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Blackjack Etiquette for Novice Players
Tuesday, February 23, 2010 4:12 PM
Aside from the slot machines (which are filled with sad, sad masses of old ladies and bored-to-death crusty women who are killing time while their sugar daddies burn through what should have been the inheritance for the children of their first marriage) the blackjack table is one of the most approachable places to spend money at a casino. It's not crazy complicated like craps, it's not boring like roulette, and it's not one of the random other silly games that casinos have invented just to take your money faster because you're afraid of blackjack, craps, or roulette.
For the sake of these guidelines, I'm assuming you know very little about casino blackjack. If you know enough to point out that "this isn't how it works under Scenario XYZ" then you're not a novice player, are you? As a novice, you should be sticking to tables with a 4-6 deck shoe (the number of decks in each "round") or continuous shuffle. Single or double decks where you pick up the cards are best left to the pros, if only because they'll be pretty ticked that you're crashing their game. Oh, and stay away from any "blackjack with a twist" variant, especially if that twist sounds like it's in your favor. It's not. The tables where you get to place a side-bet about how many 7s will be in your hand are fine because that doesn't affect the core game.
Who am I to be providing such a guide? Shrug. I'm a second-generation blackjack player, and my primary teacher (my dad) was more focused on the etiquette during my training than the actual rules. He's a stickler for perfection, and a stickler for not being embarrassed by his daughter at the table. I know how to play and I know how to play. Trust me.
By no means is this everything you need to know to play well. It's not even everything you need to know to act like you know how to play. It's a start. It's enough to keep regular players from scowling or getting up from the table. It'll keep the dealers friendly, too, and most importantly, it's enough for you to sit down with me ;)
Learn the basic rules. Fine. They're not technically rules, but many years ago a group of people got together and figured out the best way to play blackjack to minimize the house's advantage ("the house" is casino-speak for "the casino"). These are the "rules" that all blackjack players should follow. Bet as stupidly as you want, but play the cards properly. You may not be playing against anyone but the dealer, but how you play your cards (ie. whether you take one when you shouldn't or vice versa) affects the rest of the table. So play by the rules. We'd prefer it if you learned all of them, but you don't have to for me. I don't care if you don't want to maximize your profits by doubling or splitting or anything. Sure, sometimes that'll change the cards around, but it doesn't happen that often, and I'll let it go. All I ask is that you get the basics and don't deviate. What are the basic rules? If the dealer is showing a 7 or greater, you hit until you have 17 points. If the dealer is showing 2-6, you hit until you have 12. Always hit if you have 12 and the dealer has a 2. That's all I ask. Oh, and Aces will throw you because they can be worth 1 or 11 points. Ask the dealer if you don't know what you have.
Don't be a chicken. My number one pet peeve is players who get scared or have a feeling or whatever reason they give for not hitting when they should. Man the hell up and stick to the rules. Don't freak when you've got a 16 and the dealer has a 9 showing. Hit it. Don't freak when you've taken 5 cards and somehow still haven't reached 17 yet. Any player who gets it would rather have 16 against a high dealer card than 17. With 17, you're stuck with a crummy hand, but with 16 you can at least go someplace. Yes, you're probably going to bust more often than you don't, but guess what? You've probably already lost if you don't have 17 and you need it, so taking a card and busting now isn't more or less of a loss than not taking a card and losing because the dealer had you beat the entire time, only without taking that card you're supposed to, you've thrown the whole table out of whack. Again! Grrrrr.....
A-hem. Sorry. That really upsets me.
Do you need extra incentive? The house is thrilled when you stand on that 16. The house is also offering you free drinks so you won't be able to think straight and make stupid mistakes and spend more money than you should and keep losing. The house is not your friend.
The House is against you. The dealer doesn't have to be. The dealer gets paid the same whether you win or lose. The dealer's working for tips just as surely as the cocktail girl and the coat check boy. If you're nice to them, they'll help you out. They know "the rules" better than anyone and if you ask what you should do, they'll tell you. If you clearly know what you should do and make a mistake (all those little cards get hard to add after your third gin&tonic, yo) they'll stop and remind you what you're facing. Joke around with them. Tease them when they give you crap cards, or perpetually draw to 21 on their 6, but make it clear that you don't really blame them. Chances are they're not even doing the shuffling, so they couldn't have any power over what comes out even if they wanted to. The game gets really boring if you aren't having any fun and if you aren't playing nice with the dealer, you aren't having any fun.
Tip them. Usually, this is done as part of your bet. If you win that hand, so do they and the house matches your bet. I usually use a dollar chip, but that's because I'm poor and usually at a $10 or $15 table. Place the tip on the edge of the circle/icon at about the 10 o'clock spot. You don't have to add to the dealer's tip-bet if you double or split the hand you're playing, but sheesh! Stingy much? Place that extra tip right next to the original one (more on that in a second) and if you win, they'll bank it. If you lose, they'll drop it back in the tray with the rest of your money. When do you tip? I tip at the beginning of a new shoe and after a blackjack or a successful split/double (sometimes just after blackjacks and when the shoe starts if it's a small shoe). That's just my rule (it's more than my dad would), and I do it whether the dealer's being nice or a stick in the mud. Bear in mind that all the dealers working the table share the tips during their shift. The money you put down for the tired drone that stepped in so your awesome dealer could go on break goes towards your awesome dealer, too. When I get up from the table, I give a direct tip and say thank you. Sometimes this is the $1.50 I have left over that I'm too disappointed to bother cashing in at the cashier window. If I've been doing well and having fun, it's usually $5. This would be much more if i was playing at something other than a $10 or $15 table, or won a giant amount (it does happen ...at least that one time).
Be Neat and Precise. Sloppy players are your new best friend the dealer's pet peeve. Sloppy players who are sloppy on accident are annoying because sloppy players who are sloppy on purpose are usually "up to something" or are so drunk they're just making everyone miserable. This annoys me, too, because if the dealer has to spend extra time with you, she makes it up by speeding by everyone else, and I stop having as much fun.
Be Neat. Stack your bet in a single stack in the center of the circle/logo that you're playing at. Put the largest denomination on the bottom. If you're going to double or split, put the second bet next to the original. Never on top. Never put anything in that circle that isn't a bet because anything that goes in the circle can technically be considered a bet and then drama may ensue. Drama is bad. If you need "change" for smaller chips or to turn your cash into clay, set that to the side of the circle and ask nicely when the table is between hands. Wait patiently and don't put your next bet out until after you've got what you want. It makes it easier for the dealer to notice you. If you're asked to cut cards, take the offered cutter and place it somewhere in the middle half of the deck. Be a man about it (the dealer's holding the cards tight so you don't spill them), but don't jam it in. Also, don't be one of those guys who tries to slice off as few cards as possible. It makes no difference in the deck, but means that the dealer has to call over the pit boss, who will usually side with the player and then the player acts like he's pulled one over on the dealer and then....
Sorry, I get really distracted when it comes to jerk players.
Be precise with your signals. If you want to hit, tap the table with one or two fingers. I usually point at the cards (don't touch them, or your money once any card has been played) and keep my finger on the felt until I've got the next card. If i want a second card, i just re-assert that point. If you want to pass, wave your hand sharply back and forth, while keeping it parallel to the table. Say "hit" or "pass" if you feel like it. Don't mumble something and make a vague gesture near your cards. It's not the dealer's fault if you're super vague and she ends up doing something you don't like, but she will be punished for it.
Speaking of, never point out a mistake the dealer makes in your favor. Do if they accidentally take your money when they shouldn't, but do it right away, before the cards have been cleared. If you see a dealer making lots of mistakes (it happens outside of Vegas, especially at new casinos) leave the table, or don't sit down.
Do not play to win. Play to have fun. Way back in the beginning I mentioned rules that minimize the house's advantage. Minimize. As in "lose your money as slowly as possible and often take some home with you" and not "clean up every time you sit down." If there was a (legal) way to play the game so that you always won, the game wouldn't be there. Instead, think of it as an entertainment cost. Over the course of a couple of hours you might see a show, eat a dinner, have drinks with your friends. These things cost money and you're not always guaranteed a good time. Same thing with gambling, only you have the chance to win enough money for drinks or dinner with your friends, too. You didn't "lose" $50 at the table, you spent $50 having a good time. If you didn't have a good time, you're at the wrong table or you're doing it wrong.
Oh, and don't play with your rent money. I did that once (it's a longer story) and it did not go well.
When not at the blackjack table, Kelly can be found offering unsolicited advice on any number of topics on twitter or her own blog.
I like BlackJack because it's basically a\more evolved version of War with money. Since I'm a klutz, I avoid tables, except for a game or two of hold'em
Kelly -- Great article on playing Blackjack by the player wanting to have a fun time and perhaps winning a little money. Loved the second to last paragraph about the cost of gambling being the cost of entertainment. So true! If we stick to that, then playing Blackjack can be very reasonable. Now, I am ready to hear the rest of the story -- the rent money????
you were there!!
i couldn't afford to go to vegas *or* to pay my share of rent, but since it was a special occasion, my parents footed the bill for my "stake" (everyone else: the money you take to gamble with) and instead of winning/keeping enough to pay rent, i lost every last dollar.
I was in Vegas last year for my birthday and played Black Jack for the first time. I watched one of the people I was with play for a few hands and jumped in when I had the chance.
Everyone at the table was really helpful and it was a lot of fun. But I think the most important rule is "Don't be a chicken". That's the easiest why to bring the whole table down.
Great article Kelly. I love Blackjack and love to have a good time in the casino. However most of my friends that are willing to go with me are slot jockeys. I tell them they might as well through there wallet to an employee and turn around and go home. I haven't been to the casino in a while but I plan on going for my birthday in a couple of weeks. Like you, I play at the smaller $10 and $15 dollar tables. What are your thoughts about the third base position? Normally it is not a big deal to me whether I sit there or not, but on occasion it bugs me depending on who sits there. It ruins my fun when the guy at the end has no clue what to do or refuses to play by the rules. Win or loss I normally have fun. One more rule I like to add for beginners is to never buy back in. Buy in for the first time with what you are willing to lose and do not try to win your money back.
my dad always sat 3rd base so he could "control" the table, and my mom always sat 1st so nobody else would mess with her cards.
i don't see how that makes a difference, statistically. the guy messing up the cards is going to mess them up either way. if he takes a card that you "deserved" you're screwed. if he takes a card that the dealer should have had, you're screwed, too.
BUT i sat 3rd base (for maybe the first time ever?) one night in vegas and i really liked the view of the table and the ability to do all the math on my cards that i want to before i get another. plus, it puts you in a good position to schmooze with both the dealer and the pit boss.
(everyone else: 3rd base is the the position to the dealer's right. 1st is to his left. 1st base gets their cards first, 3rd is last - that's probably pretty obvious based on context :)
thing that happened to me this time that has never happened, even back when i was young and cute: a guy slid a $100 chip over and told me to add it to my bet.
since he was a super-duper crazy person that i never, ever, never should have sat down at the same table with, i declined.
Great article. I'm a big fan of Blackjack and instructed in the art of the game at my father's knee. The funny thing was, when we played between ourselves or I with my friends, we always neglected to use the hand signals. This resulted in a very embarrassing moment when I played my first table in Atlantic City! (Quickly remedied, mind!) As I said, great article. You should print this out and hand it around your table next time!
Another good resource for learning the rules of card games and gambling etiquette are the James Bond novels. Ian Fleming more or less delivers a master class in how to play Baccarat in "Casino Royal" and I learned far more about Bridge than I ever thought I would from "Moonraker." (The Bond books are also good places to learn drinking etiquette and pairing gourmet dinners with gourmet alcohol!)
that's more or less what happened with my friend. she was used to playing against others and in her grandmother's basement. we went over how casino blackjack is different, but neglected any of the etiquette. the instant we sat at the table i realized our oversight (she'd never been at a table before). fortunately, she's one of the fastest thinkers i know, so after a quick "money goes here, do this or that" moment, she was more or less good to go.
Respond
"You may not be playing against anyone but the dealer, but how you play your cards (ie. whether you take one when you shouldn't or vice versa) affects the rest of the table."
Attitudes like this are why I don't like to sit at a Blackjack table. Yes, me hitting or staying when I "shouldn't" may affect which card you get, but the odds of it changing it for the better are the same as it changing for the worse, so who cares if I take a card when a book says I shouldn't?
I don't get why the more experienced players that know the odds (and should know what I said above is true) are the ones that get all pissy when someone plays a hand differently then they would.