If there is one skill that I am glad I learned over the past 20 years of participating in Collectable Card Games, it would be learning to shuffle Pokémon cards correctly. Everyone seems to have their own style, but if you are looking for the objectively best way to shuffle cards, then I have you covered.
The best way to shuffle Pokémon cards is to riffle shuffle them 7 times. Riffle shuffling 7 times has been mathematically shown to produce the best results when trying to randomize a deck of Pokémon cards by hand. However, other shuffling methods can be used to produce a similar effect.
In this blog post, I’ll go through some of the best methods you can learn to efficiently shuffle your Pokémon cards to ensure that your deck is appropriately randomized.
How To Overhand Shuffle Pokémon Cards
The Overhand Shuffle is a basic shuffle that is easy for a beginner to learn and that can be used for a variety of card games.
To start this shuffle, make sure the cards are being held by their sides, and that the fingers on your right hand are against the back of the cards, all except your thumb which should be placed on the top of the cards.
If you feel the cards are especially slick or flimsy, you can keep your index finger on your right hand curled under the card to add some support to your grip and some security to the deck.
Once you have a secure handle on the deck, use either your left thumb or whole hand to lift about half of the deck up, while keeping your right hand steady and holding the remaining half of the cards.
The amount and flow of this motion can be difficult to get right consistently but will become natural as you continue to practice. Once you have the cards lifted separate from the original group, place them on top of the deck in your left hand. Continue repeating this process until you feel the cards are well shuffled.
Although this shuffle is simple, after getting the hang of it, it can become one that you will rely on when you need to shuffle a deck quickly and effectively.
One warning you should keep in mind if you plan to use the Overhand shuffle style.
Although the Overhand shuffle is relevantly easy to learn, it doesn’t do a good job at randomizing the cards in your deck.
A study found that if you were to use the Overhand shuffle method to sufficiently randomize a deck of cards, you would need to perform the Overhand shuffle method 2500 times! -Ain’t nobody got time for that. (Source)
If you are just getting started with learning how to properly shuffle a full deck of Pokémon cards, then the Overhand shuffle isn’t a bad place to start.
I would recommend though, looking into other shuffle types on this list when you feel confident to move onto the next level.
For those of you who want to see the overhead shuffle in action, here is a quick video guide to get started.
How To (Dovetail/Weave) Faro Shuffle Pokémon Cards
This shuffling technique, while easy and giving the desired results you want with shuffling, requires a little bit of practice to be able to do it consistently.
This could be a shuffling technique that would be beneficial to learn alongside the Riffle shuffle, as the two have similarities that will help with the more difficult aspects of each shuffle.
I personally don’t recommend this shuffling method as I find that if you are not being particularly careful, it can be pretty easy to catch the edge of card sleeves on one another and potentially damage the Pokémon card inside.
However, I have seen plenty of people use this style of shuffling while playing who haven’t run into any of those issues, so if you like the look of this shuffling go for it.
- To start, hold the deck straightened in one hand and split the deck evenly in half.
- After you have an equal amount of cards in each hand, place either hand on top of the other, with the top edges of the bottom hand touching the bottom edges of the top hand.
- Once you have lined those hands straight up and down, begin a weaving motion with your top hand, while keeping your bottom hand still.
- When some of the bottom edges of the top hand are partially in between the cards in the bottom hand, begin slowly pushing the cards in the bottom hand up into the cards in the top hand.
- Continue this motion until all the cards from both hands are mixed together in one large deck. You may notice that the cards are not evenly level with each other.
- Once you have them all in one deck, you can then gently bend the deck and allow the cards to move together into an even group.
After doing so, your cards should be sufficiently shuffled and you can then continue on with the game.
Again, I have found a quick video guide on how to do the Faro shuffle if you’re interested in this style of shuffling.
How To Table Riffle Shuffle Pokémon Cards
The motions that accompany this shuffle may be the most familiar to you as you practice, as it is a common technique used in other card games like poker and blackjack when played in clubs and casinos.
This shuffle is great if you want to stop your opponent from trying to get a look at some of the Pokémon cards in your deck during or, more importantly, before the start of the game.
If your opponent is able to see what Pokémon cards are in your deck before the game even starts, it may give them an unfair advantage as they can choose to make game actions with that information in mind.
I’m a particular fan of using this shuffle style at the start of a match, due to the way the shuffler handles the cards facedown against the table, preventing other players from getting a peek at the cards you’re playing.
- To begin this shuffle you will separate the deck in half, lifting the top half of the deck off the bottom and placing them so the top edges of the cards are facing one another, making sure to leave a gap between the two decks.
- Place each hand on one of each of the decks with your thumbs on the top edges of the cards that are facing each other.
- Then place your index finger on the top surface of the cards, while resting the remaining fingers on the front edge of the card’s corners.
- Once your decks are all situated in your hands, lift the index finger and the thumb of both hands and begin releasing them slowly, letting the cards fold into each other, alternating between a card from each deck.
- When all the cards are flat, push the cards together, straightening them out into an even, shuffled deck.
Just like with the shuffles we have discussed already, always feel free to shuffle again, if you feel the shuffle didn’t mix the cards up sufficiently.
Watch the quick video guide below if you need more information on how to perform this type of shuffle.
How To Riffle Shuffle Pokémon Cards
You will recognize this shuffle from many movies and tv shows it’s often performed in.
The Riffle Shuffle is the most ideal shuffle because of how many boxes it checks when you are looking to shuffle Pokémon cards. It is simple, effective, impressive to viewers and it is my number 1 recommendation for card shuffling style.
That being said, it can take a significant amount of practice, especially regarding the timing and balance it requires. However, once you get the rhythm down, it will become one of the easiest shuffles you’ll know and you’ll find yourself choosing this one over many of the other techniques.
- To begin, it is up to you to decide which hand you start with the cards in, as it doesn’t affect the shuffle either way.
- Once you have the cards placed in one of your hands, make sure you are holding the cards in such a way that the cards are placed on the top joints of your middle, ring, and little fingers, with the thumb placed at the top of the card and the index finger, bent behind the deck.
- After getting your cards set up in your hands, create an arch in the cards by applying pressure with your index finger and letting half of the cards flow out into your other hand.
- Once you have half of the deck in each hand, hold each half flat on the table with the top edges touching the other.
- With the edges lined up, arch the cards again and then release, allowing the cards to fold into the other deck, merging the two halves together.
- When all the cards are folded in, straighten them and continue the edging and merging process until you feel the cards are sufficiently shuffled.
When the Riffle shuffle technique to shuffle your deck of Pokemon cards, you will want to Riffle shuffle 7 times.
Why 7 times? Because maths!
In 1992, mathematicians Dave Bayer and Persi Diaconis from Columbia and Harvard University discovered that riffle shuffling a deck of cards 7 times, ensured the deck has been sufficiently randomized. (Source)
They found that riffle shuffling a deck more than 7 times didn’t significantly increase the “randomness” of the deck, but shuffling the deck any less than 7 times made it far from random. (Source)
One thing that often puts people off from learning how to Riffle shuffle is the fear of potential bending or damaging their Pokémon cards. However, if you learn how to Riffle shuffle correctly, there isn’t much to worry about.
But to help put your mind at ease, I found a video that specifically teaches you had to riffle shuffle Pokémon decks correctly, while they are sleeved, in order to avoid any damage to your Pokémon cards.
When To Shuffle Pokémon Cards
As opposed to other card games, within the Pokémon game, you can end up shuffling your deck of cards more than you might think.
You’ll always find yourself shuffling your deck of Pokémon cards before the start of the game, making sure that the cards are shuffled well enough so there is no way to predict with certainty what cards a player will draw from their decks first.
The only other time you will shuffle the cards during the course of the game is when a player is instructed to do so by an effect that calls for them to “shuffle the deck” – Which can happen a lot!
Shuffling decks of cards is a vital feature in almost every competitive trading card game I have played throughout my years, but I feel pretty confident in saying that it’s most important in the Pokémon TCG.
Unlike other competitive card games, the Pokémon card TCG puts a great emphasis on drawing and tutoring cards from your deck. Tutoring cards from your deck in particular will require a player to shuffle their deck every time they tutor up a card.
For example, in an average game of Magic The Gathering, you are likely to only see 33% – 60% of your deck in any given game. In my experience playing the Pokémon TCG, in most of my matches, I will draw almost the entirety of my deck through some kind of combination of draw and tutor effects, often in the form of Trainer cards.
Since players are drawing and constantly seeing the order of their decks through tutor effects, it’s important to get good at randomizing decks fast and efficiently when shuffling to ensure matches remain fair.
In competitive TCG environments, when a player is required to shuffle their deck, there will often be a witness to make sure a couple of things happen while shuffling is taking place.
- Ensure that the shuffling is quick and is not taking an extended period of time to accomplish.
- To verify while a player is shuffling that the face side of cards are not visible to either yourself or the other players.
- After that initial shuffling has taken place, the witness can perform a second round of shuffling or cut the deck to make certain the cards are sufficiently randomized.
Regardless of the number of times the deck was shuffled, once the cards have been dealt in a players’ hand or the game has resumed, players are no longer able to freely shuffle their decks.
If there are judges present during your game, you can choose to have them shuffle a deck instead of designating a player to shuffle.
If after the cards are shuffled by a player, and one of the other players feels the cards were insufficiently shuffled, they have the option to ask the judges to shuffle the deck again prior to starting or continuing the game.
