However, John Scarne, a famous American magician and card manipulation specialist who invented the shoe, asked the Nevada Gaming Control Board for a state ruling that would force casinos to use his device for all Blackjack games. “Card counting players don’t like to play with a shoe, as it doesn’t give them a chance to utilize their skills.” Triviaīefore 1961, most Las Vegas casinos used a single deck for Blackjack. However, the shoe also increases the house edge in games in which card counting is a possibility, such as Blackjack. It also makes it harder for the dealer to cheat. The shoe allows for more games to be played since it reduces the time between shuffles. The device may be either opaque or transparent, but most traditional shoes are made out of wood. In most cases, a shoe holds two, four, six or eight decks of playing cards. A shoe is a casino device which is used for holding and dispensing playing cards to be dealt.
