"Excuse My Shuffling"
There are moments at the casual online poker table that mark someone as an absolute beginner. One of those moments is when they are handed the deck in a casual home online poker game and expected to shuffle the cards. Some people have been shuffling since before they can remember, while other pull out the standard line “excuse my shuffling”. The problem with announcing though the poker table that you don’t know how to handle the cards is that it implies a shocking level of inexperience. Good poker games are based on perception. You need the other players to think that you know how to play well and are holding good cards. If you announce right off the bat that you don’t know your way around the deck you are setting yourself up to win less in the long run. They can see the look of fear in your eyes when you are handed the deck and expected to take your turn. My suggestion to you is to avoid the “excuse my shuffling” trap. Spend some time practicing your shuffling at your home so that you don’t have to embarrass yourself next time the deck gets passed to you. You can find tons of tutorials online or in poker books. There is no excuse not to know the basics.
