Do you tip blackjack dealers: a short guide

Handling "Do you tip blackjack dealers?" well means going past the printed rules. Blackjack rules fit on a card, but the game at a real table carries habits that the card leaves out. Players meet the dealer one hand at a time, cards are dealt face up or down by house rule, and every decision, from standing to doubling, has a best answer. Knowing the rules for beginners and the etiquette around them is most of what separates a calm session from a muddled one.

Blackjack is partly strategy and partly luck. Luck decides the cards; strategy decides what happens with them, and basic strategy, a chart of the best play for every hand against every dealer card, cuts the house edge to around half a percent. That is the closest thing to a way to beat the dealer in blackjack: not winning more hands, but losing less on each. Players should double on eleven against most dealer cards, and on ten when the dealer shows a lower card.

Table etiquette is mostly about signals. A knock or a tap on the felt asks for another card and a wave of the hand stands, because the cameras over the table record gestures rather than words; that knocking rule protects both sides in a dispute. Chips stay untouched once the cards are out, and advice is offered only when asked. Players sometimes shout monkey when they want a ten valued card, a superstition borrowed from table slang with no effect on the card that follows.

Answers in brief

What happens when dealer and player both have blackjack?

The hand is a push: neither side wins, and the player's stake is returned in full.

Are blackjack cards dealt face up or face down?

House rules decide: many shoe games show players' cards face up, while the dealer takes one card up and one down, or a single card until players finish.

When should a blackjack player double down?

Doubling on eleven is right against most dealer cards, and doubling on ten makes sense when the dealer shows a card lower than ten.

Are blackjack side bets worth playing?

Wagers beside the main bet, such as one on a pair in the first two cards, pay well yet cost much more over time, and most strategy guides recommend leaving them alone.