continuous shuffle machines for blackjack

[Cooper]

I played continuous shuffle blackjack for three days this week at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, MS and I have to tell you I really hate continuous shuffle machines. I hate them!

I played a lot of single and double deck blackjack as well, but there were times when I had to sit down at a continuous shuffle table.

I couldn't win for shit at the continuous shuffle tables but as soon as I sat down at a single or double deck blackjack table I would start on a winning streak.

My limited experience tells me that these machines aren't as "random" as they should be. This should actually be a good thing if you can get the thing when it's in "player friendly" mode. I however, was playing it in "the house is going to kick the living shit out of you and take all of your money" mode.

I love blackjack. It's my favorite casino game. I prefer blackjack to sports betting and poker, and all other casino games, but I will not play at another blackjack table with a continuous shuffle machine.

I know the casinos love them because there is no downtime and they can keep dealing the cards without downtime. No shuffling.

But to me it's a negative. I don't want to play blackjack for 8 hours straight, or 17 hours straight, or even an hour or two straight, without breaks in the cards.

I usually take advantage of the shuffles to use the restroom, or get up and walk around for a minute, or other things. And those breaks give the dealer a short timeout as well. They can chat for a second with the table. Plus, you can play for longer periods of time with those breaks.

My overall opinion is this:

Continuous Shuffle Blackjack machines ARE THE DEVIL!

[megan isla]

One big misconception about the Continuous Shuffling Machine is that it supposedly increases the house edge. This is not always true, as some research have shown that the house edge for a four-deck blackjack game is only 0.034% while for an eight-deck game it is 0.014%.

However, the small decrease in the house edge doesn't necessarily mean that your chances of winning are increased. Since CSMs increase the speed of the game by as much as 20%, theoretically the players will lose more since more money is exposed to the house edge.