The hand gestures to know before playing Blackjack

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There are many things to know about the popular casino game Blackjack before you play, but something that may be more interesting to learn about the game is the many hand gestures that can arise.

This mainly only happens at land-based casino venues, but if you enjoy playing casino online games, they still may be handy for you to know!

So, let’s get into some of the most well-known Blackjack hand gestures…

Split a pair 

In Blackjack, this is when you double your bet if your first two cards have the same value as each other. And when you want to split a pair, you just place another bet of the same value.

In face-up games, put your chips down outside of the betting box and hold out your index and middle fingers in a “V” shape.

Then, in face-down games do the same, but also turn your cards face-up before placing the bet – it’s as easy as that!

Stand

Sometimes in Blackjack, you may get a good hand to start with based purely on chance, or at a certain point of the game, you may get to a point where you think that your hand is the best it can be. If so, then you’ll want to stand.

In this instance, put your face down above your cards and move it sideways in a waving motion – this movement is essential, so the signal is made clear to both the dealer and other players.

But don’t go overboard – a sideways motion once or twice is enough to signify that you want to stand, so the dealer will know whether to show the hole card or move on to the next player.

Hit

On the other hand, if you don’t think your hand is that great in this chance-based game, you have the opportunity to hit and try to gain an extra card each round that will help your hand.

In this instance, if you’re holding your cards, you can scrape them on the table to ask for another card.

But if your cards are face-up, you can gently tap the table in front of you with your finger, or use your hand to wave towards yourself.

These actions will make it clear that you want an extra card, which you can carry on doing at the start of a new round, but remember to signal to stand before you go bust!

Surrender

This might not be an option at your chosen land-based casino, but if you happen to encounter this choice, it’s useful to learn how to surrender with ease!

Some places prefer both verbal cues and a hand signal – you especially want the dealer to be aware of when you want to surrender and stop playing, which means giving up your whole bet.

It’s important to first voice your intentions, as there’s no standard hand signal for this, however, there are some that are widely agreed on.

In a face-up game, draw an imaginary horizontal line with your index finger and in a face-down game, put down your cards face up beside your bet.

Just to be sure, ask the dealer at your chosen casino venue for the preferred surrender policy before you sit down for a game.

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Now that you know some of Blackjack’s hand signals and gestures, why not try them during your next land-based game? 

Or, if you want to try a game without hand signals, there are plenty of online Blackjack games for you to try!