Cut card merely a guide?!?

a bit of controversy earlier

Cut card was first card out of shoe on a hand

Dealer kept dealing playing it out
whole table lost of course and we asked why there was no shuffle
Floor supervisor said the "cut card" is merely a guide to let the dealer know they should shuffle soon
So we asked how much latitude a dealer had and she replied - well it is a guide that they have to shuffle - she was not "getting it"

Unless it is specifically spelled out otherwise, I would say that in most jurisdictions, it is only a guide and not some mandatory thing. I have seen the cut card come out and a player ask for and be granted an extra round.

But unfortunately, I have seen it go the other way much more frequently and that is dealer told to shuffle before the cut card comes out. This is called "preferential shuffling" and most of us AP's and card counters believe it should be illegal.

I mean if a casino is allowed to shuffle away the positive counts which are favorable to al players (not just counters), but play through ALL the negative counts, they are in effect changing the odds, increasing the house edge.

Quote: aceofspades

a bit of controversy earlier

Cut card was first card out of shoe on a hand

Dealer kept dealing playing it out
whole table lost of course and we asked why there was no shuffle
Floor supervisor said the "cut card" is merely a guide to let the dealer know they should shuffle soon
So we asked how much latitude a dealer had and she replied - well it is a guide that they have to shuffle - she was not "getting it"

You were told correctly. Same at my and most places. It's a warning that the cards are down to 1 1/2 decks or 1 deck or whatever the house decides. If the dealer accidently goes past that point, nothing changes. The cards play as normal and the cards are shuffled before the next hand.


ZCore13

came as a surprise to me - whenever I've played - if the cut card was first card in the shoe, cards were immediately shuffled

No harm no foul. Another issue is the burning of a card. In your present venue the house considers burning a card after the shuffle or when the relief dealer takes over to be a "courtesy" whatever that means. I guess it would be a courtesy if the card was a 5, not so much if it was an ace.

In other words it's another no harm no foul situation if the dealer forgets to burn a card. Now if you question it, I have seen them allow players to pull their bets back and get out of the hand. This is a true courtesy and something they do not have to do so ask nicely and only once. Save it for the monster split that's ready to go south. For those unaware, you are allowed unlimited re splitting in this casino.