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Casino Gambling Terms: The Wash Shuffle

Photo Of Deck Of Cards Scattered On A Gaming Table Being Shuffled At The Flamingo Las Vegas

You know all about the Vegas shows, the great restaurants, and best-in-the-world nightlife, but Vegas casinos are also known for specific ways of doing things, like the card wash shuffle. 

You may have seen it happen before, but you may not have known there’s a name for it!

Casino card game dealers have a very specific procedure they follow related to shuffling the cards. To begin the shuffling process, cards are spread out on the table and moved around randomly.

The Vegas Wash Shuffle

This step in the shuffling process is called “washing” the cards. It’s also known as “scrambling.”

  1. Place the cards face down in two rows.
  2. Move the cards around in circles for a minimum of 5 seconds to mix them up as much as possible. Lift your hands and repeat at least 3 times.
  3. Wash new decks of cards for a total of 1 to 2 minutes.
  4. Once the washing is complete, gather the cards and prepare to shuffle the deck with a standard riffle-strip-riffle-cut technique multiple times before play begins.

Once the cards are “washed,” they’re squared up and are then “riffle shuffled,” often multiple times, before play begins.

Now you know.

Try the wash shuffle at home next time you have your friends over for poker night and do it like the professional dealers at any of these Caesars properties: