Learn Spanish (Latin America): Nada más barajar el mazo, empieza el juego. - Right after shuffling the deck, the game begins.

When nada más is followed immediately by an infinitive verb (like barajar), it forms a phrase of temporal immediacy. It translates to "as soon as," "right after," or "upon" doing that action. It is a very natural way to link two events that happen in quick succession.

Who is doing the shuffling in nada más barajar if there is no person mentioned?

Because it uses the infinitive barajar, it acts as a general statement (like "Right after shuffling..."). If you needed to specify who was shuffling, you could add the subject after the infinitive, like nada más barajar tú, or use a conjugated phrase instead, such as en cuanto barajes.

Are barajar and mazo only used for card games?

Mostly, yes. Mazo specifically means a deck of cards in this context, and barajar is the verb for shuffling them. However, you will sometimes hear barajar used metaphorically, like barajar opciones, which means to weigh or consider different options.

Why is it empieza el juego instead of el juego empieza?