Casino etiquette for first-timers

I host the salon evenings here, which means I watch the moment dinner guests become casino guests. Most people are nervous about exactly the wrong things, so here's the honest version of how the floor works.

The first rule is that nobody's watching you as closely as you think. Dealers have seen every mistake, floor staff want you to enjoy the night, and the only person judging your play is you.

What the floor does expect: be 18 or over with photo ID, dress neatly (no thongs, singlets or work boots), and keep your phone off the table during hands. Everything else is learnable on the spot.

One: touching your bet after the dealer calls no more bets. Two: holding cards with two hands where the table says one. Three: handing chips directly to the dealer instead of laying them on the felt. Four: chasing losses at the ATM between hands. Five: the phone.

None of these are catastrophic, and a good dealer corrects them kindly. But the guests who enjoy themselves most are the ones who ask before they act, especially on table games with rituals they haven't seen before.

Roulette is the friendliest entry point: the rules take ninety seconds and the table talks to itself. Blackjack comes next if you want a game where your decisions matter. Poker wants a teacher, which is what our hosted evenings are for.

Set a number before you start and treat it as the cost of the evening's entertainment, like the dinner before it. The guests who do that visibly have the best nights, win or lose.