Free Blackjack / Blackjack table etiquette
Blackjack table etiquette
Put cash on the table to buy in, bet before the deal, use hand signals, and leave your chips and cards alone once the hand starts. That covers most of it. Here is the rest, in the order it happens.
Sitting down
- Check the sign for the table minimum and the rules before you sit. What to look for.
- Join between hands. Some tables post "no mid-shoe entry": wait for the shuffle.
- Any open seat is yours to take. The seat doesn't change your odds.
Buying chips
- Lay your cash flat on the felt between hands and say "change, please". Dealers take nothing from your hand.
- The dealer counts it out, slides you chips, and drops the cash in the box.
Betting
- Put your bet in your circle before the first card comes out.
- Stack chips with the biggest on the bottom.
- Once the cards are out, leave your bet alone until the hand is paid.
Your cards
- Shoe games (cards face up): leave the cards on the felt. You play with signals.
- Hand-held games (one or two decks, face down): hold the cards with one hand, keep them over the table.
- Signal every move: tap to hit, wave to stand. All the signals.
Other players
- Play your own hand. Every player plays against the dealer, and another player's move changes nobody's odds over time.
- Give advice only when someone asks.
- Win or lose, keep it friendly. The dealer deals the cards; the dealer doesn't choose them.
Tipping the dealer
- Most players tip when they win: a chip handed over, or a small bet placed for the dealer in front of your own.
- A bet for the dealer rides on your hand. When you win, the dealer wins it.
- Drinks are often free while you play. Tip the server a dollar or two.
Strategy cards and phones
Most casinos let you check a basic strategy card at the table, as long as it doesn't slow the game. Phones are a different story at many tables: ask the dealer. Learn the chart before your trip with the free Blackjack Cheat Sheet.
Leaving
- Leave any time, even mid-shoe, between hands.
- Push your chips toward the dealer and say "color up". You get them back as fewer, bigger chips to take to the cage.
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Questions
How do you buy in at a blackjack table?
Lay your cash flat on the felt between hands and say "change, please". The dealer gives you chips.
Can you touch the cards in blackjack?
Not in shoe games, where cards are dealt face up. In one or two deck games dealt face down, hold them with one hand over the table.
Should you tip the blackjack dealer?
Most players tip when they win, by handing over a chip or placing a small bet for the dealer.
What does color up mean?
Trading your small chips for fewer, bigger ones when you leave the table.
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