Why Do They Call It a Shoe in Blackjack?

In blackjack, the player is dealt two cards face up and the dealer is dealt one card face up and one card face down. If the player’s two cards are a blackjack (an ace and a ten-value card), he is paid 3-2 on his bet.

If the dealer’s upcard is an ace, he offers the player “insurance,” which is a side bet that the dealer has a blackjack. If the dealer does have a blackjack, the insurance bet pays 2-1.

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PRO TIP:Blackjack is the only casino game where the player can ‘shoe’, meaning they can exchange their cards for a new set of cards. This term is derived from the physical shoe used to hold and dispense multiple decks of cards at the blackjack table.

The name “shoe” comes from the fact that in early blackjack history, dealers would literally deal the cards from a dealing shoe. This shoe held several decks of cards and allowed for a continuous flow of cards during game play.

Nowadays, most casinos use multiple decks in a dealing shoe, but the name has stuck.

So why do they call it a shoe in blackjack? Because in early blackjack history, dealers would literally deal the cards from a dealing shoe!.