In the last Beer Friday episode, Anthony said something to the effect of, "For the non-card counter playing basic strategy, a continuous shuffler is the best way to play blackjack." He then talked about something called the "cut effect" or a similar name. As long as I can remember, all I ever heard from the "experts" is to stay away from continuous shufflers. The "best" game out there is single-deck BJ. Then when that went away, it was double-deck. Can you elaborate why playing blackjack with a continuous shuffler is better than single- or double-deck? I play blackjack and I use basic strategy. What's the best game for me to play?
Anthony, of course, is correct, though this is a nuance that often surprises people, because the conventional wisdom has long been "avoid continuous shufflers (CSMs)." However, that advice is primarily aimed at card counters or advantage players.
For a pure basic strategy player, a continuous shuffling machine actually offers a slightly lower house edge than a traditional shoe game with a cut card. This is due to what Anthony referred to as the "cut-card effect" (or "penetration effect" in some contexts).
It gets technical and it's really not worth worrying about anyway. According to the Wizard of Oz, the reduction in the house edge from a CSM (vs. a cut-card shoe) is about 0.014% (or roughly 0.01%–0.02% depending on exact rules and decks). That's tiny — about 14 cents per $1,000 wagered — but it's still a slight win for the basic strategy player in terms of expected value per hand.
As for the best game for a basic strategy player, that's mostly dependent on the specific rules of the game (e.g., 3-2 vs. 6-5, dealer stands on soft 17, double after split allowed, late surrender, etc.), and mostly not dependent on the the shuffling method or number of decks.
That said, here's the general ranking for minimizing house edge with perfect basic strategy (assuming good-to-excellent rules like 3:2 BJ, S17, DAS, etc.):
Single-deck: Lowest house edge possible, often ~0.15%–0.3% or even lower with great rules. But single-deck tables frequently have poor rules (6-5 payouts, no DAS) that wipe out the deck advantage. Always check the rules.
Double-deck: Still very good, with a house edge typically ~0.2%–0.4% with solid rules. A strong middle ground, often better than most 6-deck games.
6- or 8-deck shoe (with cut card): Around 0.4%–0.6% with good rules.
CSM (usually 6–8 decks): Slightly better per hand than a comparable cut-card shoe (by that ~0.01–0.02%), but the faster pace often makes it worse hourly and the rules are rarely the best.
