mystic Guide]

Yes, this is a great post.  Now I am noting that this is mainly dealing with physical methods for manipulating card order.  I'm not sure what my shuffling technique is?  The thing that I emphasize in teaching students is consistency.  I see all that I do as being in concert with my Spiritual Guidance Team.  I have a technique that I never vary from.  It has to do with shuffling once.  Reversing the bottom half of the deck.  Putting this half on top.  Shuffling again.  In shuffling I'm taking the top card and placing it on the top; next card on the middle of the pile; next card on the bottom of the pile over and over again until the entire deck has been processed.  The second time, I turn the deck over and count the bottom 10 cards.  I want to have at least 5 upright (not reversed) cards.  If I don't, then I repeat step 2 again.  I turn roughly half of the bottom of the stack upside down.  I put this bottom half on the top.  Then I 'shuffle again'.  Then I count the bottom 10 cards.  If again I don't have at least 5 of 10 cards upright, then I will reverse the bottom half of the stack again.  Then I shuffle one more time.  So there could be as few as 3 shuffles or as many as 6 just depending on that bottom 10 card count.  All of the time I am chanting, praying, saying the question out loud -- calling in my Guidance Team and the Guidance Team of the querent.  I never deviate from this pattern.  As long as I am consistent, I know that my Guidance Team will arrange the cards in just the right way.  Oh, and when I am working with the client, I give them the option of doing the final shuffle and cut if they wish.  My belief is that the shuffling technique is secondary.  The consistency of applying one technique that you like is primary.

[Misterei]

14 hours ago, Natural Mystic Guide said:

...  I'm not sure what my shuffling technique is?  The thing that I emphasize in teaching students is consistency.  I see all that I do as being in concert with my Spiritual Guidance Team.  I have a technique that I never vary from. ...  The consistency of applying one technique that you like is primary.

Ooof! chacun à son goût ...

With arthritis in my hands the type of shuffle literally depends on my pain level that day. Also on condition of the deck.

For example if a deck is already well-mixed ... a few overhand shuffles are fine. I fan the cards so randomization will happen in the fan, too.

If the decks is new or has been put in order ... then more extreme measures are needed.

Usually I keep my cards all upright ... but if I WANT reversals ... a different shuffle method again.

Yes, there are certain things that remain consistent for me ... but definitely not shuffle 😇

[Natural Mystic Guide]

2 hours ago, Misterei said:

Yes, there are certain things that remain consistent for me ... but definitely not shuffle

Thanks for broadening my perspective with this awareness.  Yes, we all do the best we can with what we have.  I'm sure that consistency of any kind, with intention, has the same effect.

[Guest]

I mainly riffle shuffle + cut. Since I only read for family and close friends (aside from myself), I let them shuffle and cut their cards too. 

 

That said, the pile shuffle looks mighty interesting. Thanks @Doktor_Zeus.

[Morwenna]

Who knew there were so many methods? I just content myself with overhand shuffling combined with the occasional riffle. There is one layout I sometimes use that requires the deck to be fanned out and individual cards selected from it, but that's my only deviation so far. But I shuffle a lot, and often flip through the cards like pages in order to break up any that might be sticking. 

[Raggydoll]

1 hour ago, Morwenna said:

Who knew there were so many methods? I just content myself with overhand shuffling combined with the occasional riffle. There is one layout I sometimes use that requires the deck to be fanned out and individual cards selected from it, but that's my only deviation so far. But I shuffle a lot, and often flip through the cards like pages in order to break up any that might be sticking. 

I’m an overhand shuffler too, and the main reason is that this is how I best can tell when the deck is ‘ready’. I shuffle until I feel a nudge, and I feel it most clearly with overhand shuffling. It is not a quick process but I like that it’s not, because it helps me to alter my state of mind and prepare myself for the reading. Riffle shuffling does nothing for me and I also dislike what it does to my decks. But to each their own! 🙂

[Ferrea]

I usually do about three gentle riffle shuffles, bringing the long sides of the deck together (aside from not wanting to bend my cards, I have small hands and riffle shuffling across the short side, with or without a bridge, is impossible for me). Then overhand shuffle until I feel I'm ready.

[Morwenna]

My mother used to bring the long sides together, then riffle so as to overlap the corners. I could never manage that, still can't. I learned to riffle when a friend showed me the way that could lead to a bridge. 

[RickInBakersfield]

With my tarot deck I do,

 

~ Two riffle shuffles

~ I then cut cards off the top to the table making a total of four stacks of cards.

~ I do one riffle shuffle

~ And then I offer the deck to the sitter to be cut anywhere he/she likes to cut the deck

 

I didn't get that out of a book or something, it's just something that I made up on my own.

 

[psi-search]

Irrespective of shuffling technique, how can I best assure that I am getting a proper mix of upright and reversed cards especially when doing multiple readings at an event or party?

[katrinka]

2 hours ago, psi-search said:

Irrespective of shuffling technique, how can I best assure that I am getting a proper mix of upright and reversed cards especially when doing multiple readings at an event or party?

I used to use reversals. I've mostly gotten away from that now, but back when I used them I did this:

Cut the deck in half. Turn one stack the other way to reverse the cards. Shuffle.
Repeat. This will reverse more cards, while turning some of the cards you reversed last time right side up.
Repeat for every shuffle. This should give you a decent mix of upright and reversed cards.
 

Edited May 18, 2025 by katrinka

[DanielJUK]

18 hours ago, psi-search said:

Irrespective of shuffling technique, how can I best assure that I am getting a proper mix of upright and reversed cards especially when doing multiple readings at an event or party?

 

This really deserves it's own thread. We have had posts over the years about shuffling with reversed cards but not really one discussion. So have started one....