The G Man said:
If you'd ever spend times, I mean HOURS practicing Blackjack on you kitchen table and also played it in casinos that use manual shuffles, you would have seen it all. I SHUFFLE THE CARD BY MYSELF, use different types of shuffles and it never prevent Aces to appear, sometimes 3-4 in a row, etc. You are telling stories to yourself, trying to see paterns where there is none. You believe yourself and make that an excuse for losing. Most counters can't take the facts of the game and try to find answers to their mistakes in the shuffles, dealers, others at the table and so on.
I have been playing this game for a living for 19 years now, 13 in Las Vegas, where I live. For most of those 19 years I played in the neighborhood of 80,000 rounds per year. In the last 3 years, which I will call the covid years, I have been playing a bit differently, less hours at about 40,000 - 50,000 rounds.
I also practice, not daily like I used to but still practice 3 times a week. My preferred method of practice is dealing cards to myself at the blackjack table in my home.
So I too have seen it all, both at the practice table and play in the casinos. I also purchased a shufflemaster machine some 4 or 5 years back, had it shipped to my home and hired someone with programming knowledge (because I have none). They were able to re-program the machine in a matter of minutes to do exactly what I suspected.
I don't make these comments lightly. I have run into machines that were programmed to clump cards at 2 different casinos that I know of in my 12 years playing Las Vegas. I am absolutely sure of it. There are 2 additional cases I strongly suspect, but won't go as far as to say absolutely sure. So again, I am not saying it is wide spread. In my experience it is not.
In addition, the second time I encountered a rigged machine clumping cards, and the first time I really looked into it, I named the casino here in Las Vegas, after tracking hundreds of shoes. I posted of my experience here and at Norm's forum and within a few days the machines in question (2 newer models) were removed from that casino.
AND I caught hell from a top AP team operating here in Vegas that were exploiting that clumping in a way I probably would have never figured out. To this day, one of the guys on that team, who I was friendly with still barely speaks to me.
I know what I am talking about. I don't care who believes me or doesn't. Someday it will come out. In the meantime, all I am suggesting is players be vigilant.