It is important to take note if the cards are dealt face up or face down on a blackjack table. It only takes a few minutes of observation to notice that if the cards on a blackjack table are dealt face up players don't touch the cards while if cards are dealt face down players hold them like you would in a game of poker. Another thing you will notice in blackjack games is that players use hand signals when communicating their moves.
It becomes a necessity not only to understand each player decision but also to know what hand signals are used in a face up or face down game of blackjack. We have a description of each player decision below along with their associated hand signal.
As a recap, the player decisions in blackjack are standing, hitting, doubling down, and splitting your pairs. These player decisions are made before the dealer plays his own blackjack hand. Only after every player at a table has finished making their gaming decisions will the dealer play his hands.
To hit in blackjack means to take another card to add to your original hand. You may hit if you feel that your hand's value isn't enough to win in the current round. Players may hit continuously until they reach a satisfactory total hand value or they bust, which means they lose automatically.
The hand signal for hit in blackjack face up games is to simply point at your cards. However, in a face down game you are to lightly scrape the table with your hand.
In blackjack, to stand simply means to stop taking anymore cards and staying with the current value of your hand. If you play blackjack in a face up game then you wave your hand over your cards parallel to the table. The hand signal for stand in face down games is rather different, which is to place your cards under your chips in your betting area.
To split in blackjack means to separate two cards of similar value and add one new card each to them to make a couple of new hands, which you will play individually. On the other hand, doubling down means to hit one time, double your original or initial wager, and then stand on the final value you get with the single additional card.
You have the same hand signal for doubling down and splitting in face up blackjack games, which is to place another bet right next to your initial wager. In face down blackjack games, you also have the same hand signal for both splitting or doubling, which is to place your cards face up and put another wager next to the original one you made initially. It will only take some practice to remember each of these blackjack hand signals.