As long as there are a finite number of cards, it is completely possible that two identical shuffles could happen, although highly unlikely.

Why not write a computer program to see if you can get any repeat shuffles in a reasonable time frame?

Or even do it for one suit and then extrapolate how long it would take for the same thing to occur in an entire deck?

Hand shuffler seeks advice
 

I shuffle cards to pass time and break boredom. I know the montony of shuffling can produce boredom, but for some reason it relaxes and helps sooth tension, stress and anxiety.

One thing I have been noticing lately when I shuffle the deck and look through it afterwards to just see the distribution.

sometimes there is only on set of double number (same number, varying suit) and at other times as many a five such pairings in a single after-shuffle. Recently too I have been finding instances of 3 same number of differing suits grouped together and at others straights and the such.

I am a math affecianado too, and probability/Permutations fascinate me, and I am just wondering why this occurs, it seems that shuffling the deck is just as chancy as playing a game of Poker and that everything is determined by the luck of the draw.

I would appreciate some banter on this phenomenon because it bugs me that it happens, but I accept it begrudingly. I mean seeing one, two and as many pairings as 5 from a single overhand shuffle of 8 to 20 passes really annoys me.

And I guess we are all looking for that perfect shuffle, aren't we? Well I guess it'll never happen, not with the number of permutations available for a standard Poker deck. Thanks.

I think the perfect shuffle is merely an entirely random shuffle. And that means there are going to be pairs and whatnot... because it's random. You shouldn't have the expectation of no pairs if it's more likely that pairs will happen.

Anyone expecting a perfect shuffle from a random shuffle is doing it wrong. One should do a stratified random shuffle to break up the patterns. The Wizard of Oz told me so.

Faro shuffle.

How many permutations does the Icky Shuffle have?

So what happens when I shuffle down the road?

Will you be doing the Airborne Shuffle? Sounds like something one would do before playing 52 Pickup; but, noooooooooooo ...

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You end up in Buffalo.

Tangentially pertinent. I read somewhere years ago that 7 shuffles between hands was optimal. After that, the deck does not get more random.

Since we're drifting, kinda...

I don't know how many times the cards were shuffled, but, this one time, at whiskey camp, I got dealt this hand. Deuces were wild. True Story®.

:yelgreedy

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:D

[/drift]

How many did you draw? ;)

Hell, I almost didn't give the cards back after the hand!