Table games guide
What a blackjack dealer audition tests: pay order and math
An audition usually checks that you run the round in order, settle each spot from third base to first base, and pay 3 to 2 correctly on odd bets. House rules vary, so this guide covers the order and math of a standard six-deck table, not any one casino’s test.
By Jeff Quizon. Built by a dealer who’s dealt poker and table games in casinos and card rooms. Published October 29, 2026. Last reviewed October 29, 2026.
Want to drill these payouts? Practice free in the table games app →
| Step | What the dealer does | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bets | Players bet. Close the betting. | Every spot |
| 2. Deal | Two cards to each spot and to the dealer, one card up. | First base to third base |
| 3. Peek | Ace up: offer insurance, offer even money to a player with blackjack, close insurance, then check the hole card. Ten up: check the hole card, no insurance. | At the dealer |
| 4. Blackjacks | With no dealer blackjack, pay each player blackjack 3 to 2 and pick up those cards. | Whole layout |
| 5. Players play | Each player hits, stands, doubles or splits. | First base first |
| 6. Dealer plays | Turn the hole card and draw by the table’s rule. | At the dealer |
| 7. Settle | Pay, take or push each spot that is left. A split spot settles from the dealer’s right hand. | Third base to first base |
Practice it
Drill these payouts free in the app →Settle from third base to first base
Settling goes from the dealer’s right to the dealer’s left: third base first, first base last. Finish a spot before you move to the next. Don’t skip ahead to the easy bets.
A spot with nothing left to settle drops out of the pass. A busted bet was taken during play, and a blackjack was paid on the deal. Everything else is paid 1 to 1 if the hand beats the dealer, taken if it loses, and left alone if it ties.
A 21 made after a split, or with three or more cards, is just 21 and pays 1 to 1, never 3 to 2.
The peek and insurance
Under an ace, offer insurance first, close it, then peek. Insurance is up to half the original bet and pays 2 to 1 if the dealer has blackjack: $25 insuring a $50 bet pays $50. Under a ten-value card you peek and offer nothing.
If the dealer has blackjack, turn it over. Every bet loses except a player blackjack, which pushes.
The math: 3 to 2 on odd bets
Halve the bet and add it to the bet. A $10 blackjack pays $15, a $25 pays $37.50, and a $35 pays $52.50. In your head: $35 is $30, which pays $45, plus $5, which pays $7.50.
At 6 to 5, every $5 pays $6, so a $35 blackjack pays $42. That’s clean only on bets in multiples of $5.
When something goes wrong
Stop. Leave the cards and the chips where they are. Call the floor and say what happened, then do what the floor decides. Never fix your own mistake, and never tell a player the ruling.
House rules vary
- The audition itself. Length, whether there is a written math check, and how many errors fail you differ from casino to casino. This guide does not reproduce any casino’s audition.
- Soft 17. We default to the dealer standing on all 17s. Some tables hit a soft 17.
- Odd bets. We default to the exact pay with a 50-cent piece, so $15 pays $22.50. A table with no half-dollar pieces rounds the pay; the California cardroom profile rounds down, to $22.
- Pay order. We default to third base to first base. Your casino’s procedure decides.
Practice it
Payout Speed and Pay Order
Levels 1 and 2 of Payout Speed are free in the table games app. Pay Order and the later levels are part of the Table Games Track. It’s a one-time purchase with a 5-day refund.
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