1. Never stay over 45 minutes in any one casino. This will be one of the hardest rules for a beginning player to follow, but a player must heed this in order to protect his anonymity.
2. Always try to play with young, friendly, female dealers. It takes time to develop the skills needed to become a mechanic or an expert cheater. A friendly dealer will take less notice of your bet variations.
3. Betting: a. Single Deck Occasionally you will have a maximum bet up and the dealer will reshuffle the deck. Do not pull back on the size of that bet. Let it ride; you still have an advantage off the top of a fresh deck. If you are playing against rules less advantageous than on the Las Vegas Strip, break your bet into two bets of five units each. Another trick to use is to keep your chips in a pile (not stacked up); when the dealer is reshuffling, stack your chips, including your bet, like you're counting your money, and then come out with a one or two-unit bet. With a little time and practice you will be able to anticipate when a dealer is going to shuffle. If a dealer is varying the point of the shuffle, leave the table. He may be counting. The third time a dealer shuffles just after you place your bet (Maximum) leave the table and find a dealer who does not reshuffle when you place your maximum bet.
b. Double Deck Always pull down your maximum bet if the dealer reshuffles; to do otherwise in the 50-50 position off the top of a double-deck game would be bordering on "gambling." Always make a one-unit bet at the start.
c. Shoe Games Never start off a shoe game in the middle of a round.
4. Never leave the table abruptly. Ease yourself out of your seat and walk away. Do not look back. The pit boss' and the dealer's eyes may be following you. Don't act as if anything out of the ordinary is occurring. They may think that you are a system player, but they will never really know.
5. Tokes It is not necessary to toke the dealer or to give him/her a tip. If you do this, use it to your advantage. Never give the dealer money outright. Always make a bet for him. Dealers will not usually break the deck down when you have a bet for them. So make the bet for him when the deck is rich and you wish it kept in play. It is generally a good policy to keep the dealers happy. If you are winning large sums, a little oil on the water may keep things going well for you. If you do particularly well, it is bad practice not to give something to the dealer; they may remember you unfavorably the next time. 6. Schedule Your play When scheduling, keep in mind the rules in each casino and the length of your stay. If you are in a gaming town for only three or four days, you should never play in the same casino on the same shift more than once.
7. Playing Position Always seek a heads-up game with the dealer. When you are playing alone with the dealer you can naturally see all the cards except for the dealer's hole card. Avoid sitting in third base. Sit in the middle of the table. From this position you will have a better chance to see the other players cards. Try to see them all before you have to make any playing decisions. This will allow you to get the greatest amount of information regarding the probability of what is coming off the top of the deck and what the dealer has in the hole. Also, by sitting in the middle you can, by body language, keep other players away by taking up a lot of room.