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Table Games Blackjack etiquette for newbies

deansrobinson said:
And another thing.

Three Card Poker is akin to Blackjack. As the name implies, you are dealt three cards and the dealer is dealt three cards. You're only playing against the dealer, not the other players at the table. Either your hand beats the dealer or the dealer beats your hand. End of story...to a degree. You can also bet 'pair plus' (as the name implies you win this side bet if you have a pair) and you can also bet six-card (your cards + dealers cards = potential payout). Both pair-plus & six-card are force multipliers on wins. For 'pair plus', pair is 1:1, flush is 3:1, straight is 6:1, 30:1 for three-of-a-kind and 40:1 for a straight flush. And payouts for six-card are along those lines as well. How to play 3-card poker.

3-card, to me, seems to go a tad slower than blackjack and - just sayin' - if you're intimidated by other players and their not-so invaluable and often unwarranted or unwanted input as to your play: doesn't exist at Three Card tables.
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Thank you for this tip! I pass these tables all the time, and they are in every pit I have ever seen. This seems like a good alternative if I cant get seated at a BJ table. I think I will try it next week.
 
topcard said:
7. If you smoke, and there are other players already there & none of them appear to be smoking, it's always courteous to ask "the table" if anyone minds if you do. Not a "rule", just good manners.
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This question really never has to be asked.

For non-smokers the answer is always “yes we do mind; we prefer that you don’t smoke (and the same goes for the dealer), but you’re putting me on the spot to make me feel like a jerk for saying it.”

Tables are just too close of quarters and your smoke inevitably drifts directly to my face.
 
jcooper911 said:
The hold at 3 card is absolutely insane. You are much much better off play Ultimate Texas Hold'em if you want a Poker themed game with a better payback.
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Perhaps. I haven’t tried UTH and really mostly play 3 card because that’s the only table game the wife will play. I also don’t really like playing many games for long sessions (craps and VP are the outliers).

I’ll try UTH on my next trip!
 
Rach4792 said:
About to embark on trip number 10 to Las Vegas and hoping to pluck up the courage to finally give table games a try.

Therefore wanted to see if there are any top tips or suggestions for the proper etiquette for a newbie on a Blackjack table. Or any suggestions in terms of which table games to try first.

Intend to play initially earlier in the morning in the hope of finding some quieter tables as obviously don't want to be disrupting too much whilst I get up to speed with the game flow.

Any suggestions are more than welcome!
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Don't play anywhere on the Strip. The odds are terrible and the dealers hate their lives in general. Play at Ellis Island or somewhere off strip.

Just relax and have fun. Blackjack used to be the most social game at the casino but now that everyone's an expert the vibe gets ruined easily. Play at a table where people are smiling with a jovial dealer and you'll have fun.
 
Call Me Gamblor said:
Don't play anywhere on the Strip. The odds are terrible and the dealers hate their lives in general. Play at Ellis Island or somewhere off strip.

Just relax and have fun. Blackjack used to be the most social game at the casino but now that everyone's an expert the vibe gets ruined easily. Play at a table where people are smiling with a jovial dealer and you'll have fun.
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Sage advice. EI is usually a good time for the dealers and players alone. Mix in winnings and it’s a friggen blast. Good rules, low minimums, I always make it a point to stop there for craps, BJ, & some food at the front yard. Good luck at the tables!
 
jcooper911 said:
The hold at 3 card is absolutely insane. You are much much better off play Ultimate Texas Hold'em if you want a Poker themed game with a better payback.
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Well, for me personally, I would agree -- Ultimate Texas Hold'em is my go to. I don't play three card poker very often. But I'm not so sure I would recommend jumping straight into UTH for someone who has never played table games before.

Yes, the house edge is higher for 3CP than UTH, but this assumes perfect strategy. Perfect strategy is easy for 3CP (Play Q-6-4 or better). Perfect strategy for UTH is extremely complicated, and even a "pretty good strategy" (like the WizardOfOdds "Wizard" strategy, which adds a couple of tenths to the house edge) is quite involved. For a player who has never played table games before, I would avoid the UTH tables.

In fact, based on the play I have seen at the tables, I wouldn't be surprised if the hold at the UTH tables is greater than that of 3CP. In my experience, very few players know proper UTH strategy, even for the first betting decision, and many who do know will not follow it. I have seen multiple players not even bet pocket AA because "aces always get cracked" or some similar logic. These mistakes will substantially drive up the edge.

You really can't screw up 3CP. Heck, even if you play it blind, the edge is still less than 000 roulette!
 
JRod said:
I’ll try UTH on my next trip!
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Be aware that UTH is a high-volatility game...LOTS of fun to play & it's my favorite game in Vegas, but be careful - session bankroll management is tricky.
Here's a breakdown:
Playing at a $5 table (which I strongly advise!), if you bet $10 on the ante & blind and $5 on the 'Trips' bet, that's $25 at risk per hand dealt, and that's before you add a minimum of $10 to play. The average 'Play' bet is about 2x your ante, so another $20. So, your average bet amount per hand on a $5 table is going to run between $40-$45.
Now, to be fair, your 'Play' bet is actually EV+ (if you adhere to the game's basic strategy), so for bankroll purposes, use the $25 as your basis.
The old standard "20-hands" rule would suggest a session bankroll of $500, betting $10-$10-$5, as described above.
I typically buy in for only $300.
Simple 'basic strategy'?
Go 4x ante pre-flop when you have any pair (3s or better), or Ace-anything. Also, when you have K-5 or better, Q-8 or better or J-10. Otherwise check for the flop. (Other 4x hands: K-any suited, Q-6+suited, J-8+suited)
After the flop, go 2x ante when you have any pair+, or if you have 4-suited with one of them being 10+, or if you have an open-ended straight draw with a 10+. Otherwise check for the river.
After the river, go 1x ante with any pair+, or any time when there are less than 22 possible cards in the dealer hand that would beat you. The '21-outs' rule usually works so long as you're holding a Jack or better high-card.

Good luck!
:beer:
 
Joeman said:
You really can't screw up 3CP. Heck, even if you play it blind, the edge is still less than 000 roulette!
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Here's the way I play it:
I only look at 1 card - if it's a Q or better, I stay in. If it's not, I look at a 2nd card - if that gives me 2-suited, 2-consecutive(open), or a Q+, I stay in. If I look at all three, I use the Q-6+ rule.
Keeps it more fun ~and~ you can still push with a crap hand when the dealer fails to qualify!
:beer:
 
#4 is curious to me - I have been playing for 30 years - everywhere from gambling boats off the coast of GA to the Talon Club at the Cosmo

Never seen this discussed before - why does it matter if 3rd base slides his/her chips out before its his turn - if anything I do this just to make sure the dealer and I are on the same page in case he/she gets in a hurry or is distracted etc
 
Dr Nostron said:
#4 is curious to me - I have been playing for 30 years - everywhere from gambling boats off the coast of GA to the Talon Club at the Cosmo

Never seen this discussed before - why does it matter if 3rd base slides his/her chips out before its his turn - if anything I do this just to make sure the dealer and I are on the same page in case he/she gets in a hurry or is distracted etc
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Agree, it doesn't matter and happens all the time. I think OP was getting confused with poker.
 
topcard said:
Here's the way I play it:
I only look at 1 card - if it's a Q or better, I stay in. If it's not, I look at a 2nd card - if that gives me 2-suited, 2-consecutive(open), or a Q+, I stay in. If I look at all three, I use the Q-6+ rule.
Keeps it more fun ~and~ you can still push with a crap hand when the dealer fails to qualify!
:beer:
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I do this exact thing! Drives my wife crazy 😄
 
I have some buddies that love Mississippi stud - every time I have tried may as well have lit my money on fire
 
JRod said:
This question really never has to be asked.

For non-smokers the answer is always “yes we do mind; we prefer that you don’t smoke (and the same goes for the dealer), but you’re putting me on the spot to make me feel like a jerk for saying it.”

Tables are just too close of quarters and your smoke inevitably drifts directly to my face.
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I don't smoke and if its just a cig i dont really mind but appreciate someone asking.

If it's a cigar, then agree hard no
 
Lots of good tips here. But a few things I would add
- If you play third base (I do, with perfect basic strategy), and the other players hate on you, leave. no fun table
- I will get hate for that, but I'd rather play at a fun 6:5 $10 table with my friends that don't want to bet higher, than sit at a $50 table myself "grinding"
- Another 6:5 thing, yes it may be a horrendous game, but you will get free drinks and free (good) live bands at Carnaval court, very nice place to enjoy during your vacation
- PAI GOW poker is a super easy table game, that you can just sit at, and tell the dealer "the house way" and he will set your cards. Don't be afraid of the minimums, it is very slow, and ends mostly in ties anyway
- Be afraid, very afraid of Mississippi stud. It can lead to huge wins, but also diminish your bankroll in an instant, even on $5 tables
- Roulette is not a table game, it is a boring manual slot machine
 

don1701 said:
- If you play third base (I do, with perfect basic strategy), and the other players hate on you, leave. no fun table
- I will get hate for that, but I'd rather play at a fun 6:5 $10 table with my friends that don't want to bet higher, than sit at a $50 table myself "grinding"
- Another 6:5 thing, yes it may be a horrendous game, but you will get free drinks and free (good) live bands at Carnaval court, very nice place to enjoy during your vacation
- PAI GOW poker is a super easy table game, that you can just sit at, and tell the dealer "the house way" and he will set your cards. Don't be afraid of the minimums, it is very slow, and ends mostly in ties anyway
- Be afraid, very afraid of Mississippi stud. It can lead to huge wins, but also diminish your bankroll in an instant, even on $5 tables
- Roulette is not a table game, it is a boring manual slot machine
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Hmmm. How odd. I wonder if we're related.

OP/ED: I am in Vegas, on the strip, for vacation. All gambling is, is something to while away the hours in the environment. And this is true for millions upon millions of visitors to Vegas, many of whom will be there but once in a lifetime, so the 6:5 vs 3:2 'get off the strip' argument is not overly persuasive, to me, especially given that the OP is "new" to table games. I completely forgot about Pai Gow. You are correct about Mississippi Stud; it is very much the table equivalent of riding without a helmet. Loads of fun, but not without potential consequences that can leave one scarred for life. :haha:
 

  • Trip #13.1
  • Trip #13.2
Not sure if this was already said but please don't jump in mid-deck on non-shoe games. Either ask the players if they mind, or just wait for the shuffle. That doesn't apply to shoe games.
 
Bobby B said:
Not sure if this was already said but please don't jump in mid-deck on non-shoe games. Either ask the players if they mind, or just wait for the shuffle. That doesn't apply to shoe games.
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Even on shoe games I like to ask the players or wait until the dealer pauses to see if I want in.
 
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