How To: Shuffle a deck of cards

Learn how to shuffle a deck of cards.

Impress your poker buddies by learning how to shuffle and deal like you do it for a living.

You Will Need

* A deck of cards
* And a table

Step 1. Split the deck in half

Learn how to do the classic shuffle, which is called the riffle shuffle. Split the deck into approximate halves and put them face down horizontally on a table.

Step 2. Position your hands

Grab the deck so that your thumbs are on the edges facing each other, each index finger is bent at the knuckle in the center of a stack, and the three remaining fingers on each hand wrap around the far edges.

Step 3. Position the decks

Position the stacks at a slight angle, so that the top edges form a "V."

Step 4. Start riffling

Holding the edges that form the bottom of the "V" against each other, use your thumbs to start releasing a card or two at a time, alternating sides so that the ends of the cards become entwined.

Step 5. Push the cards together

When the last card has fallen into the now-shuffled pile, use your fingers to push the two halves together, forming one deck.

Step 6. Repeat several times

Repeat several times.

Step 7. Practice

Practice until you can shuffle in one quick, fluid motion.

Fact: In 2007, Canadian David Farrow won a place in the Guinness Book of World Records when he memorized the exact order of 59 decks of shuffled cards!