Black Jack Newbie

I've been playing BJ on my iPhone in "Card Ace Casino" (free) before I go to sleep at night, basic strategy card at the ready. Good BJ practice.

I haven't sat down at a real table yet.

They also have hold'em but the other players are usually idiots. Useful for replenishing your chips when you have a lousy BJ session but not that useful for developing your hold'em play.

When I first started visiting Las Vegas 20 years ago, you could walk in any casino, sit down and start playing. Can't do that now because everything is different...from the table limits to 6:5. So it's a good idea to do a little research prior to your session.

Tim

What you have to remember is that everyone has had their "first" time.
At low roller tables especially, mostly everyone is friendly and not that focused on
YOUR play.
If you don't know how to play a hand, somebody will tell you.
Another player, a dealer. Ask somebody if you feel stuck.
Will you always get the absolutely correct answer? Mostly, but don't worry about it.
Once you sit down to play, it will start coming really easy.

Thank you all for the good advice. I'll keep up the practice. Actually I just can't wait to get out there. We're getting a foot of snow today! The wife and I come to Vegas the end of Feb for 2 weeks every year. We love it out there.
Take care everyone

Yes, Dugandog, TB is right, but I'd like to explain further what you need to do to play properly at the table.

When the cards are dealt to the Player Face-Down, the Player has to use only one hand on the cards. If the Player wants to Hit, s/he needs to pick up the cards and scrape the table felt with them. To Stand, slide the cards under your bet.

To Double Down, turn over the cards and place another bet of equal amount to your original bet to the left of your original bet.

To Split Pairs, turn your cards over and split them up and place the same amount as your original bet to the left of your original bet.

Now when the cards are dealt Face-Up, if the Player wants to Hit, the Player should point to his/her cards. To Stand, the Player should wave his/her hand from left to right above the hand. To Double Down or Split Pairs, take the same amount as your original bet and place it to the left of your original bet and you might have to tell the Dealer what you want to do.

If the Player wants to Surrender (if the casino offers that option), the Player should take the first two fingers to the right of the Right Thumb and scrape them in a diagonal manner on the table felt.

RecVPPlayer

Thanks for the proper table etiquette. That was going to be my next question! Is there a way to find what type of tables casinos have. Do I just have to walk the casinos to find the right table, as in odds,min bet.

As for how to find what casino offers which rules, how many decks, casino advantage and minimum and maximum bets, do what I suggested in my first posting in this thread -- get "Current Blackjack News" (which is researched on the First and Second Days of each month and it is printed up and sent out by e-mail or U.S. Mail, on the Third day of each month (at www.bj21.com -- I think that this is a more thorough source for information) or at least go to the "Las Vegas Blackjack Survey" link from the http://wizardofvegas.com website

RecVPPlayer

If you are betting less than $25 a hand, I'd skip the Blackjack News as it costs $10 or more. The wizardofodds site is fine. Thing to remember( or learn) is that strategy changes slightly depending on if the dealer hits soft 17 or not, if you can double after splits, if you can double on any first two cards and by the number of decks being played. A generic four declk strategy is perhaps best to use when getting started.
Avoid Continous Shuffle Machines, but Automatic Shufflers are perfectly okay to play.
If you give us an idea where you'll be- Strip,downtown, offstrip, whatever and the stakes you are playing at- you'll get some suggestions on which casinos to play in. Be aware that not all tables in the same casino will have the same rules.

Yes, Dugandog, billryan is correct. Not only do the rules differ from one casino to another, they even can very well differ from one table to another within the same casino.

With Current Blackjack News, it is actually for casinos across the United States and Canada and so it can be helpful and save you some time from checking from table to table from casino to casino.

I'd say that the LV Blackjack Survey is a decent place to check but "Current Blackjack News" does a more thorough job and it is updated (at least for the major casino areas) monthly (since changes in rules could pop up at any time).

And yes, Automatic Shufflers are fine but Continuous Shufflers (where they pick up all the cards after maybe a hand or two are played and then put back into the machine to be shuffled back in with whatever is already in the card shuffling machine) really MUST be avoided since they will greatly speed up play and make you face more of the casino's advantage over you.

RecVPPlayer

We will be staying at Flamingo. We are also up for some off strip casinos. Suggestions would be great. I'll probably want to start on low min tables. Thanks again for all your help. I will keep it all in mind.