If you’re like me, when first sitting at a live casino blackjack table, you may have been annoyed by the dealers instance to use hand gestures to signal your playing intentions.  The reason for this is that casino use these hand signals to protect themselves for insurance purposes.  Since a player could maliciously or truthfully claim that a dealer misheard his command and dealt him an action that lost him a hand, hand signals work both to make the gamblers intentions clear and allow the casino to capture these intentions by video camera in case the dealer is challenged.  As such, it is important to know the different hand signals before you sit down to play casino blackjack.  Here’s what you need to know:

For a Hit, drag your cards on the table and then tap the table with your index finger.

For a Split, raise two fingers for the dealer to see and then move an identical pile of chips next to your original bet.

For a Stand, put your cards under your chip pile while holding up your hand.  This tells the dealer you are keeping to your total.

For a Double Down, put up one finger and place next to your original chip pile a new chip pile with the same amount.

These are the signals you need to know.  Get to know them and you’ll gamble like a pro, and protect yourself, the next time you sit at a live casino table.