Any newcomers to a casino will notice some simply hand gestures made by the dealer and/or participants in each of the games being played.
They are a quick and simply way for the participants to communicate to prevent any hold up in the games being played.
These gestures are all straightforward to learn and Paddy Power online casino have published the following infographic as a helpful guide to learn casino hand gestures:
Craps
A dice game in which the players make wagers on the outcome of a roll, or a series of rolls, of a pair of dice. Players wager money against the bank. A roll of 7 or 11 is a winning throw, whilst 2, 3 or 12 is a losing throw.
Hand gestures you find in this game:
One Hand: The dice must be handled and thrown with one hand.
Pass the Dice: It’s completely optional to roll the dice – just pass the dice to the player on your right-hand side if you don’t wish to roll.
Hands High: Should the dealer call out “hands high” or “the dice are out!”, all players must lift their hands from the table.
Blackjack
The most-widely played casino game in the world, Blackjack is a comparing card game between a player and the dealer. It is played with one or more decks of 52 cards and the object is to beat the dealer in one of the following ways:
- Get 21 points on the player’s first two cards (called a “Blackjack”), without the dealer also getting Blackjack.
- Reach a final score higher than the dealer without exceeding 21.
- Let the dealer draw additional cards until their hand exceeds 21.
Hand gestures you find in this game:
Hit: Tap the table with your finger to receive another card from the dealer.
Stand: Wave your hands horizontally if you do not want to take any more cards from the dealer.
Double Down: After receiving the first two cards players can double their initial bet to receive one more card. This is done by placing a new bet directly next to the original.
Split: If a player is dealt two of the same rank, they can put up a new bet by placing it next to the original one.
Poker
There are a number of variations of poker but they all involve betting and determine the winner of each hand according to the combinations of the players’ cards. Some of the cards remain hidden until the end of the hand. Poker games vary in the number of cards dealt, the number of shared cards, the number of cards that remain hidden, and the betting procedures.
Hand gestures you find in this game:
Fold: Placing the cards face down lets the dealer and other participating players know that you are no longer competing in the rest of the round.
Call: When planning to match previous the bets made, players place their bets in the middle of the table.
Check: Tap on the table once to pass one turn but remain in the game.
Roulette
Named after the French word for “little wheel”, players may choose to place bets on either a single number or a range of numbers, the colours red or black, or whether the number is odd or even.
To determine the winning number and colour, a croupier spins a wheel in one direction, then spins a ball in the opposite direction around a tilted circular track running around the circumference of the wheel. The ball eventually loses momentum and falls onto the wheel and into one of the 37 (European roulette) or 38 (American roulette) coloured and numbered pockets on the wheel.
Hand gestures you find in this game:
Not More Bets: The dealer raises their hand horizontally over the table to signify that no more bets can be made.
Hand Positioning: Do not place your hands on the table until the dealer has removed all losing bets from the table.
Place Chips: All players should place their chips on the layout of the board. If they are unable to reach, the dealer should place it for them.
Here are those gestures in infographic format:
