The older the better!
> Do you think it is better to play with brand new cards or cards
> that have been played with a few times.
I would prefer the used cards since they may have distinguishing features such as scratches, warps, kinks, etc. If the dealer or floorman notices anything they will not hesitate to replace the cards, but it never hurts to keep your eyes open and pay attention. You probably won't ever notice anything significant, but then again you might. If the cards have only been used a few times it probably wouldn't make a difference, but watching a worn deck of cards in play can be very entertaining. There are even certain brands of cards that become somewhat translucent after they have been cleaned several times, although casinos neither use that brand nor clean the cards - they simply replace them several times a day.
> Can anybody here watch the washing and shuffle of brand new cards
> cut the deck in the right place and win almost every hand?
Yes and no. I have not been able to follow a card through the wash, but once the dealer starts shuffling it is often possible to catch a glimpse of cards here and there. A skillful cutter may be able to cut an ace to himself or a cluster of aces to the top of the deck, but after the card or small cluster has passed they will either leave or return to standard card counting. I doubt if there are many people who are tracking entire shoes.
Still, shuffle tracking and sequencing are very practical and extremely powerful tools if used accurately. Unfortunately, they are very advanced techniques that can easily backfire and turn a winning player into a losing one.
-Sonny-
