What to Expect When You Walk Up to a Casino Table
Questions & Answers
Q: “I found Blackjack to be intimidating and that’s why I’ve never played in the casino. Can you please explain to this newbie what I can expect when I walk up to a casino blackjack table?”
A: The first thing you do when you’re in a casino is decide what table you want to gamble at. Check out the Minimum-Maximum sign to make sure that the minimum bet is something you can afford. It would sort of suck to realize that your entire night’s gambling budget resulted in only 4 green chips because you’re sitting at a $25 minimum table.
If there are players already playing at the table, then the polite thing to do would be to ask if anyone would mind if you jumped in or do they want you to wait until the deck has been shuffled. Only worry about this if you want to be polite or if you’re worried about table etiquette. The reason why some players might be mad when a new player enters the game is because the order that the cards are going to change and this could sometimes change the game, making a good shoe turn bad with the addition or subtraction of players.
When you’re ready to play the game, place the amount of money you want to spend on the table and the dealer will exchange it for cheques. Always place the money on the table because the dealers aren’t allowed to take the money directly from the player’s hands. There is no physical contact allowed between the dealers and the players. The dealers are not allowed to touch the players and the players should never touch the dealers.
When you place the money on the table, make sure it’s not anywhere on or near a betting circle. The reason why is because sometimes the dealer will mistake this gesture as you betting the entire amount on one bet, and once that first card is out, the player isn’t allowed to change or alter their bet. So if you don’t want to bet your entire gambling budget on one hand, then take extra care not to place the cash on top of a betting circle.
Some other items that you might want to avoid putting on the table are your phone or your purse. Basically, if you can’t drink it, smoke it or gamble it, then it can’t be on the table. The reason why your phones can’t be on or near the table is because people regularly use their phones when they cheat so the dealer will always tell you to get off the phone or get off the table.
After you’ve figured out how much money you want to wager, place the bet in the betting circle and start playing. Once the first card has come out the player is not allowed to touch or alter their bet.