The HEAT meter is a live card count of the shoe. Every low card (2–6) dealt face-up heats it +1; every ten or ace cools it −1. The fewer cards left in the shoe, the harder each card swings it.
🔥 HOT (+2 or more): the shoe is rich in tens and aces — blackjack territory. While hot, every win pays a +25% bonus, marked 🔥 on your payout.
❄ COLD (−2 or less): the shoe is full of junk and the odds tilt to the house — but the table slows down, and your powers recharge at double speed, at any bet size. Bet small, grind your cooldowns, and be fully loaded when the shoe turns.
Play it: 🔥 BURN torches the next card and it counts — burn at the right moment to push the shoe hot or rescue it from cold. 🔮 ORACLE tells you if burning is worth it. Shuffles reset the count to 0.