Tips on Reading The Dealer

Though blackjack dealers undergo extensive training in an effort to become stone-faced regardless of the cards in their hand, many will still give away the strength of their hands very subtly. The following tips will help players read blackjack dealer tells.

Tip #1 - Ignore Facial Expressions

Though many blackjack aficionados will report that they can read a dealer's hand by simply observing the expression on his or her face, this is simply not true. Blackjack dealers are specially trained to have a permanent 'poker face' that cannot be read in any manner. In fact, dealers will often lose their jobs if they are found to make any facial expressions that could be construed as fraudulent against the casino.

Tip #2 - Low Cards

Like the players themselves, dealers may become frustrated with a low value hole card. In this case players should watch for the dealer to observe the cards more closely than normal in an attempt to justify what they are seeing.

Tip #3 - High Cards

Blackjack dealers who have higher hole cards will normally appear more relaxed than if they had a low-valued card. In this case, instead of analyzing the card, the dealer will merely take a quick glance before going on about their business.

Tip #4 - Reading Emotions

Again, dealers are trained to control their emotions and facial expressions so as not to give away their hands. However, there may be times when a dealer appears frustrated or even smug. When the dealer appears to be happy, there is a good chance that they have a high hole card. When they appear indifferent their hole card may be of low value.

Players who truly want to get the most out of their blackjack games will not rely solely upon dealer tells, but will instead use these in conjuction with proven blackjack strategies in order to make accurate decisions.