Blackjack games come with many rule variations and different numbers of decks. The most common game of blackjack is dealt out of a 6-deck or 8-deck “shoe” (a plastic, card-dispensing device). Single and double deck games are still alive and well but not all casinos that have blackjack will have single and double deck so the “shoe games” are a little more common. Our example will be the procedure for the most common blackjack game played with 6 decks. Here is the basic overview of a round of blackjack:
Player buys chips
Player places a wager
Dealer deals cards to players
Player decides how to play hand
Dealer plays hand
Payouts
1. Player Buys Chips
How to Play Blackjack - The Buy-in
The dealer will arrange your buy-in on the felt so the cameras can clearly see the amount. This is what buying in for $1000 looks like.
Before you can play at the table you need chips. Most casinos will not allow “cash plays” wagers anymore, so you will have to let the dealer exchange your money for casino chips. You do this by simply walking up to the table a placing your money on the felt of the table. Do not hand your money to the dealer (they won’t take it). For security reasons dealers cannot take anything out of a player’s hand or vice versa. Once you lay your money on the felt the dealer will lay it out on the table for the cameras to clearly see how much it is and a pit boss will come over and verify the amount. The dealer will count out chip denominations equal to the amount you’ve bought in for and push the chips toward you. You are now free to handle the chips and place your wager. The dealer will arrange your buy-in on the felt so the cameras can clearly see the amount. This is what buying in for $1000 looks like.
