Method for shuffling and dealing cards

A method of dealing a plurality of playing cards comprising:

• (a) placing a plurality of playing cards into respective single-card receptacles in dealing rack including a plurality of single-card receptacles stacked adjacent one another in a fixed array and arranged so that said playing cards are parallel with each other;
• (b) placing said dealing rack into a first position alongside a blocking wall adjacent a card removal side of said dealing rack;
• (c) in response to a predetermined condition automatically moving one of said dealing rack and said blocking wall relative to the other through a distance determined by a controller and thereby exposing a first selected number of single-card receptacles beyond a margin of said blocking wall, thereby creating an open path along said margin of said blocking wall for removal of a plurality of said playing cards, equal to said first selected number of single-card receptacles, from said dealing rack;
• (d) removing said plurality of said playing cards from said exposed single-card receptacles as a group of said cards;
• (e) thereafter sensing and automatically communicating electrically to said controller that it is appropriate to move the dealing rack to expose additional ones of said single-card receptacles beyond said margin of said blocking wall;
• (f) in response thereto, moving said one of said dealing rack and said blocking wall a further distance relative to the other and thereby exposing a selected number of additional ones of said plurality of single-card receptacles beyond said margin of said blocking wall;
• and
• (g) thereafter repeating steps (d) through (f) until a desired number of groups of said playing cards have been removed from said dealing rack.

A method of preparing to deal a plurality of playing cards, comprising:

• (a) placing a plurality of playing cards into a dealing rack including a plurality of single-card receptacles stacked adjacent one another in a fixed array arranged so that said playing cards are parallel with each other;
• (b) placing said dealing rack into a first position alongside a blocking wall adjacent a card removal side of said dealing rack;
• (c) in response to a first signal provided to a controller, moving said dealing rack relative to said blocking wall and thereby exposing a plurality of single-card receptacles beyond a margin of said blocking wall, thereby creating an open path along said margin of said blocking wall for removal of playing cards from said plurality of exposed single-card receptacles;
• (d) in response to a second signal provided to said controller at a time selected during said step of moving said dealing rack, stopping movement of said dealing rack;
• (e) thereupon removing all cards simultaneously from all of said single-card receptacles exposed beyond said margin of said blocking wall, as a first cut portion;
• (f) in response to removing said cards as a first cut portion, moving said dealing rack a further distance relative to said blocking wall and thereby exposing additional ones of said plurality of single-card receptacles beyond said margin of said blocking wall;
• and
• (g) thereafter removing all cards simultaneously from said additional ones of said plurality of single-card receptacles as a further cut portion.