Etiquette is often a series of unspoken rules, but that doesn’t mean you can avoid finding out what they are. Acting impolitely won’t win you any friends and it could create enemies that make your life difficult.
Casinos are no different to anywhere else. There’s a casino etiquette for every establishment that you need to know to treat people with respect and for them to return the favour.
While we can’t speak about what’s on the list of dos and don’ts for every casino, this guide gives you some pointers that will help you act politely wherever you’re gambling.
Do set yourself a spending limit & use bankroll management
The most important casino etiquette pointer you need is slightly leftfield. Why? Because it’s not about being polite to the other people in the casino, it’s about having respect for yourself – and there’s nothing more important than that. How? By setting yourself a spending limit and using bankroll management.
Knowing how much you’re going to spend when you step inside a casino is the foundation for having a good experience – it even comes before knowing how to play the game. This is because if you go into a gambling arena with a blank cheque you could leave in financial crisis.
But it’s not just about self-respect (we lied a little above). Setting a spending limit helps you to keep other gamblers happy. The reason for this is that if you start overspending to chase you loses, you’re going to unravel a bit – it’s natural for anyone’s mood to darken when they’re on a losing streak – and your fellow gamblers and the casino staff will not look kindly on this.
So do set yourself a spending limit to make sure you’re following casino etiquette of gambling responsibly and keeping things friendly.
Don’t flash your cash in front of other casino gamblers
Of course, you can do what you like with your own money – there are rarely any casino rules that stop you from throwing open your wallet or purse, and letting the notes hang out for everyone to see. However, doing this is very poor casino eiquette, but not for the reason you might expect.
Speaking as someone who has experience of having been to a lot of casinos across the globe, there’s nothing more enticing than seeing someone flash their cash. It immediately says two things about them:
This gambler has money to lose
This person doesn’t know what they’re doing
We’ve heard stories of people driving for hours to get to a casino once they’ve found out there’s a maniac there with money to burn. This is why it’s just not the done thing to flash your cash, because doing it puts a target on your back and lines up shooters who want to take aim.
Do your research to make sure you find the right casino
If you’re like us (and we’re sure you are), you know that option number one isn’t always the best – you’d be damn lucky if that was to be the case, and gamblers shouldn’t be banking on luck. The same thing is true of casinos.
By doing your research you can find a venue that’s got the right games and atmosphere, along with establishing if there’s a code of casino etiquette. What are the sort of things you can expect to find in said codes? Plenty:
Whether you need to be smartly dressed
If the casino is for members only
What the policy is on alcohol
The different buy-in levels for the games
Identification required in order to enter
Knowing all these things goes beyond mere casino etiquette. In many cases, it’s the stuff that determines whether you’ll even be able to step inside the casino, let alone how to behave once you’re through the door.
We recommend you look at the reviews of the casinos in the place you’ll be playing in, for instance, checking out the best casinos in:
Don’t be overly chatty or spend too much time on your phone
A huge part of the fun of going to a casino is the other gamblers. Try as they may, even the very best online casinos cannot bring you flesh and blood competition to test your skills against. But what you have to keep in mind is that if you distract a real gambler, by chatting too much or playing on your phone when you should be gambling, they’ll get annoyed for real.
While it’s exciting to meet new people, what you must remember is that not all seasoned gamblers get the same kick from meeting you as you do from them – they often just want to get on with playing their games.
Being overly chatty or playing with your phone during hands is a simple casino etiquette mistake that many gamblers make, usually for one or both of two reasons:
They forget that the other gamblers aren’t there to make friends
It’s what they do when playing one of their home games
To make sure you act in accordance with casino etiquette while you’re gambling, treat your first trips to the casino in the same way you would a meeting your partner’s parents for the first time:
Don’t ignore people’s questions but don’t overload them with information
Let them know you’re paying attention to what's going on by putting your phone away
Going to a casino for the first few times is a real eye-opener – you’ll find that it’s not as scary as you may have expected and that other gamblers aren’t out to get you (beyond winning your money, as you do for their own cash).
However, if you make basic casino etiquette faux pas, then you’ll make those casino visits a lot less enjoyable than they should be. So keep in mind the dos and don’ts of this guide and you’ll be sure that both you and your fellow gamblers have a great time
