Question of the Day - 30 September 2024

[Editor's Note: This answer is graciously provided by Andrew Uyal, author of our book Blackjack Insiders and a table-game supervisor at a Las Vegas Strip megaresort.]

There is a common misconception out there that everyone who works for the casino wants to see everyone lose all their money. That leads people to think that dealers and supervisors will intentionally give bad advice to players, so they'll lose more. If that sounds silly to you, good! You're not one of the people who do think so and it's discussed and bemoaned on the casino floor every night.

The reality is that dealers, floor supervisors, and everyone, really, who works for the casino are in the hospitality business. Everyone is there to help the guests and make sure they have the best experience possible. If someone is trying to learn a game they've never played before, it's the dealer's job to help teach them and give them advice when they ask for it.

This question, though, is more about someone who thinks they know how to play and makes a boneheaded move. If a player asks for a hit on hard 17 against a 6, the dealer will surely ask for clarification -- for example, request that they repeat their hand signal and say something like, "You want to hit your hard 17 against a 6?" Usually, that shakes them out of it and they say, "Oh, no. No. I'll stay."

Sometimes the player does want to do stuff like that. After giving them two or three chances to change their mind and giving people at the table a chance to talk them out of it, for a move that crazy, the dealer might even call it out, so the supervisor can hear it. Some dealers will wait for the supervisor to come over and ask the player to clarify the move again before giving the player a card. 

This is especially true if the guest appears to be intoxicated or otherwise out of it. Clarifying crazy moves can be something of a field sobriety test. 

But again, because they're in the hospitality and guest-service industry, they're not likely to just proceed with giving hits and doubles that are wildly out of the norm. 

Now, are dealers required to ask for clarification and give the player a chance to rethink? No, they're not. If the player makes a motion for a hit, they're perfectly within their rights to slap down a card. If it's a mistake, it's dealt with by the supervisor and becomes a guest-service situation. That's why hand signals are very important -- and blackjack players are wise to be conscious of their actions. 

Sometimes, when people are thinking about how they want to play their hand, or something that doesn't even have to do with the game, they make this motion of tapping their finger on the table, which looks a whole lot like asking for a hit. Usually, dealers can tell the difference, but not always, so again, it's advisable for players to be aware of what their hands are doing when they're playing blackjack.

To answer the other part of the question, the casino encourages dealer assistance. Most casinos, most of the time, don't need to take advantage of people making bad moves. The casino is already the winner at the end of the day, so it's better for them if everyone helps and guides the guest and makes them feel like they want to come back again and again because everyone was so helpful.   

Notice I said "most casinos most of the time." Some are, admittedly, out for blood and like nothing more than to pillage the players. But I've never worked at one of those and I wouldn't. Nor would most of my peers. Luckily, that type of grind joint is rare these days.