Does it matter where you cut the shoe?

For newer blackjack players, there are a lot of questions to be answered. Aside from how to bet and how to play each hand (you know, the big ones), anything from getting into card counting to shuffling draws curiosity for those who’ve gotten a taste for the game. In this article, I’d like to talk about whether it matters where you cut the shoe.

Is there a technique to cutting the shoe to either keep it “good” or turn it from a “bad” shoe to a “good” one? Keeping in mind that some casinos do have rules as to how far in or shallow you can cut the shoe.

Of course, if you’re asking, odds are you’re already interested in card counting and/or shuffle tracking, but for the time being we’ll act as if neither of these are part of the discussion.

The honest truth is, you’d be hard pressed to find a new or regular player that would tell you it matters, and even those who do couldn’t explain in detail why. A lot of players are on the “don’t cut it deep” bandwagon. For them, it’s all about deck penetration. And these players look at the cut as an opportunity to offset what they consider a dealer’s poor penetration on their cut.

OK, now let’s bring back counting and tracking. For couting, players who are cutting will sometimes try to sneak a peak at the back card, at which time they’ll add that card’s value to the running count. If it’s a high value card, they cut the card into play. If you can cut a small value card out of a single deck game (if you can find a single deck game), it’ll bump your odds up and give you the advantage going into the game. Not by much, but it helps.

Of course, the usual warnings go along with that little hint. If you get caught peeking, you expose yourself not only as a table troublemaker, but as a card counter, as well. Casinos are fully aware of this move, and dealer’s often look at your eyes and your hands when you’re cutting the deck. You run the risk of getting kicked off the table or, worse, banned from a network of casinos.