How do you shuffle?

[AceofAllan]

Is there a generally accepted way to shuffle your deck? I have all of my cards in sleeves (which I'm sure most of you do too), so the overhand shuffle like with a deck of poker cards doesn't exactly work. I just tend to cut the deck and push the two pieces together a few times.

The reason I'm asking is that it doesn't seem to make the deck random enough. I always get lands that seem to stick together and several copies of the same spell in a row. I can't help but think it has to do with the way I shuffle because it seems to be a consistent occurrence in any deck I play.

[Illissius]

I usually press Ctrl+S, but it doesn't seem to randomize well enough either, maybe I'm doing it wrong.

[AceofAllan]

I usually press Ctrl+S, but it doesn't seem to randomize well enough either, maybe I'm doing it wrong.

Oh you're doing it right, it's just that shuffle algorithm in MWS is flawed.

But really, is there a better way to do things? I've never actually been to a tournament, do they have some sort of rules for how well you have to shuffle?

Also out of curiosity, does your opponent cut your deck after you shuffle?

[Jak]

I usually press Ctrl+S, but it doesn't seem to randomize well enough either, maybe I'm doing it wrong.

Lol.

I usually shuffle it up a few times, then pile shuffle, and shuffle it up some more. I sometimes do the cut and smash method, but that never is enough so I pile.

[AceofAllan]

I usually shuffle it up a few times, then pile shuffle, and shuffle it up some more. I sometimes do the cut and smash method, but that never is enough so I pile.

I'm guessing the cut and smash is what I've been doing.

What's this pile shuffle you speak of?

[Pinder]

Also out of curiosity, does your opponent cut your deck after you shuffle?

I usually pile shuffle (7 piles usually does it) and then I cut and push the pieces together like you do.

For ease of description, I suppose it's proper to lay out a few definitions:

Pile Shuffle - You deal the deck out into some number of piles (usually 6 or 7) and then pick it up, stacking one pile on top of another until the whole deck is together.

Bridge Shuffle - Like a poker shuffle, but because the sleeves won't let you do it end-to-end, you shuffle on the long edge of the cards.

Riffle Shuffle - Where you cut the deck into two pieces and push them back into each other.

And usually the opponent cuts after you shuffle, as well.

[munkie]

The correct way to properly shuffle is all of the above.

[AceofAllan]

And usually the opponent cuts after you shuffle, as well.

That's good to hear. I also do a little amateur magic and I was surprised to learn how easy it is to control the placement of a card (even with sleeves) when you're shuffling. I like that they take that kind of thing into account at a tournament by allowing the opponent to cut the deck. Eliminates people from controlling their combo to the top before the game starts.

[KillemallCFH]

Also note that it is mandatory in a tournament to present your deck to your opponent, and that he may cut it, or choose to shuffle it some more. Your opponent is always the last one to touch your deck before the game begins.

As far as shuffling, I usually do some combination of Riffle Shuffling (like how you would shuffle a deck of playing cards, except side-to-side instead of top-to-bottom) and just cutting the deck in half and pushing the 2 halves into each other. If you really care about the condition of your cards, I wouldn't Riffle Shuffle, as doing it constantly will make noticeable bends on your cards. The second method can hurt the edges of your sleeves, too, if you do it at the wrong angle or if the sleeves are just bad and don't slide into each other easily. Pile Shuffling is a good method, but it is time consuming, and I'm far too lazy to do it most of the time.

[Jak]

Another thing to add! When you bridge shuffle sideways, some sleeves aren't the best for this. The wider ones don't work well, so try to stay away from those.

[Taurelin]

Your opponent is always the last one to touch your deck before the game begins.

That's not entirely true. If your opponent decides to shuffle your deck again, it is YOU who can make one final cut.


Once players shuffle and/or cut their opponents’ decks, the cards are returned to their original owners. If the opponent has shuffled the player’s deck, that player may make one final cut.
(from DCI universal tournament rules)

[sunshine]

It's usually good to do at least one pile shuffle before you present your deck as this give you a quick check on the number of cards in your deck (for a sixty card deck the last card should fall on the fourth pile if you use seven piles). This is a little bit picky but I generally choose a number of piles that is relatively prime to the number of cards in my deck (i.e. seven piles for sixty cards as opposed to six or five piles). Also, it may not be this way anymore but it used to be that you were not allowed to present you deck right after a pile shuffle, so throw in a riffle for overhand shuffle.

It's not a bad idea to pile shuffle your opponents deck to make sure he/she has sixty cards either.