21 Ways to F*ck Up Blackjack

Blackjack – that’s the easy table game that even casino lightweights can understand and win at, right?  WRONG.  There are many subtle rules and restrictions you may not know.  For example, if you say, “Hit me!” in a casino, it transgresses security codes and is grounds for a bullet in the side of your head.  Most of what I just said is true.  Still want to play, big guy? 

Other no-nos at the half-round table:

Handing money directly to the dealer. All cash transactions must be visible to the security cameras, so always place your cash on the layout outside of your betting spot, and then tell the dealer what denomination chips you want.

Holding the cards with two hands. In games where the cards are dealt face down (usually single- and two-deck games), pick the cards up with one hand please, not two.

Telling your fellow players how to play their hands. It’s their money and they have the right to play their hand any way they want to. However, if a fellow player asks you for advice, then it’s OK to offer it.  [This is completely a d*ck move in any game, and you know it.]

Not using the basic playing strategy. The basic playing strategy is the mathematically correct way to play every hand dealt to you. This playing strategy is readily available in books, on the Internet, and on strategy cards, which you can take with you when you play (they are legal to use in a casino). Even if you are a regular player, there really is no reason to guess how to play a hand when you can have the answers at your fingertips by using a strategy card.

Yeah, at a certain point these rules seem fussy.  If I want to use my money to play Blindfold Blackjack (a game I invented – just like regular blackjack, but you wear a blindfold the whole time), I will.

Anyway, here’s the rest of the rules from RGT Online.