How random are card shuffling machines at casinos?

What Las Vegas casinos don't use continuous shuffling machines at their blackjack tables?

• Continuous shufflers are the shufflers that are used to shuffle cards throughout game play to reduce (or eliminate) the ability of card counters.

• Answer:

  If you're looking for 8-deck blackjack (as opposed to 2-deck or single deck, where shuffling will likely take place by hand), it's not uncommon to find casinos using a mix of machines and hand shuffles.  I can't say I've noticed a casino exclusively shuffling by hand (for 8-deck, at least), and rather more often see a mix of hand shuffling and machine shuffling. Things to look out for: At particularly busy times, casinos might open up extra tables.  This could mean some of those tables won't be equipped with shufflers, so the dealer there will shuffle by hand. Odds of finding non-machine shuffles would increase the older the casino.  Newer properties that have opened up in the last few years likely equipped their entire casino with machines at opening; older casinos may not have gotten around to equipping all of their tables yet, or not have any plans to. Busier tables are more likely to have the machines.  In high-traffic areas where the tables are always crowded, or more popular gaming areas (such as the "party pits" many casinos have with the prettiest dealers, loudest music, etc), manually shuffling decks can really interrupt game play.  Anyone who's seen the routine they have to go through to shuffle a deck can see it seemingly takes forever.  That's time that is not spent dealing and, for the casino, raking in money.  Casinos want their busiest, most highly-trafficked tables to move quickly.  So if there's a blackjack table that's a bit more out of the way or opened up less frequently (see the first point above), it may be less likely you'd see machine shufflers. Pools.  Some casinos will have swim-up blackjack tables in their pools, and it's not uncommon to see hand shuffles here. Mix-used tables.  Occasionally you'll spot tables the casino can use for various types of blackjack, baccarat, and other card games (though these are less common nowadays).  These tables oftentimes aren't equipped with shufflers. Tables where players can touch/hold the cards.  If there's a likelihood players will handle, manipulate and even alter (fold, damage, bend, and so on) the cards, they'll throw out the decks after each shoe and unwrap entirely new decks.  You'll see this, in particular, at big baccarat where players have their rituals of bending and folding cards.  While your usual 8-deck blackjack, where players get dealt hands face up, won't involve any real touching, casinos and tables to which players get dealt both cards face down and so hold and bend them to check their cards will often get new decks with each shoe, thus eliminating the need for a machine shuffler. High limit rooms.  I most often see hand shuffling in high limit rooms.  While not entirely sure why, I'm guessing it has to do with projecting to players a more personalized and less automated experience, less turnover among players at the table, coming across as a courtesy to players, and making it seem like the casino is at least working a bit harder for your money.  Those are just guesses, though.  Either way, high limit rooms are a bit less "assembly-line" than the other gaming areas. Mind you, card counting really isn't the only reason you see machine shufflers in casinos.  Simply put, they're faster. A table can have 2 shoes, with one getting shuffled while the other is in play, with the dealer having to do no more than deal while that takes place; continuous shuffle machines (where played cards are put in to the shuffler  and those same decks just keep getting played over and over) are fast, as well (though definitely make counting difficult if not impossible).  Hand shuffles can take forever, especially when 8 decks are involved.  They (often with a pit boss or supervisor nearby) have to unwrap the decks, stack, shuffle, spread, stack, shuffle, spread, rinse, repeat however many times to begin each shoe - it takes forever!  During that time, no one is wagering money, and the casino isn't making any money; a supervisor may have to be watching, and thus taken away from other duties; players may lose interest or grow impatient and get up and leave.      With or without a (non-continuous) machine shuffler in 8-deck blackjack, the deck is cut and the dealer removes a good chunk of cards from play - making it considerably more difficult to try and guess what might be left in the shoe once play moves along.