Hi everyone!

I want to start reading reversals, but I feel I can’t randomize the orientation of the cards very well. I can’t really riffle very well, and I haven’t figured out a method to randomize the orientation of the cards without riffling.

Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks!

I overhand shuffle and what I do, is just to turn a pile of cards for my reversals and shuffle them in. Just take a random number of cards and reverse them.

I've seen some people make piles, like you make 4 piles of cards and then turn whichever piles call to you. You can make as many piles as you want.

Also I've noticed on here that people turn some cards, and at the end of the reading put them all back upright. They seem to want a small amount, like maybe 10% of the deck.

Personally I have some decks I use reversals (mostly RWS) and some I don't and I keep the reversals in. So I turn a pile or two whilst overhand shuffling and I never know how many are upright or not, this is the random shuffled order of the cards for the reading for me.

It's not as hard as it seems, try out different ways and find what works for you. There are no rights or wrongs here

I still use a version of 'face down, smear 'em all around' technique to get random reversals. Obviously you need a very clean, non-scratchy surface to spread the cards out. It also helps to shuffle the cards beforehand ...riffle, overhand, whatever.

I do find that if I 'pick' cards to reverse, I end up overthinking it. "Oh, I need one from the other end of the pile; I need a couple from the middle," etc. That doesn't feel as random as I'd like. So I just do the face down and smear technique, while pulling cards from the bottom, putting cards to the bottom, and randomising everything till I've got it 'done.'

I don't mean to suggest this is the only way to do it, but it's what I've always done. I only rarely read without reversals, so this is more or less an everyday action for me.

I had to laugh, remembering this is exactly how I used to shuffle playing cards when I was young, before I mastered the 'riffle shuffle.' I'd spread the cards out across the card table (we had one!) and just smeared them to my heart's content.

On 7/11/2026 at 7:13 AM, DanielJUK said:

I overhand shuffle and what I do, is just to turn a pile of cards for my reversals and shuffle them in.

That's how I do it too, especially in decks that I can't riffle either due to size or cardstock.

Sometimes I'll take the deck and put all cards upright, and then shuffle it again to get reversals. Not before every reading, or course, but when I feel that… the deck needs it? I feel like this 'resets' the deck somehow. Not sure if it makes any sense though

Edited 2 hours ago2 hr by Marina