Blackjack Table Etiquette
There are a number of social standards that can be found at
the blackjack table, and here we're going to walk through a few key things to
know.
Blackjack is a really weird game in terms of how the social
structures work at the table, and this means blackjack etiquette can be a bit
strange at times as well. In what follows, we're going to walk you through some
basic things you should know about how to handle yourself at the table when
you're playing this game. Following these guidelines can help you to avoid
unintentionally making someone angry when you're playing.
Knowing Where to Sit
There's this superstitious idea that the play of the people
who go first at the table will affect things for everyone else. For example, if
you hit when you were supposed to stand according to basic strategy, then you
"shift" the cards coming out of the deck by one, which could be the
difference between winning and losing a hand for people further down the line.
While this doesn't affect the odds of the game or their chances of winning or
losing at all, that won't keep people from complaining about it. If you don't
want to have to deal with this kind of mess, then one option is to simply sit
on the left-hand side of the table where you'll act last.
Commenting on the Play of Other People
It's considered pretty rude to make comments or suggestions
about how other people play their hands. One of the most annoying things to
have happen is that there is someone at the table who has good intentions of
wanting to help people play better. It's so annoying because the person ends up
dominating the conversation with an air of superiority, and that brings down
the mood of the whole table and makes people want to leave instead of staying
to play.
Making Timely Decisions
Avoid taking too much time to make a decision at the table.
You don't necessarily have to make instant decisions on every single spot you
run into, but you shouldn't be taking long to decide to hit, stand, etc. When
you take a long time to play, you're holding up play for the entire table, and
that's considered a very rude thing to do.
Politics and Religion
Heated conversations at the blackjack table often come down
to politics or religion. If you simply avoid these two topics of conversation,
regardless of how you actually feel about them, then you'll automatically avoid
a majority of any drama that could come. Tensions are usually somewhat high
while gambling anyway, especially on a game that includes as much strategy as
blackjack, so keeping things as light as possible will go a long way towards
having strong table etiquette when you're playing one of the most popular
card-based table games in the world.
