Gambling terms, explained straight

Card Games

Faro shuffle vs riffle

A faro shuffle splits the deck into two equal stacks and weaves them together one card at a time with perfect alternation, while a riffle shuffle cuts the deck into two piles and interleaves them without requiring exact alternation.

Perfect interleaving
Faro shuffle requires exact alternation of cards from two equal halves; riffle shuffle does not.23
Deck halves
A perfect faro shuffle uses two equal halves of 26 cards in a 52-card deck.2
Restoration
8 perfect faro shuffles can return a 52-card deck to its original order.2

Key points

  • A faro shuffle is a perfect interleaving of two equal halves, like a zipper; a riffle shuffle is the broader, usually imperfect, interleaving method.2
  • The faro shuffle is also called a weave shuffle or dovetail shuffle; the riffle shuffle is also called dovetail and leafing the cards.21
  • Both shuffles are used in card manipulation, magic, and mathematical descriptions of permutations.2

Where this term is used

Card games Riffle shuffle The broader class of shuffles that cut the deck into two piles and interleave them, not necessarily perfectly. Card games Faro shuffle A perfect shuffle that cuts the deck into two equal halves and interleaves them card-by-card. Card games Casino riffle shuffle A specific riffle shuffle technique used in casinos to ensure randomness. Card games Mash shuffle vs riffle shuffle Compares the mash shuffle, which pushes one pile into another, with the riffle shuffle. Card games Overhand shuffle A shuffling technique where small packets from the top are transferred to the other hand. Card games Hindu shuffle A shuffling technique where cards are pulled from the top of the deck and dropped into the other hand.

Sources

  1. Shuffling en.wikipedia.org Provides the general definition of shuffling and the riffle shuffle.
  2. Faro shuffle en.wikipedia.org Defines the faro shuffle and gives the 26-card halves and 8-shuffle restoration figures.
  3. Riffle shuffle permutation en.wikipedia.org Defines the riffle shuffle permutation and distinguishes it from the faro shuffle.

Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.

Written and maintained by Ellis Warrender, writer and maintainer.

Last updated 28 July 2026. Spotted an error? Tell me and it gets fixed and logged on the corrections page.