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Table Games Proper blackjack etiquette

Discussion in 'Table Games' started by DoctorPong, Sep 24, 2014.

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  1. DoctorPong

    DoctorPong Tourist

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    So short story
    I went to a local casino and chose to sit at a blackjack table. When I sat I noticed the gentleman playing the table was playing two spots (legal?). He became kinda upset when I sat down and before the cards were delt again he left.

    Did I break some etiquette? This being said as a guy who lifts and appreciates good gym etiquette what are some untold casino gaming rules?
     
  2. jaybert

    jaybert Low-Roller

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    I always ask if they're ok with me jumping in midshoe. Never really had anyone care but I've asked someone to wait a few hands personally if I'm on a roll and winning a bunch of hands in a row
     
  3. acccrow

    acccrow Low-Roller

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    I agree with this.

    Also, playing two hands is common. Although most (all?) casinos won't let you play two hands for table minimums. You usually have to increase the wager on each to play two or more spots.
     
  4. dfalk

    dfalk VIP Whale

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    I always ask before joing a game if it's in the middle of a shoe. 9 times out of 10 no one cares but every once inawhile someone will ask for me to wait which I have no problem with.
     
  5. thecarve

    thecarve Misanthrope

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    I'd say you're in a bit of a gray area.

    You did nothing wrong. You're certainly entitled to sit down and play whenever you choose (unless the casino doesn't allow mid-shoe entry). But many gamblers are superstitious and feel that a newcomer might "change the cards".

    I usually just ask if the folks at the table mind if I join right away or if they'd rather I wait until the shuffle. More often than not, people will respond, "hop in, it can't get any worse". But occasionally someone will ask if I will wait until next shoe. As long as he isn't a dick about it or it isn't the second hand of a six deck shoe, I'll oblige or go to another table.

    Let me reiterate that this isn't 100% black and white. BJ etiquette is debated on this board all the time. And you'll never please everyone.



    And playing two hands isn't out of the ordinary. But many casinos will require you play at a certain level (usually 2X the table minimum) to do so. Unless you do it just to keep someone else from playing, it really can't be considered rude.
     
  6. WHITEJACKET73

    WHITEJACKET73 VIP Whale

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    I was at the Downtown Grand last week; played some video poker then decided to play some BJ. I stood by a table with 3 players and told the dealer that I would wait until the end of the shoe before I would buy-in, which brought a nod of approval from one of the players. A few minutes later a guy pushed past me and sat down and bought in at the table. He made a couple of what I would consider "bad decisions" on the next several hands. At the end of the shoe the original three players colored up and left; leaving me still standing there with players card and money in hand. I certainly wasn't going to play with this dude at the table....wasted 10 minutes of my time for being polite.
     
  7. mrem3200

    mrem3200 VIP Whale

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    This is the same for me.
     
  8. topcard

    topcard Here's to $10 3:2 two-deck, $5 Craps, and $5 UTH!

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    That was your error - You should have sat down in your planned seat while you waited.

    Anyway, to the OP's point, I rarely play anything except two-deck, but in two-deck, I always wait for the shuffle - even when mid-deck entry is allowed.
    On those rare occasions when I'm playing a 6-deck shoe, I join the table, buy-in, and then ask if anyone would prefer that I wait to jump in.
    Vast majority of the time, nobody asks me to wait.
    If the shoe is close to the end, I won't even ask - I just wait for the shuffle.

    In the case of your situation ( only one player, playing two hands), I would have asked if he'd prefer that I wait a few hands, (but I would not have waited for the shuffle if the shoe was still pretty "fresh"). He could always have kept the cards "the same" by reducing to one hand, if it was that big of a deal to him.

    I would have allowed him 2 or 3 hands before jumping in, but no more than that.
     
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  9. alk545

    alk545 Newbie

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    I play 2 deck, dealer sticks soft 17 which is usually a little higher level of play but it has the howest house percentage of any other game excepy Baccarat. If someone is sitting at the table playing 3-500 per hand, I always ask if it ok to sit down and play. 90% of the time you will get a yes. Make sure you know your basic strategy for the exact game you are paying at all times since it differs from game to game slightly.
    ALK545
     
  10. 44inarow

    44inarow VIP Whale

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    I always ask if people mind if I jump in (whether mid-shoe or otherwise, since a lot of times I wind up playing a CSM), never had anyone say no. It's mostly just out of habit at this point.

    And as to playing two hands, Aria let me do that at table minimums ($25 and up) without a problem during my entire last trip.
     
  11. DoctorPong

    DoctorPong Tourist

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    Well honestly I was 21 at the time and never even seen the inside of a casino so I assumed if the spot was open I could sit. My gaming career (if you can call it that) since has been nothing more then 1-2 times every six months, but the casinos here in Missouri are nothing special.

    Being an older guy now, 27, and going to Vegas for the first time, I'd love to avoid a similar situation. Everyone's feedback on this forum has been super helpful.
     
  12. merlin

    merlin MIA

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    I'll always ask when I sit down and wait if they are on a roll, however if they are losing, or betting the table min, I wont wait long.
     
  13. DeMoN2318

    DeMoN2318 The DERS

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    or just play how you want since its your money and your entertainment... :poke:
     
  14. topcard

    topcard Here's to $10 3:2 two-deck, $5 Craps, and $5 UTH!

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    You can...and you should!
    The only 'etiquette' issue is when you jump in. For a two deck game, or a nearly-exhausted shoe, I would just wait for the shuffle.
    For any other shoe (6/8 deck), I would ask, as a courtesy, if the other players wanted you to wait for a few hands before jumping in.

    One thing that I personally feel is even more important (when there's only one player at the table you are joining) is 'position'.
    Unless that player is already at first or third, I always ask if they'd prefer me to their left or right.
     
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  15. makikiboy

    makikiboy VIP Whale

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    Some people that play 2 hands want the table all to themselves. The guy probably was more irritated that you joined him, he probably wanted to play by himself and so left not long after because you were there.

    As for etiquette, guess you could be nice and ask the other guy if he minded if you joined him in the game. There really is no real official "rule" on entering a game and you can join in any time you want, just that some people don't like it if a new player jumps in at certain times (middle of the shoe, hot table, etc.).

    As for the other poster who waited, you probably could have sat down and waited so someone else doesn't take the seat. But like the other players, I usually get off the table when I notice players making questionable decisions.
     
  16. RC

    RC Low-Roller

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    Baccarat has a higher house edge than the DD blackjack game that you play ...
     
  17. DeMoN2318

    DeMoN2318 The DERS

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    Also, some VP has a lower house edge
     
  18. LV_Bound

    LV_Bound VIP Whale

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    I am supposed to ask someone if I can play a game and if they say 'No' I am supposed to stand around and wait while on my vacation?
    Geesh, these blackjack players are a touchy bunch. :poke:

    I guess when tossing the dice at the Craps table every person wanting to play should have to ask me if I mind they join in?
     
  19. Aces and Eights

    Aces and Eights VIP Whale

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    The difference with craps is that a person who joins the table isn't causing the dice to move differently. It's all on how you throw them. In BJ the person who joins the game is changing how the cards are dealt out. But in all actuality, the addition of a new player doesn't change the odds at all. It may affect the count, but it is out of anyone's control whether the new player is making it better or worse (unless the dealer is cheating by sorting the cards in some order). It's just a courtesy thing that some people do and some don't.
     
  20. gambler

    gambler VIP Whale

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    Honestly, I've never given this much thought until tonight.

    I never ask.

    If I see any empty chair that I like, I sit down. I put my money on the table but at the edge closest to me. If the dealer invites me in, I push my money forward. (if she just says hi, I wait,)

    I figure it's up to the dealer to know whether the table rules allow me to play. Or if another player at the table needs space.

    In all the BJ games I've played, I only remember 2 times that someone's asked me to wait. And I said sure.

    It's not like $2 players are approaching a $100 table. If someone's betting big on a $10 table and wants to be alone, he has options.
     
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