Written by We explain in an article elsewhere on this site about casino etiquette in general terms but the
awareness of one’s behaviour means more than just knowing what to do inside the casino. Each different game inside a casino, and indeed online, brings with it several behavioural requirements that are handy to know before you dive straight into the action.
Sometimes it’s difficult to imagine that ‘spit and sawdust’ games such as Five & Seven Card Stud come complete with their own etiquette guidelines, but when you’re playing for money, everyone wants a level playing field, even those early practitioners of the game such as cowboys and gold miners.
These rules are in no particular order:
- Make sure you are aware of the particular house rules pertaining to your game. For examples some casinos feature slightly different varieties of Seven Card Stud and Blackjack can easily vary from venue to venue. Avoid confusion and embarrassment by getting it all straight beforehand.
- Keep the table in front of you tidy. This means only put there what is required – cards, chips and a drink. You don’t need your phone of your cigarettes. The dealer needs to concentrate on chip counts and cards, not try and work out what is important in that pile of junk in front of you.
- Speak clearly and act clearly. Make sure the dealer can hear you if you’re calling, raising and by how much. He/she doesn’t want to ask you to repeat yourself. Similarly, although it may be tempting to fling your chips, movie style, into the pot, don’t do it. Place them neatly.
- Always speak the language of the casino at the table. Not a problem for most of us but if you’re in Vegas at a table with two Russian friends and speaking Russian to each other, it may look suspicious and it’s certainly rude.
- Don’t do anything before its your turn. This means if you want to fold, wait until it’s your play. Tossing your cards away face up before it’s your go can give players an advantage who should not be receiving one. It will not go down well.
Most rules are just the normal acceptable behaviour that one would abide by anyway, so there’s no reason to be nervous about your first visit.
