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Casino Etiquette

As in all social situations, there are certain behaviors expected from players at casinos that are both welcome and unwelcome.

The chief difference between European and American styles is in the expectations of how formally a player should be dressed.

France, and other country's casinos, as already indicated, require a somewhat more sober mode of dress than U.S. casinos. Since Las Vegas has set the style for all casino gambling in America, dress in American casinos has a Western casualness. This goes for Atlantic City, too.

You're expected to dress comfortably. In the evening, you can spot some pretty elaborate costumes in American casinos, but you are not in the least required to follow suit.

Patrons of Las Vegas casinos should remember not to wear bathing suits into the gaming rooms, but that's about only the restriction. A word about deportment: Just what does a person do at a crap table besides bet money?

In Europe, you'll find that the general atmosphere around all kinds of games is quieter, more subdued.

This doesn't mean that there's no talking, although there is often no drinking at the tables. Talking goes on even at the most serious tables, and can be either a pleasure or a menace, depending on your own style of play.

Conversation is the downfall of many a systems player, trying to calculate each bet, or to count the cards. If you are trying to work such a system, choose an outstandingly quiet table, and steadfastly refuse to be lured into conversation, either with the dealer, or with other players.

If you're gambling for fun and you want to get to know people, choose a table where the atmosphere fits your mood.

The basic mood and style for any particular table is set by the dealer or croupier. In Nevada or New Jersey, there is a wide range of styles, precisely because there are so many different kinds of gamblers, and the house hopes to please them all.

Some dealers wear looks of inscrutable concentration, boredom, or (it sometimes seems to players) outright hostility. Some dealers give you a grin like your long-lost college roommate's, and proceed to talk your ear off throughout the game.

The crowd around one table may be as chummy as a group that has spent three weeks at camp together, while another table may resemble a meeting of your parole board.

If that's not your idea of fun, then you probably can't claim to be a serious gambler. Don't forget, though, that however jovial the dealer may be, his or her job is to win your money, for the house. They may be nice, but they're not really your friend, at least not while they're on duty.