Blackjack Etiquette: Unwritten Rules Every Player Should Know
Look, we get it. You’re out with your friends at the casino and want to have a good time. But the key here is that your good time ends when the players near you feel miserable. Blackjack table etiquette isn’t just a good idea; it’s more unwritten law.
The Key to Blackjack Etiquette at a Casino
Casinos don’t have giant posters saying this behavior is allowed at the entrance. This one is a definite no-no and a grey area, but push your luck, and we’ll toss you. At least not at any of the ones I’ve ever worked at.
Some of them may sneak in a few of the really important ones, like no photography on the casino floor or no unaccompanied minors on the security podium.
Still, these are generally less than helpful, though let’s be clear: not every casino will allow photographs, and if you are accompanying a minor, that means you literally need to be right next to them.
Nothing gets security more nervous than a six-year-old trailing yards behind their parents, looking at those shiny buttons on those slots and wondering what happens if he presses one.
The answer is a couple of hours in casino detention and a considerable fine, so don’t make that classic blunder.
But what about at the table, when you sit down to play? What is proper blackjack etiquette? And more importantly, how can you avoid the dealer fussing at you over something you didn’t know you were doing wrong? Not to worry, we got you.
When You First Sit Down
Look, I’m not going to lie. We have a lot of rules. Casinos have a lot of money at risk, and so they don’t like to take chances. Many of these will seem obvious once we talk about them, others less so, but one of the first mistakes new players will make is thinking that the area on the table in front of where they are sitting is for their phone, 72-oz daiquiri, or purse.
But casinos hate anything on the table other than your chips. Phones have cameras and might be used to catch the dealer’s whole card, giant drinks spill, don’t fit in cup holders, and block the surveillance cameras’ view.
Purses might also conceal a camera or allow a player to switch cards in and out more easily. So when you first walk up, resist the urge to claim that newfound space in front of you as a place to pile your belongings.
Next up is getting chips. Dealers aren’t allowed to take money from your hand, so you need to set your money on the layout. They will cut out the chips and push them to you; there is no need to attempt to help.
Also, it’s as good a time as any to remind you that dealers don’t want to touch money from anywhere other than your pocket, billfold, or purse. The number of people, especially in the summer, who wish to pull soggy money from different places is just too high.
Keep your chips in front of you and not too close to the betting circle. Put your phone away. Most casinos won’t allow you to use it at the table in any case, and even if they do, you still shouldn’t. If you need to take a call or make a text, step away from the game, both so the casino doesn’t worry that you’re up to something and as a courtesy to others at your table.
Making Your Bets
Proper blackjack etiquette requires that you stack your chips, not just push in a pile, and they should be highest denomination on the bottom to lowest denomination on top. Sure, the dealer will fix it for you, but the whole table will stare daggers at you while the dealer fixes your issue.
You won’t be allowed to touch the cards in most places, so please don’t. They may need to call a floor over to inspect the card you’ve touched to ensure it hasn’t been marked in some way, and it’s another sure-fire way to slow down the game and aggravate your fellow players.
You can ask how to play your hand, but please don’t be that boorish player who tells people unasked what to do with every hand; people came to relax, not hear your opinion.
Besides, about 60% of the advice I’ve seen unsolicited over the past thirty years has been wrong. Moreover, you may have the best sites to play blackjack saved in your phone, but people aren’t going to want to hear about it.
If you are playing a game where you can touch the cards, please don’t take them off the table or cover them so the dealer can no longer see them. That is another sure way to get the floor supervisor involved, and that won’t end well.
Casinos have different rules and procedures; what you may have seen at one casino may not be the way it is done at another, and there is no sense arguing. If in doubt, just ask the dealer, and they will happily explain their house rules.
This is especially true regarding doubling and splitting in blackjack. Some casinos let you double anything, and some don’t. Some want your money placed here or this hand signal. It’s best to just let your dealer explain it.
When it comes time to color up, wait until the current hand is over, announce that you are done coloring up, and push all your chips into the dealer at once. Do not push them into the betting circle or too close to the dealer’s rack. Somewhere near the insurance line and away from the betting circle will keep everybody happy.
Common Sense Do’s and Don’t’s for the Entire Casino
Here is some other standard casino etiquette, blackjack aside. First, don’t drink too much. Yes, half of the casinos in the country serve free alcohol when you gamble, but remember, there is a reason it’s free.
They want looser inhibitions and judgment, and you certainly do not. Drink when you’re finished playing, but keep a tight lid on consumption when you have money still in the circle.
© Pavel Danilyuk, Pexels
Remember, there are very tight rules on alcohol consumption to keep both you and the casino safe. One drink at a time, not a shot and a beer or hiding your drink in front of your friend; it’s unlikely to be your servers’ first night, and trust me, they know all the tricks.
No more than one drink every twenty or thirty minutes. The drinks are staggered to ensure you don’t end up staggering, and purposefully so. Any attempt to get a server to come more often is much more likely to end with you being cut off than you getting a drink.
The second you show signs of inebriation, you will undoubtedly be cut off, as most state laws don’t allow intoxicated people to be served. But they also don’t allow intoxicated people to gamble, so once that cut-off comes, you will also be asked to leave the gaming floor.
Do not attempt to drive once you have been cut off; the casino will take no chances and immediately notify the police if you leave property behind the wheel.
In 2025, most casinos have what can at best be called relaxed dress standards, but even in what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, there is such a thing as being dressed inappropriately, and it can lead to you not being allowed on the floor or asked to leave.
If you want to play in your PJs and fuzzy slippers, stay home and hit the top casino sites on the web; don’t be traipsing down Las Vegas Boulevard. Yes, we’ve seen it.
And if you are going casino hopping, what is considered proper at the El Cortez may see you barred from entry at the Wynn, so choose your outfit with your entire evening in mind. Many clubs have even stricter dress codes, so while jeans and a tee may be acceptable at every casino, it certainly won’t fly at most casino nightclubs, especially in Las Vegas.
Conclusion
Blackjack may be a game of chance, but playing it with a little grace is pure skill. The dealers notice, so does the floor. And believe it or not, so do the players sitting next to you.
Nobody expects you to know every rule or hand signal the first time you sit down, but if you can follow the basics, stay polite, and avoid turning the table into your personal bar, phone booth, or therapy session, you’ll do just fine.
Casinos might not post the etiquette rules on the walls, but trust me, they’re being enforced all the same.
