Simply put, shuffle tracking refers to methods of determining the location of segments of the discard tray that contain a large negative or positive count and cutting them into or out of play for the next shoe.

Reference Material

Shuffle tracking information is a bit scattered and usually difficult to find. I am including additional reference material sources because I have no intention of repeating information that is available elsewhere. In reverse chronological order, sources include:

Ø  Blackjack Blueprint, Rick Blaine, 2006, Chapter 24

Ø  Ready to Start Shuffle Tracking, Ted Forrester, 2004 (found at: games.groups.yahoo.com/group/blackjackcardcounterscafe/message/22118)

Ø  Shuffle Tracker’s Cookbook, Arnold Snyder, 2003, Compilation of three Blackjack Forum 1994–1995 articles on ST with added updates and commentary.

Ø  Shuffle Tracking Report, Carl J. Sampson, 2003

Ø  Shuffle Tracking for Dummies, George C., 1996

Ø  Shuffle Tracking Treatise, Michael Hall, 1990 (currently found at www.qfit.com/blackjackshuffletracking.htm)

Ø  Non-Random Shuffling for Multiple Decks, Journal of Applied Probability, Vol. 24, No. 2,  Gary Gottlieb, 1987

There also exist various reports and studies passed around by hand that are not publicly available.

Shuffle Definitions

Before we get started, here are some brief definitions of terms used throughout the chapter:

Ø  Discards – The cards in the discard tray.

 © 2009 Norman Wattenberger