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A dealing shoe or dealer's shoe is a gaming device, mainly used in casinos, to hold multiple decks of playing cards. The shoe allows for more games to be played by reducing the time between shuffles, while also reducing the chance of dealer cheating. [1] In some games, such as blackjack (where card counting is a possibility), using multiple decks of cards can increase the house edge.
The dealing shoe was invented in 1822, Virginia gambler Robert Bailey, for the game of faro. His shoe hid the cards from sight, but did prevent slight of hand cheating on the part of the dealer. An improved version was introduced in 1825, which had an open-top, that held the deck face up so the next card to be dealt could be seen. This was rapidly adopted for faro and later for baccarat. Almost immediately versions o the shoe came on the market that allowd the dealer to cheat. [2]
Prior to 1961 in Las Vegas casinos, all blackjack was dealt from a single deck. John Scarne proposed to the Nevada Gaming Control Board that a state ruling be enacted such that Blackjack must be dealt from a shoe (Graves's invention). While no such ruling was ever passed, most Nevada casinos now deal from a multi-deck shoe. [3] As gaming advisor to the Havana Hilton, Scarne also introduced the shoe to Puerto Rico and Cuba. [4]
Dealing shoes come in many colors and sizes, depending on the number of decks they are capable of holding (2, 4, 6, or 8 decks).[ citation needed ]
When the cards are placed in the shoe, the dealer will insert a brightly colored blank plastic card, after using the same card to perform a cut. When this card is drawn it indicates that the current game is the last one before a new shuffle. This helps mitigate player advantage via card counting, as a significant portion (usually about 25 percent) [5] of the full inventory of cards never comes into play. The percentage of cards that are dealt is sometimes called the penetration.