What is a shoe in casino card games?
A shoe is a device used at casino card tables that holds multiple decks of shuffled cards and dispenses them one at a time for dealing. It’s named for its vague resemblance in shape to a shoe. Most modern blackjack and baccarat tables use a shoe holding 6 or 8 decks.
Why multiple decks are used
Using multiple decks in a shoe reduces the impact of card counting. With 8 decks, the composition of the remaining shoe changes more slowly after each card is dealt, making it harder for counters to gain a significant advantage. Single-deck games are more vulnerable to counting, which is why casinos offering them often apply rule changes that increase the house edge.
Penetration
Penetration refers to how much of the shoe is dealt before reshuffling. A shoe dealt to 75% penetration (6 of 8 decks dealt) gives card counters more information than a shoe shuffled after 50%. Better penetration increases the effectiveness of card counting. Online live dealer games typically use automatic shufflers that reshuffle after each hand or after a fixed number of rounds, effectively eliminating penetration altogether.