What does cutting the deck mean, and why do we do it?

Cutting the deck means splitting the shuffled pack into two piles and placing the bottom pile on top of the other. It is usually done by a player sitting next to the dealer, but always by someone other than the dealer. The cut prevents the person shuffling from controlling which card ends up on the top or bottom.

How to cut the deck

The dealer shuffles and places the pack on the table. The player making the cut lifts part of it, puts it beside the remaining cards, and the dealer places the rest on top (or the other way round, depending on local custom). You don’t need to split it exactly in half, but you should leave a decent stack in each pile.

Who cuts the deck?

It depends on the game and the region. At many tables, the player to the dealer’s left cuts the deck, as the cards are dealt to the right. The important thing is that it isn’t the person who shuffled.

Why do we do it?

For peace of mind. If someone had placed a particular card at the bottom or top of the pack while shuffling, cutting moves it somewhere else. It’s a fair-play measure, although these days it’s almost always done out of habit.

The cut and the trump indicator

In games such as Guiñote (a Spanish trick-taking game) or Brisca (a Spanish trick-taking game), the card turned up after the deal determines trumps. Under some house rules, the player cutting the deck may look at the bottom card of the cut pile. We explain this in what trumps and the trump indicator are. And for a thorough shuffle before cutting, read how many times you should shuffle.