Once you have picked out your table, find an empty chair and hover around, but do not barge into the game. Frequently a new player is not admitted to a game until the next shuffle; however, this rule is often relaxed in shoe games. At a minimum the current hand must be completed. The dealer will be aware that you want to join in and will invite you to sit at the appropriate time. Ask the person to the right of the empty chair if it’s available. (Sometimes players will play more than one hand of blackjack and thus occupy more than one spot.) If someone says the chair is not available, don’t question it. The person is probably a creep. And who wants to sit next to a creep at a blackjack table? It’s OK to nod to the other players as you sit down, but this is not an opportunity for social interaction. Keep it short. Everyone is on a schedule.

Smile at the dealer. This person is important to you. Your body language should convey fun, relaxation and friendliness. Dealers are used to dealing with difficult people and are good at it. You want them to know right away which side of that line you are on.

If you have not already purchased chips, you will need to buy some from the dealer. By putting your money in front of you, you are telling the dealer to sell you chips at the first convenient opportunity. (All the money you put out will go for chips; there’s no change making at the tables.).

Do not hand anything to the dealer. Dealers are not allowed to give or take anything directly into or out of the hands of a player. There are closed circuit TV cameras watching and recording every move at the table, and dealers are evaluated on how well they comply with rules like this one.

How much money should you put down? One rule of thumb is to buy anywhere from ten to twenty times the normal bet you will be making. The chip colors are almost always the same as the sign denominations: red ($5), green ($25) and black ($100). Sometimes one dollar chips (white) and tokens (silver) are circulated. Other denominations and colors are possible.

The circle or square on the table in front of each player is for betting. Bet before play begins. After that, players are not allowed to touch their chips in the betting circle. When the play ends, the dealer will collect the chips and pay out any winnings. Bets should be placed as a single stack of chips, larger denominations on the bottom.

At the end of play, once a player has decided to stop playing, it will be at the end of a hand. (Nothing is done during the play of a hand other than the hand itself.) Then it is customary to push the chips out, in between the betting circles (to avoid making a bet by accident). The dealer will count the chips, possibly “coloring them up” by swapping bigger denominations for a number of the smaller ones. Then the player can go to another table or the cashier.