US20070216092A1 - Card shoe for holding playing cards - Google Patents

Abstract

A card shoe that includes a housing forming a receptacle sized to receive a plurality of playing cards, the housing having a sloped front face, an opening formed in the front face sized to allow the withdrawal of playing cards, a card support surface proximate a bottom of the opening. At least one protuberance may extend upward from the card support surface, proximate the opening such that playing cards pass over the protuberance when withdrawn from the receptacle. An anti-backsliding protrusion may extend generally downwardly from at least proximate the top of the housing and positioned within the receptacle proximate the front face. A lever may be positioned to selectively disengage a wedge from a locking mechanism that retains the wedge toward a rear of the housing to facilitate loading.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
• This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/782,492 filed Mar. 15, 2006.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• 1. Field of the Invention
• This description generally relates to the field of table gaming, and more particularly to card holding devices, for example card shoes that hold a number of cards during a playing card game and allow cards to be extracted from the card shoe one at a time.
• 2. Description of the Related Art
• Conventional card shoes are typically sized to receive two to eight standard decks of playing cards, with fifty-two (52) playing cards per standard playing card deck. Such card shoes are used during professional card games (e.g., casino blackjack, poker, Texas Hold'em etc) so as to allow a dealer to readily extract cards during a fast paced card game.
• U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,142 shows one card shoe configuration that includes a housing having an opening formed at a front of the housing from which playing cards can be extracted. The housing may include a playing card support surface sloping at a downward angle from a rear to the front of the housing, which is capable of supporting several standard decks of playing cards. The card shoe may include a playing card wedge, with a sloped face to contact and offset the playing cards in the housing relative one another.
• The wedge may optionally include a roller that allows the wedge to easily move down the playing card support surface. The playing cards are compressed between the sloped face of the playing card wedge and the front of the housing, which may also be sloped. The downward angle of the playing card support surface employs gravity to bias the playing cards toward the front of the housing under their own weight, as well as under the weight of the playing card wedge. As playing cards are removed, the weight biasing the remaining playing cards toward the front of the housing decreases. Hence, there is less resistance to the finger pressure applied by the dealer as the dealer attempts to remove a playing card from the housing. This makes it difficult for the dealer to establish sufficient friction or “purchase” with the playing card to remove the playing card. This also disadvantageously tends to push the playing cards into the housing.
• Another type of card shoe is similar to the above-described card shoe, but includes one or more springs that couple the playing card wedge to the housing. The springs operate alone, or in conjunction with the force of gravity, to bias the playing card wedge toward the opening in the housing. As the playing card wedge moves closer to the opening, the springs contribute appreciably less to the overall force biasing the playing card wedge toward the opening. The biasing force of the springs becomes negligible before all the playing cards are removed from the card shoe. For example, negligible spring force may occur when there are less than two decks (i.e., 104 playing cards) remaining in the card shoe. Consequently, there is little or no resistance to the finger pressure applied by the dealer as the dealer attempts to remove a playing card from the housing. This makes it difficult for the dealer to establish sufficient friction or “purchase” with the playing card to remove the playing card. This also disadvantageously tends to push the playing cards into the housing.
• As illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,142, the card shoe may include a detent mechanism that holds the card wedge at the back of the housing to facilitate refilling the housing with playing cards. After filling, the dealer must grab and exert force (e.g., pull, push, lift) on the wedge to disengage the wedge from the detent mechanism. The lack of gripping surfaces and the close proximity of the wedge to the back of the housing when in the locked position such that fingers cannot be inserted therebetween makes this task exceedingly difficult and time consuming, particularly during a fast paced card game.
• Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a card shoe that provides easier and smoother removal of each card from the card shoe, regardless of the number of playing cards remaining in the card shoe, in addition to quick and easy refilling of the card shoe.
• An additional problem typical of conventional card shoes is withdrawal of more than one playing card at a time. This may be accidental, for example, due to adjacent playing cards becoming stuck together, or may be intentional where a dealer is attempting to cheat. It would be advantageous to reduce or prevent such from happening in either circumstance.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• According to one aspect, an anti-reversing clutch assembly locks onto the roller and may prevent the wedge from rolling back into the card shoe as the dealer applies finger pressure to remove the card from the wedge.
• According to one aspect, a card shoe includes a housing forming a receptacle sized to receive a plurality of playing cards, the housing having a sloped front face, an opening formed in the front face, the opening sized to allow the withdrawal of playing cards from the receptacle, a card support surface proximate a bottom of the opening, and at least one protuberance extending upward from the card support surface, the protuberance proximate the opening of the front face of the housing such that playing cards pass over the protuberance when the playing cards are withdrawn from the receptacle through the opening.
• According to another aspect, the card shoe includes a housing forming a receptacle sized to receive a plurality of playing cards, the housing having a top and a sloped front face, an opening formed in the front face, the opening sized to allow the withdrawal of playing cards from the receptacle, and an anti-backsliding protrusion extending generally downwardly from at least proximate the top and positioned within the receptacle proximate the front face of the housing, wherein the anti-backsliding protrusion engages a portion of at least one playing card when the playing card is biased toward a back of the housing under force exerted by a dealer removing at least one of the playing cards from the housing.
• According to another aspect, the card shoe includes a housing forming a receptacle sized to receive a plurality of playing cards, the housing having a sloped front face, an opening formed in the front face, the opening sized to allow the withdrawal of playing cards from the receptacle, a wedge block having a bottom surface and a card engagement surface positioned at an angle relative to the bottom surface, the wedge block received in the receptacle of the housing to bias the playing cards toward the front face of the housing, and a lever pivotally mounted to selectively bias the wedge away from a back of the housing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)
• In the drawings, identical reference numbers identify similar elements or acts. The sizes and relative positions of elements in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the shapes of various elements and angles are not drawn to scale, and some of these elements are arbitrarily enlarged and positioned to improve drawing legibility. Further, the particular shapes of the elements as drawn, are not intended to convey any information regarding the actual shape of the particular elements, and have been solely selected for ease of recognition in the drawings.
• FIG. 1A is an isometric view of an empty card shoe having a single protuberance proximate an opening for extracting playing cards from the card shoe, according to one illustrated embodiment.
• FIG. 1B is an isometric view of a card shoe holding a plurality of playing cards and having a pair of protuberances proximate an opening, according to another illustrated embodiment.
• FIG. 2 is a top, front, left side isometric view of a wedge assembly ofFIGS. 1A and 1B mounted to a roller subassembly, according to one embodiment.
• FIG. 3 is a bottom, front, left side isometric view of the wedge assembly ofFIGS. 1A and 1B mounted to a roller subassembly, according to one embodiment.
• FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the roller subassembly of the wedge assembly, according to one illustrated embodiment where the roller subassembly includes a shaft, an anti-reversing clutch assembly, and roller mounted on the shaft.
• FIG. 5A is an isometric view of a card shoe having an anti-backsliding protrusion with only a few cards remaining in the card shoe, according to one embodiment.
• FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of the card shoe ofFIG. 5A.
• FIG. 6A is an isometric view of a card shoe having a lever and a track with a locking mechanism at a back end of the card shoe, according to one embodiment.
• FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the card shoe ofFIG. 6A.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
• In the following description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of the invention. However, one skilled in the art will understand that the embodiments may be practiced without these details. In other instances, well-known structures associated with card shoes have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description.
• Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims which follow, the word “comprise” and variations thereof, such as, “comprises” and “comprising” are to be construed in an open, inclusive sense, that is as “including, but not limited to.”
• Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combinable in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
• The headings provided herein are for convenience only and do not interpret the scope or meaning of the claimed invention.
• This description generally relates to card shoes for holding and distributing playing cards during a playing card game. Card shoes are generally used in casinos and often hold between two (2) to eight (8) decks of playing cards. However, it is understood that some card shoes may hold a fewer or a greater number of playing cards. Further, some card shoes may be automated, employing electro-mechanical and/or electro-optical components to read machine-readable and/or human readable indicia carried by the playing cards, and/or to shuffle, randomize or sort playing cards.
• FIG. 1A shows anempty card shoe1ahaving ahousing2, awedge assembly4 and aprotuberance15 proximate anopening12, according to an illustrated embodiment.FIG. 1B shows acard shoe1bholding a plurality ofplaying cards21, the housing having more than oneprotuberances15 formed on a metal plate proximate anopening12, according to another illustrated embodiment. Reference is now made toFIGS. 1A and 1B.
• Thehousing2 includes a playingcard support surface6,sidewalls8 and afront cover10. The playingcard support surface6, thesidewalls8, and thefront cover10 forming areceptacle11 configured to receive and support a number ofplaying cards21. The playingcard support surface6 may or may not slope downward from a rear3 of thehousing2 toward thefront cover10. As noted above, a sloped surface may take advantage of gravity as the sole or partial biasing force that urges the playing cards toward theopening12 of thehousing2. Thecard shoe1a,1bmay include acover9 that is movably coupled to thehousing2, for example pivotally coupled along anedge7 of thehousing2. Thecover9 can be lifted to allow for the loading of the plurality ofcards21 and then closed thereafter to conceal the plurality ofcards21. In the event that thecard shoe1a,1bis used during a blackjack game, thecover9 may prevent card players from estimating the number ofplaying cards21 remaining in thecard shoe1a,1b.
• Thefront cover10 includes the opening12 from which a dealer can extract theplaying cards21 from thecard shoe1a,1b. Theopening12 is sized to allow the dealer to place one or more fingers onto the next (i.e., outermost) playing card that is to be removed from thecard shoe1a,1b. The playingcard support surface6 can cooperate with thefront cover10 to skew or otherwise offset the playing cards relative to one another, which tends to increase the likelihood thatplaying cards21 are extracted one at a time from thecard shoe1a,1b.
• It is understood that sometimes, however, more than one playing card may be extracted from thecard shoe1a,1b, whether done intentionally in order to cheat or unintentionally because two playing cards become stuck together. The movement of theplaying cards21 over the one or more protuberances effectively un-sticks or separates the top playing card from the underlying playing card or cards during the extraction, thereby facilitating the extraction of only one playing card at a time from thecard shoe1a,1b.
• The one ormore protuberances15 extend generally upwardly from thesupport surface6 or metal plate, proximate a bottom of theopening12. Theprotuberances15 are proximate theopening12 of thefront face10 such that the outermost or frontmost playing card21 passes over theprotuberance15 and is withdrawn from thereceptacle11 while the underlying card(s) is separated from theoutermost playing card21 by theprotuberances15. Thus, theprotuberances15 allow for the card dealer to extract a single card at a time from the plurality ofplaying cards21.
• Theprotuberances15 may take the form of a bump or any such hemispherical shape. The one ormore protuberances15 may be selectively arranged in the form of a first and second protuberance (collectively referenced as15) laterally spaced across theopening12 with a spacing therebetween that is less than or equal to the length of each of theplaying cards21.
• Thehousing2 may further include one or more slots or tracks14. Thetrack14 can be sloped or otherwise configured to cause thewedge assembly4 to move forward, toward theopening12. One or more springs16 (only one illustrated) may be coupled toguides17,19 received in thetrack14. Theguides17 may be fixed to thehousing2, whereas theguides19 couple thewedge assembly4 to thespring16 and are operable to move along thetrack14. In one embodiment, thespring16 is an extension spring anchored proximate the front of thehousing2 that biases or urges thewedge assembly4 toward theopening12. In another embodiment, thespring16 is a compression spring anchored proximate the rear of thehousing2 that biases or urges thewedge assembly4 toward theopening12.
• FIGS. 2 and 3 show thewedge assembly4 having awedge block5 configured with a slopedengagement surface18 disposed between first and second side surfaces20, according to one embodiment. Thewedge assembly4 further includesguides19,22 extending from each of the first and second surfaces20. Theguides19 are coupled to respective springs16 (only one illustrated) and may also be supported in thetrack14 of thehousing2 as mentioned above. Theguides22 may also be supported in thetrack14 of thehousing2 counteracting any overturning moment that may cause thewedge assembly4 to rotate about theguides19.
• FIG. 3 also shows aroller24 of a roller subassembly25 (FIG. 4), which is part of thewedge assembly4, extending at least slightly below abottom surface26 of thewedge block5.
• FIG. 4 shows theroller subassembly25 in detail. Theroller subassembly25 includes theroller24, which is rotatably fixed to an anti-reversingclutch assembly26, which in turn is rotatably coupled to ashaft28. In one embodiment, theroller24 is made from a urethane material and press fit onto theclutch assembly26. Theclutch assembly26 may be an overrunning clutch or drawn cup roller clutch, such as or similar to those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,994,377; 3,993,177; 3,993,176; 3,990,555; 3,972,573; 3,942,616; 3,937,312; and 3,937,311. This type ofclutch assembly26 permits theroller24 to freely rotate in a first direction, yet positively locks onto theshaft28 to substantially prevent reverse rotation (i.e., rotation that is counter or opposite to the first rotational direction) of theroller24.
• Theshaft28 includes atool engagement portion30 and a shaft centerline oraxis32. It is understood and appreciated that theshaft centerline32 is to be distinguished from a roller rotational centerline oraxis33. The rollerrotational axis33 is lower than theshaft centerline32 since theroller24 extends below thebottom surface5 of thewedge4. During operation, theroller24 and portions of theclutch assembly26 rotate in unison on theshaft28 and about the rollerrotational axis33. In the illustrated embodiment, theshaft28 does not rotate relative to thewedge assembly4.
• As the dealer removes each playing card, the biasing force of thespring16, the weight of thewedge assembly4 and/or the weight of theplaying cards21 urges thewedge4 toward thefront cover10. As the dealer applies pressure to the next card to be removed, the anti-reversingclutch assembly26 positively locks onto theshaft28 to substantially prevent reverse rotation of theroller24 and thus prevents thewedge assembly4 from moving away from thefront cover4 and theopening12 of thehousing2.
• FIG. 5A shows acard shoe1chaving ananti-backsliding protrusion35 and only afew cards21 remaining in theshoe1c, according to one illustrated embodiment.FIG. 5B shows a magnified cross-sectional view of thecard shoe1cand theanti-backsliding protrusion35, according to the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 5A. Reference is now made toFIGS. 5A and 5B. Theanti-backsliding protrusion35 may substitute for, or may augment the anti-reversingclutch assembly26.
• Thecard shoe1cis similar in many respects to thecard shoes1a,1bofFIGS. 1A and 1B, respectively. Hence, identical or similar elements or components will be identified by the same reference numbers. Only significant differences in structure and operation are discussed below. When few cards remain in theshoe1c, there is a greater risk of theoutermost playing card21 backsliding into thehousing2 during the extraction process. As the dealer exerts force onto theoutermost playing card21 proximate theopening12, thecard21 may slide upwards along the slopedsurface18 of thewedge4 and into a top portion of thehousing2.
• Theanti-backsliding protrusion35 generally extends downward from at least proximate the top of thehousing2 and positioned within thereceptacle11 proximate thefront face12. Theanti-backsliding protrusion35 effectively prevents thecard21 from backsliding into thereceptacle11 and hampering the dealer's ability to extract theplaying card21.
• Theanti-backsliding protrusion35 may be of several types of rigid or non-rigid material. Theprotrusion35 engages a portion of at least oneplaying card21 when theplaying card21 is biased toward a back of thehousing2. Theanti-backsliding protrusion35 substantially prevents the outermost (proximate the opening12)playing card21 orplaying cards21 from sliding rearward toward theback3 of thehousing2 in response to an applied force by the dealer. Thecard21 can backslide up until the point within the receptacle that theprotrusion35 extends from, which is positioned close enough to the opening to allow for easy access during extraction.
• FIG. 6A shows acard shoe1dhaving alever37 and atrack14 with alocking mechanism37 at the rear3 of thecard shoe1d, according to one illustrated embodiment.FIG. 6B shows a cross-sectional view of thecard shoe1dhaving thelever37 andlocking mechanism39, according to the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 6A. Reference is now made toFIGS. 6A and 6B.
• Thecard shoe1dincludes thehousing2, similar in some respects to that illustrated inFIGS. 1A and 1B, hence identical or similar structures are identified by common reference numbers.
• When all the desiredplaying cards21 are removed from thecard shoe1d, thewedge4 can be reset and retained toward the rear3 of thehousing2 so that another set ofplaying cards21 may be readily loaded into thereceptacle11. Thewedge4 may be slightly lifted so that theroller24 does not contact thesupport surface6, and then slid away from thefront cover10 towards the rear3 of thehousing2 until theguides19 are locked into position by thelocking mechanism39 such as a detent mechanism. In one embodiment, thelocking mechanism39 is formed by a moderate upwardsloping portion40 of thetrack14 followed by a sharp downward slopingportion42. Once thewedge assembly4 is locked into position, theplaying cards21 may be loaded into thereceptacle11 of thecard shoe1d. Locking thewedge assembly4 before loading theplaying cards21 into thereceptacle11 frees one of the dealer's hands from otherwise holding thewedge4 in place. Thus, the dealer is able to grasp the set ofplaying cards21 with both hands and reload theplaying cards21 into thereceptacle11 with ease.
• Thelever37 has afirst end44 and asecond end46 and is pivotally mounted proximate the rear3 of thehousing2. Thelever37 is operable to selectively bias thewedge4 away from the rear3 of thehousing2 to disengage the locking mechanism29. Thelever37 engages at least a portion of thewedge4, for example a back of thewedge4 opposite the slopedsurface18 and forces theguide19 forward. Theguide19 slides up the downward slopingportion42 of thetrack17. The card dealer may exert force onto thesecond end42 to cause thefirst end46 to provide enough force to overcome thelocking mechanism39. Once theguides19 of thewedge assembly4 overcome the downward slopingportion42, the biasing force of thespring16 takes over to cause thewedge4 to bias the plurality ofcards21 loaded into thereceptacle11 toward thefront cover10.
• The various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. All of the above U.S. patents, patent applications, provisional patent applications and publications referred to in this specification, to include, but not limited to U.S. Patent Application No. 60/782,492, filed Mar. 15, 2006; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,994,377; 3,993,177; 3,993,176; 3,990,555; 3,972,573; 3,942,616; 3,937,312; and 3,937,311 are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Aspects of the invention can be modified, if necessary, to employ various systems, devices and concepts of the various patents, applications and publications to provide yet further embodiments of the invention.
• These and other changes can be made to the invention in light of the above-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all card shoes usable in the aspect of gaming and methods that operate in accordance with the claims. Accordingly, the invention is not limited by the disclosure, but instead its scope is to be determined entirely by the following claims.

Claims (25)

1. A card shoe, comprising:

a housing forming a receptacle sized to receive a plurality of playing cards, the housing having a sloped front face, an opening formed in the front face, the opening sized to allow the withdrawal of playing cards from the receptacle, a card support surface proximate a bottom of the opening, and at least one protuberance extending upward from the card support surface, the protuberance proximate the opening of the front face of the housing such that playing cards pass over the protuberance when the playing cards are withdrawn from the receptacle through the opening.

2. The card shoe ofclaim 1 wherein the housing has a first and a second protuberance, spaced laterally across the opening with a spacing therebetween that is less than or equal to a length of each of the playing cards.

3. The card shoe ofclaim 1 wherein the first and the second protuberances each take the form of a bump.

4. The card shoe ofclaim 3 wherein the first and the second protuberances are each hemispherical in shape.

5. The card shoe ofclaim 1 wherein the housing includes a metal plate proximate the opening and the first and the second protuberances extend from the metal plate.

6. The card shoe ofclaim 1, further comprising:

a wedge assembly having a wedge block and a roller subassembly, the wedge block includes a bottom surface and a card engagement surface positioned at an angle relative the bottom surface, the wedge block is receivable in the receptacle of the housing of the card shoe, the roller subassembly includes a roller rotationally coupled to the wedge block and rotatable in a first rotational direction and lockable to substantially resist rotation in a direction opposite the first rotational direction.

7. The card shoe ofclaim 6, further comprising:

a shaft coupled to the wedge block, wherein the shaft includes a first portion concentrically disposed about a first shaft axis and a second portion eccentrically disposed about a second shaft axis; and

a clutch assembly coupling the roller to the wedge block, wherein the clutch assembly is lockable onto the shaft when the roller is urged in the direction opposite the first rotational direction.

8. The card shoe ofclaim 6, further comprising:

a lever pivotally mounted to selectively bias the wedge away from a back of the housing.

9. The card shoe ofclaim 1, further comprising:

an anti-backsliding protrusion extending generally downwardly from at least proximate a top of the housing and positioned within the receptacle proximate the front face of the housing, wherein the anti-backsliding protrusion engages a portion of at least one playing card when the playing card is biased toward a back of the housing under force exerted by a dealer removing at least one of the playing cards from the housing.

10. The card shoe ofclaim 1, further comprising:

a cover that is pivotally connected to the housing to allow the plurality of playing cards in the form of several decks of cards to access the receptacle.

11. A card shoe, comprising:

a housing forming a receptacle sized to receive a plurality of playing cards, the housing having a top and a sloped front face, an opening formed in the front face, the opening sized to allow the withdrawal of playing cards from the receptacle, and an anti-backsliding protrusion extending generally downwardly from at least proximate the top and positioned within the receptacle proximate the front face of the housing, wherein the anti-backsliding protrusion engages a portion of at least one playing card when the playing card is biased toward a back of the housing under force exerted by a dealer removing at least one of the playing cards from the housing.

12. The card shoe ofclaim 11, further comprising:

a card support surface proximate a bottom of the opening, and at least one protuberance extending upward from the card support surface, the protuberance proximate the opening of the front face of the housing such that playing cards pass over the protuberance when the playing cards are withdrawn from the receptacle through the opening.

13. The card shoe ofclaim 11, further comprising:

a wedge block having a bottom surface and a card engagement surface positioned at an angle relative to the bottom surface, the wedge block received in the receptacle of the housing to bias the playing cards toward the front face of the housing.

14. The card shoe ofclaim 13, further comprising:

at least one spring physically coupled to both the housing and the wedge block.

15. The card shoe ofclaim 13, further comprising:

a lever pivotally mounted to selectively bias the wedge away from a back of the housing.

16. The card shoe ofclaim 13, further comprising:

a roller assembly having a roller rotationally coupled to the wedge block and rotatable in a first rotational direction and lockable to substantially resist rotation in a direction opposite the first rotational direction.

17. The card shoe ofclaim 16, further comprising:

a shaft coupled to the wedge block, wherein the shaft includes a first portion concentrically disposed about a first shaft axis and a second portion eccentrically disposed about a second shaft axis; and

a clutch assembly coupling the roller to the wedge block, wherein the clutch assembly is lockable onto the shaft when the roller is urged in the direction opposite the first rotational direction.

18. The card shoe ofclaim 11, further comprising:

a cover that is pivotally connected to the housing to allow the plurality of playing cards in the form of several decks of cards to access the receptacle

19. A card shoe comprising:

a housing forming a receptacle sized to receive a plurality of playing cards, the housing having a sloped front face, an opening formed in the front face, the opening sized to allow the withdrawal of playing cards from the receptacle, a wedge block having a bottom surface and a card engagement surface positioned at an angle relative to the bottom surface, the wedge block received in the receptacle of the housing to bias the playing cards toward the front face of the housing, and a lever pivotally mounted and operable to selectively bias the wedge away from a back of the housing.

20. The card shoe ofclaim 19, further comprising:

a card support surface proximate a bottom of the opening, and at least one protuberance extending upward from the card support surface, the protuberance proximate the opening of the front face of the housing such that playing cards pass over the protuberance when the playing cards are withdrawn from the receptacle through the opening.

21. The card shoe ofclaim 19, further comprising:

an anti-backsliding protrusion extending generally downwardly from at least proximate a top of the housing and positioned within the receptacle proximate the front face of the housing, wherein the anti-backsliding protrusion engages a portion of at least one playing card when the playing card is biased toward the back of the housing under force exerted by a dealer removing at least one of the playing cards from the housing.

22. The card shoe ofclaim 19, further comprising:

at least one spring physically coupled to both the housing and the wedge block.

23. The card shoe ofclaim 19, further comprising:

a roller assembly having a roller rotationally coupled to the wedge block and rotatable in a first rotational direction and lockable to substantially resist rotation in a direction opposite the first rotational direction.

24. The card shoe ofclaim 23, further comprising:

a shaft coupled to the wedge block, wherein the shaft includes a first portion concentrically disposed about a first shaft axis and a second portion eccentrically disposed about a second shaft axis; and

a clutch assembly coupling the roller to the wedge block, wherein the clutch assembly is lockable onto the shaft when the roller is urged in the direction opposite the first rotational direction.

25. The card shoe ofclaim 19, further comprising:

a cover that is pivotally connected to the housing to allow the plurality of playing cards in the form of several decks of cards to access the receptacle.

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