Riffle shuffle

The riffle shuffle splits the deck into two halves, bends their corners up with the thumbs and lets the cards fall so that they interleave, as card dealers do. It is the fastest way to mix a deck: a 1992 study by Dave Bayer and Persi Diaconis showed that about seven riffles mix a 52-card pack well, and a 78-card tarot deck needs a few more. The cost is wear: riffling bends the cards and can crease the large, often laminated stock of tarot decks, which is why many readers avoid it or riffle gently on a table without the final bridge. Riffling keeps cards the same way up, so it does not create reversals. See how to shuffle tarot cards.