I’ve gone gambling at a casino before, but only on slot and virtual machines. How do you approach an actual blackjack table (or any table game)? Are you supposed to go to the cashier before to get chips, or can you bring cash straight to the table and have them change it out there?
This is what I do.
I walk around and look for a table with the betting minimum I like.
Next I determine if the game is single deck or six deck blackjack.
If a game is in progress, I wait for the next shuffle of the cards before I sit down. It’s bad etiquette to sit down at a game during play without asking for permission. After the shuffle, take a seat. You don’t need to ask.
If you smoke then light up if someone is smoking. If no one is smoking, the be polite and ask if it is o.k. for you to smoke. If anyone objects then respect that. That’s the unwritten rule good smokers follow and non smokers too. Don’t sit down at a table where people are smoking and ask them to put it out. Find a different table instead. If a smoker sits down and nobody is smoking then ask that person to not smoke if they light up.
Once you sit down then wait for the dealer to talk to you. Lay your money on the table and say "Change please". Some casinos will let you drop a roll of bills and the dealer will sort it out. Other more picky casinos make you lay the bills down side by side. The casino owner doesn’t want the dealer to be accused of palming a $20 or a $100 from the roll. Also, the eye in the sky wants to see that money all laid out too. Deal with that annoying rule if the casino has it.
Even if you don’t win, toke (tip) the dealer. It’s not the dealer’s fault if you lose. I toke $5 to $10 per hour. I toke more if I win.
There are blackjack players who love to tell you how to play your hand. If you don’t want such help then tell that person politely to play their own hand.
Now here are some things that I avoid at all cost:
Never sit down at a table if the dealer is killing it. That deck is cold and you don’t want in.
Never sit down with people who split 20’s!!! Those people are stupid beyond belief.
Since you are new to playing for real in person, start with a low minimum table. Less experienced players start there and the other players tend to be newer players too.