At a casino table, the dealer deals the cards or rolls the dice, and each player places their own bet. This page covers the flow and the etiquette to know before you sit down for the first time, and how each game is bet.
A casino table has few rules. Buy chips between hands, don’t touch your bet once the cards are out, and ask the dealer before the deal if you’re unsure.
What to check before you go in
The entry age, the ID you need, the dress code and any entry fee differ by country or region and by casino. This page doesn’t give the numbers. Once you know the country or casino, check it on the World Casino Map. The country, region and casino pages show the rules with the date they were checked and their source.
Sitting down at a table
- Choose a table. The minimum bet differs by table and casino, so if you can’t tell, ask the dealer before you sit down
- Once seated, wait for the current hand to finish
- Buy or change chips only between hands
- Place your bet, then wait for the deal
When you leave, ask the dealer to change your small chips into larger ones. Do this between hands too, with the chips stacked.
Table etiquette
- Once the first cards are dealt, don’t touch your bet. You can touch it again after the hand is over
- Handle face-down cards with one hand only. Don’t bend them, and don’t put a drink on them
- At table poker games (Three Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’em and others), don’t show your cards to other players. Sharing cards to use the information counts as cheating
- If you’re unsure about anything, you can ask the dealer before the deal
Whether you may touch the cards depends on the game and the table. At a small baccarat table (Mini Baccarat), the dealer turns over every card and players don’t touch them. At a large table (Big Table), the player with the biggest bet on Player and the one with the biggest bet on Banker each receive those cards, look at them and turn them face up.
Hand signals such as Hit and Stand in blackjack, and where to place Play or Fold at table poker games, differ by game. They are on each game’s page in the rules guide.
How each game is bet, and its house edge
The house edge is the casino’s average share of the amount you bet. The longer you play, the more you lose this share of what you bet, on average.
| Game | What you bet on | How it’s decided | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackjack | Your own hand | Closer to 21 than the dealer without going over | About 0.4% with basic strategy (6 decks, S17 and similar rules, paying 3:2 for blackjack) |
| Three Card Poker | Ante and Play | Your 3 cards against the dealer’s | About 3.37% with best play (per Ante) |
| Ultimate Texas Hold’em | Ante, Blind and Play | Your hold’em hand against the dealer’s | About 2.19% with best play (per Ante) |
| Roulette | Numbers, red or black, odd or even and more | The number the ball stops on | 2.70% with one zero, 5.26% with 0 and 00 |
| Craps | Pass Line and more | The total of two dice | 1.41% on the Pass Line |
| Sic Bo | Small or Big, single numbers, triples and more | The three dice | 2.78% on Small and Big |
| Baccarat | Player, Banker or Tie | The last digit of the total closest to 9. The third card follows fixed rules | Banker 1.06%, Player 1.24%, Tie 14.36% |
| Dragon Tiger | Dragon, Tiger or Tie | One card each, compared | 3.73% on Dragon and Tiger |
Each game’s page in the rules guide explains the rules in detail. With the same rules, a table that pays 6:5 for blackjack raises the house edge to about 1.8%.
Payouts and rules differ by casino. The minimum bet and the dress code can also change by casino and by day. Check the sign at the table and ask the dealer before you sit down.
Practice in the app
Because there are few rules, it’s easy to freeze at a real table, unsure what comes next. In Casino Edge, the Guided first hand under Table basics for the table poker games (Three Card Poker and five others) walks you through one hand, from placing the bet to the payout. Blackjack, baccarat, roulette and the other games can also be played one hand at a time at the table. No real money is bet.