Single Deck: Penetration, Shoe vs. Pitch

Hello all,

I see in one of my older "Current Blackjack News" that at least one casino employs a SHOE for single deck. I thought this was interesting.

1) Does this somehow help hide the # of cards yet to be dealt, but then the player can always view the discard tray unless it is covered, correct? So, in a single deck game, what are the advantages/disadvantages of a dealer using a shoe vs. her hand (pitch) to hold the cards to be dealt?

2) When the "Current Blackjack News" lists a property as having a single deck game with a .5 cut, is that better or worse than a .6 cut? (I had thought with a 6-deck game, the lower the number of the cut (e.g., 1.2 vs. 1.5), the better, but perhaps with a single deck it is the opposite: the lower the number of the cut, the WORSE))?

3) If a single deck game has a cut of .5, is this about 6 rounds of play for a single player? If a single deck game has a cut of .6, is this about 5 rounds of play for a single player?

Thank you again in advance!

1) Does this somehow help hide the # of cards yet to be dealt, but then the player can always view the discard tray unless it is covered, correct? So, in a single deck game, what are the advantages/disadvantages of a dealer using a shoe vs. her hand (pitch) to hold the cards to be dealt?

Advantages to the house: More difficult for the dealer to cheat either the player or the house; sometimes more difficult for certain advanced plays to be made.

Disadvantage to the house: Game speed is reduced by the dealer having to fool with the shoe every shuffle.

2) When the "Current Blackjack News" lists a property as having a single deck game with a .5 cut, is that better or worse than a .6 cut? (I had thought with a 6-deck game, the lower the number of the cut (e.g., 1.2 vs. 1.5), the better, but perhaps with a single deck it is the opposite: the lower the number of the cut, the WORSE))?

.5 is better for the player than .6.

3) If a single deck game has a cut of .5, is this about 6 rounds of play for a single player? If a single deck game has a cut of .6, is this about 5 rounds of play for a single player?

More like .5 = 5 hands, .6 = 4 or even 3 hands, a worthless game.