Blackjack hand signals are commonly found in the land-based casino world. You’ll never need to use hand signals for blackjack games played online. However, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t learn about one of the critical etiquette examples for brick-and-mortar casino gameplay.

In terms of blackjack vs. poker, you won’t need to learn to bluff. Hand gestures in blackjack are straightforward and easy to get to grips with. If you’re wondering, “what are hand signals in blackjack?” you’ve come to the right place.

Allow us to introduce you to all the most common gestures right here. If you want to become a more formal blackjack player, let’s get started.

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Blackjack decisions and actions you can make 📝

Hand signals in blackjack let the dealer know how you wish to proceed without actually having to say it. Blackjack hit and stand options can be made using simple casino blackjack hand signals.

While you will still need to consult a blackjack cheat sheet if you aren’t sure which move to make, once you’ve made your decision, you’re good to go with a simple gesture. First, though, let us look at your options.

HIT

If your initial hand is a far cry from being worth twenty-one points, then you can hit. This involves taking a new card and hoping you don’t bust (go over twenty-one points). You can hit several times (if you want), provided your hand doesn’t bust.

SPLIT

Splitting involves dividing your hand into two separate ones. Each hand will be dealt one additional card, but you must place a bet equal to your original.

STAND

After your initial bet, if you’re happy with your hand, you can choose to stand. This means keeping your current total and taking no new cards.

TAKE INSURANCE

You can “purchase” insurance (often for $1) if the dealer has an ace on show in their first two cards. If the dealer has blackjack (of some kind), you’ll receive a 2:1 payout even if you lose the hand. If they don’t, you’ll lose your insurance bet.

SURRENDER

Choosing to surrender isn’t available in many games. This allows you to “fold” like in poker before drawing any new cards. This will see half your bet returned in most cases.

DOUBLE DOWN

Doubling down involves taking just one more card and doubling your initial bet after looking at your initial hand.

💡 What are blackjack hand signals, and why are they important?

Hands signals in blackjack allow you to gesture to the dealer, telling them what move you wish to make without speaking. This is handy if you’re shy or if you want to look like a seasoned pro. You can use hand signals in all single deck blackjack, double deck blackjack games, and even high limit blackjack.

However, you will typically only find these in land-based venues. The dealer can’t see you when you bet online. If you want to be a formal, skilled blackjack player, look at all our blackjack hand signals (common worldwide) below.

Notable hand signals used in Face-Up Blackjack ☝

The hand signals used when playing blackjack can vary depending on the game you are playing. Face-Up Blackjack is also known as Double Exposure. Here, you can see both the dealer’s cards.

Here are the signals you need to learn for this game:

Hit: Tap the table with a finger or point at your cards to receive another.

Stand: Simply opt to wave your hand over your cards to stand with the total you have on your first two cards.

Double Down: Place a bet equal to your first and hold up one finger to double down.

Split: Place a bet equal to your first and hold up two fingers to split your hand.

Surrender: Blackjack surrender hand signals can vary, but the most common one is to draw a horizontal line with your index finger behind your chips. However, not all games recognise this, so saying “surrender” is also ideal.

Hands signals for Face-Down Blackjack that you need to know 👇

Face-Down Blackjack is the most conventional format for blackjack games, even multihand blackjack options. Here, just one of the dealer’s cards is visible, and both of yours are dealt face up.

Blackjack hand gestures here include:

Hit: Scrape the table with your index finger to receive another card.

Stand: Move your initial cards underneath your chips, but don’t move the chips.

Double Down: Turn over your cards, so they are face up. Then, the blackjack hand signal for double down options is to hold up one finger.

Split: Again, turn over your cards so they are face-up, then hold up two fingers to split the hand.

Surrender: Once more, the surrender gesture involves drawing a horizontal line behind your bet, but you may also wish to announce your surrender just to be sure.

More top etiquette and rule tips for betting on blackjack đŸ’Ș

Learning the proper hand signals for blackjack will make you look good. However, you’ll also need to learn blackjack money management, understand online blackjack strategy, and perhaps discover what each blackjack side-bet can offer you to improve your game. In terms of etiquette, we have a few other top tips for you to learn. They include:

Tip

✅ Only “buy chips” between hands and be sure you have money on hand. Don’t start counting it out during the narrow betting windows.

✅ Never ask other players to change your money into smaller bills, and don’t expect “change” from the dealer.

✅ Don’t touch your cards when they’ve been dealt face-up unless you are prepared to use hand gestures.

✅ If you believe the dealer doesn’t understand you, then make your intentions clear by announcing your move.

✅ You can only “touch” face down cards. Even then, you should only use one hand to do so.

✅ When using “two fingers” to gesture, be sure you don’t use an offensive combo. This goes double in the UK, Canada, or Australia.

✅ Don’t tap the table with your middle finger.

✅ Blackjack gestures aren’t solely for entertainment and professional appearances. It won’t make you a better player.

✅ Always show your dealer respect. Not all blackjack games use hand gestures, and some variants have different rules. Don’t get angry if your dealer doesn’t understand.

✅ Watch a blackjack game take place from afar first. See how other players make gestures (if they do so at all) and learn from them.

FAQs: Your questions on blackjack hand signals answered đŸ€·

There can be several, but the most common one is to draw a line (with your finger) horizontally behind your chips. However, most players still announce their surrender verbally, to be sure.
Learning when to double down in blackjack with hand gestures depends on the game you are playing. You will either put down a bet equal to your first (face-up games) or turn over your cards (face-down games). Both actions are followed by a gesture using a single finger.
In face-up games, just wave your hand over your cards. In face-down games, pop the cards under your chips, but don’t mess about with the cards in either scenario.
No, and you can’t do. Mobile blackjack, live dealer blackjack or RNG (random number generator) online blackjack games are played from a distance, and the dealer can’t see you in any of these games, so using hand gestures is pointless online.
The dealer may use hand gestures, but they seldom tend to mean anything. They may use elaborate hand gestures on their cards (face-up or when dealing) or can stylishly slide your cards to you. However, these don’t constitute blackjack dealer hand signals, as such.

Put your signals into practice by playing blackjack today

Now that you know how blackjack hand signals work, it may be time to learn how to make money playing blackjack with our guide. After this, you can put everything you’ve learned into practice in the best land-based casinos.

Las Vegas’ blackjack hand signals are primarily the same ones used globally, so no matter where your local brick-and-mortar casino happens to be, you can put your newly learnt hand gestures to the test.

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