Blackjack etiquette is an important part of the playing experience and ranges from knowing the appropriate hand signals to understanding how you are expected to act, tip, etc. Some etiquette rules are standard, while others vary depending upon the location and the individual casino. It can take some time to get a feel for some of the nuances, but with a little preparation and old fashioned experience, you can feel like a pro relatively quickly.
In multi-deck games with three or more decks, you are not allowed to touch the cards. You tap the table to have the dealer draw another card, and you wave your hand over your cards to stay. If you want to double down or double for less on a card combination, you put an equal or lesser amount of chips immediately next to, or behind your initial bet. To split two identical cards, you place an equal chip stack next to your first bet.
Hand signals in single- and double-deck games are slightly different. In these games, you are allowed to touch the cards, but you can only do so with one hand. If you are playing multiple spots at the same time, you can only act at one spot at a time, starting with the spot that is farthest to the right. Cards in single-deck games are usually dealt face down, and you pick them up with one hand. In order to hit, you scratch the cards against the table. When you want to stay, you tuck your cards underneath your chips. You split and double the same way that you would in a multi-deck game.
The dynamics of the community at any given table may depend greatly on where you are playing, but there are some universal rules. For one, hitting a combination with a hard score over 11 when the dealer is showing a 4, 5 or 6 can be considered rude. Doing so may annoy fellow players because statistically, it is assumed that the dealer has a 10-value card face down. As such, most people in this situation would expect the dealer to bust. If you happen to draw a card that would have made the dealer bust, other players may become upset. Additionally, similar to this thinking, keep in mind that players at third base are the last to act, and as such can have more pressure on them to play appropriately. Other players may blame them for anything that goes wrong if the dealer wins a hand that might have been lost if they had acted differently. You should consider playing in seats other than third base unless you are okay with being under pressure by other players from time to time.
There are two ways to tip the dealer. The first is by simply pushing chips forward and offering them to the dealer. The second way is by adding the dealer’s tip to your wager. You can do this by putting it in front of your main bet. If you win the hand, the dealer gets double the amount of the tip wager—two and a half times if you hit a blackjack. Tipping the dealer can be advantageous because he or she may give you advice on hands and warn you when you are about to make a stupid mistake. That said, it is not necessary to tip the dealer if you are losing or if he or she is rude.
How much to tip can often be confusing for players, but it doesn’t have to be. The best advice is to tip what feels comfortable to you. However, tips generally range from a high of leaving 10% of your buy-in for the dealer after the game to shouting the dealer a dollar or two every once in a while when you’ve had some good luck. Your best bet is to take note of how others at the table are acting and respond accordingly based on your fortune. It should be noted; however, that tipping during your round rather than afterwards has the added benefit of helping to build rapport with the dealer which can make for a better overall playing experience.