Casino Game Etiquette

• Watch before you sit. Observe a few rounds to learn the flow of the game and the table's pace.
• Buy in between hands. Wait for a break, then place your cash flat on the table — never hand it to the dealer directly. They'll spread it for the cameras and exchange it for chips.
• Don't touch your bet once cards are dealt. This is the cardinal anti-cheating rule everywhere. Wait until the hand resolves.
• Stack chips high-value on the bottom. It helps the dealer read your bet quickly.
• No phones on the table. Step away if you need to take a call or text.
• Keep the felt clear of drinks, bags and elbows.
• Tip the dealer when you're winning — a chip every so often, or by placing a bet for them.

Blackjack is the most approachable table game and one of the best bets on the floor — but it runs on hand signals, not words. Casinos require gestures so the security cameras can verify every decision, so saying "hit me" without a signal will often be ignored.

The hand signals (face-up games)

Other blackjack courtesies

• Don't add the double/split chips on top of your original bet — place them alongside.
• Don't criticise how others play. The myth that a bad player "takes the dealer's bust card" is just that — a myth.
• Don't ask the dealer for strategy advice; they're trained to give a neutral answer.
• Paper basic-strategy cards are allowed; phone apps are not.

Craps is the loudest, most social game on the floor — and the most intimidating for newcomers. The etiquette matters here because superstition runs deep and a roll involves the whole table.

The essentials

• Wait for the puck to read "OFF" before placing your starting bets.
• Keep your hands out of the table area when the dice are out. The stickman calls "dice are out" — if your hand blocks the dice and it's your fault the roll is voided, the table will not be happy.
• If you're the shooter, throw gently so the dice hit the back wall. Don't fling them.
• Never pick up the dice after a roll — the stickman handles them. And use one hand on the dice, always.
• Stick to the basics (Pass Line, Odds) until you're comfortable. The dealers will help with payouts; save questions about exotic prop bets for a quiet moment.

The poker room is its own world, separate from the main floor, and you're playing against other people rather than the house — so etiquette is about fairness to fellow players as much as smoothness.

Core poker etiquette

• Act in turn. Acting out of turn gives information away and is the fastest way to annoy the table.
• Don't splash the pot. Place your chips in a neat stack in front of you rather than tossing them into the middle, so the dealer can verify the amount.
• Announce big raises. Say the amount before or as you move chips, to avoid "string betting" confusion.
• Keep your cards visible on the table with a chip on top, and never show your folded cards to anyone — it leaks information and is poor form.
• Don't slow-roll. If you have the winning hand at showdown, show it promptly; deliberately delaying to tease an opponent is considered rude.
• Tip the dealer a $1 chip when you win a pot — it's standard in cash games.

Roulette is relaxed and beginner-friendly, with just a couple of points to remember.

• Each player gets their own colour of chips at the roulette table, so bets don't get confused. You buy these special "wheel chips" from the dealer and cash them back in before you leave the table.
• Place your bets promptly, and stop the moment the dealer waves a hand and says "no more bets" — reaching in after that is a serious breach.
• Don't touch the winning marker (the "dolly") the dealer places on the winning number, or any chips, until the dealer clears the layout and pays out.
• Cash out your wheel chips at the table. They have no value anywhere else in the casino.

Baccarat has a glamorous reputation but is actually one of the simplest games to play — you're essentially betting on "Player," "Banker," or "Tie," and the dealer does all the work.

• You don't need to know the drawing rules. The dealer manages when a third card is drawn; you just place your bet and watch.
• In mini-baccarat (the common version on the main floor) players never touch the cards at all — the dealer handles everything.
• In big-table baccarat, players may take turns handling the shoe, and there's a tradition of "squeezing" the cards — follow the dealer's lead and don't bend or damage them.
• Tipping is usually done by betting for the dealer or tipping on a win, as with other games.

Slots feel pressure-free, but there's still a little courtesy involved.

• One person, one machine when it's busy — don't play two or three machines at once if people are waiting.
• Sitting at a machine signals you're playing it. If you're just resting, you'll need to sit elsewhere. To hold a machine during a short break, lean the chair against it or leave your player's card in.
• If you win a hand-pay jackpot, an attendant comes to pay you. Tipping roughly 1–2% is customary (around $20 on a $1,200 jackpot is a common benchmark).
• Don't hover over someone else's machine waiting for them to leave — give players space.
• Always insert your player's card so your play earns comps.