The Dealing Sequence at a Las Vegas Table
The dealing procedure at a Las Vegas blackjack table follows a fixed order: the dealer gives each player one card face up, starting from the dealer's left and moving clockwise, then deals the dealer's own first card face up. A second card is then dealt to each player face up, and the dealer takes a second card face down.
This sequence is the same across the downtown venues documented in this article. What changes between properties is not the order of the deal but the table rules printed on the felt, the number of decks in the shoe, and whether the dealer stands or hits on soft 17. Those variables are set by each operator and must be read at the table itself.
The city where this happens is Las Vegas, Nevada, at coordinates 36.16916667°N, 115.14055556°W. That point is the fixed geographic anchor for every venue discussed below. The dealing procedure does not change with location; what changes with location is how far a player must travel to reach a table.
Straight-Line Distances from Downtown Las Vegas Venues
The table below lists the documented straight-line distances from the city center reference point to the venues nearest to it. Every figure is a great-circle measurement, which is the shortest path over the earth's surface, not a road route.
| Reference point | Straight-line miles | Measurement type |
|---|---|---|
| d las vegas | 0.1 | great-circle |
| four queens | 0.2 | great-circle |
| horseshoe | 0.3 | great-circle |
| golden nugget las | 0.3 | great-circle |
| binion's | 0.3 | great-circle |
| golden gate | 0.4 | great-circle |
| main street | 0.4 | great-circle |
| main street station | 0.4 | great-circle |
| stratosphere tower | 1.7 | great-circle |
| jerry's nugget | 1.7 | great-circle |
These figures come from publicly published reference sources and reflect documented coordinates, not current road conditions. Road distance is always longer than straight-line distance, and this article does not publish driving mileage or travel time for any pair.
Why Straight-Line and Road Distance Differ
A great-circle line ignores everything on the ground. It passes over buildings, cuts across blocks, and crosses terrain that no vehicle can drive. The road network in Las Vegas follows a grid in the downtown core but bends around the railroad corridor, the Interstate right-of-way, and the pedestrianized Fremont Street Experience, so even venues a tenth of a mile apart on paper may require a walk of several blocks.
Topography matters less in the Las Vegas valley than in mountain cities, but water and infrastructure do shape routes. The washes that cross the valley floor, the airport reservation boundary, and the elevated freeway interchanges all force detours. A straight-line figure of 0.3 miles between two downtown casinos can translate into a much longer walk when the direct path is blocked by a fenced lot or a one-way street grid.
Crossing a state line adds another layer. Las Vegas sits in Clark County, Nevada, close to the Arizona and California borders, but none of the documented pairs above cross a state boundary. For any reader measuring from outside Nevada, the straight-line distance to Las Vegas will understate the road distance by a wider margin because the route must follow available crossings and passes.
Where Las Vegas Sits and What That Means for the Reader
Las Vegas is in southern Nevada, in the Mojave Desert, at roughly 36.17 degrees north latitude and 115.14 degrees west longitude. Those coordinates place it west of the Colorado River and east of the Spring Mountains. In cardinal terms, the city is in the southern part of Nevada, near the state's border with Arizona to the southeast and California to the southwest.
This fixed position is the only anchor this article can use. If a reader asks how far Las Vegas is from "me" or "here," the reference point does not exist until the reader supplies it. The venue locations are fixed; the reader's starting point is not. The correct method is to take the reader's own coordinates or city and measure against the Las Vegas coordinates given above, using any mapping tool that returns great-circle or road distance.
This article documents 318 venues measured to Las Vegas in the underlying reference set, but that set is not a complete list of casinos in the city, county, or state. The Nevada Gaming Control Board publishes the authoritative current list of licensed gaming locations, and any reader who needs a full census should consult that regulator rather than this article.
How the Deal Itself Works
The deal begins only after all bets are placed and the dealer has shuffled and cut the cards. In a shoe game, the dealer pulls cards one at a time from the dealing shoe. In a pitch game, the dealer holds the deck or decks in hand and delivers cards face down to players, who may then handle their cards. Las Vegas properties run both formats, and the format determines whether players touch their cards.
The order of the deal is fixed: first base receives the first card, then each position in turn, then the dealer. The second round follows the same order. The dealer's hole card is dealt last in the second round and remains face down until all player hands have been resolved. This order does not vary by venue; it is the standard North American dealing sequence.
What does vary is the number of decks, the shuffle procedure, the penetration point where the dealer inserts the cut card, and the rule on soft 17. None of those variables is documented for the venues in this article, and none can be stated here. A player who wants the current deck count or soft-17 rule for a specific property must read the table placard or ask the dealer before sitting down.
What to Confirm Before You Go
Several items change without notice and are not documented in this article. The table below lists the changeable items and the channel that holds the current answer.
| Item to confirm | Where the current answer lives |
|---|---|
| Number of decks in the shoe at a specific table | Table placard or dealer at the table |
| Dealer hits or stands on soft 17 | Printed on the table felt |
| Minimum and maximum bet at a specific table | Electronic sign or placard at the table |
| Whether the game is a pitch game or shoe game | Visible at the table; ask the dealer |
| Current operating hours of a venue | Property's own published hours page |
| Road distance and driving time from your location | A mapping tool using your starting address |
Before traveling, confirm the table rules and limits for the specific property you intend to visit. The dealing sequence itself is fixed, but everything else about a blackjack table is set by the operator and can change between visits.
FAQ
Does the dealing order change between Las Vegas casinos?
No. The standard North American deal is the same across Las Vegas properties: first card to each player from the dealer's left, then the dealer's up card, then a second round with the dealer's hole card last. What changes between venues is the number of decks, the soft-17 rule, and whether the game is dealt from a shoe or by hand.
How far is Las Vegas from me?
This article cannot answer that without your starting point. The city's fixed coordinates are 36.16916667°N, 115.14055556°W. The documented straight-line distances above are measured from that point to nearby downtown venues. To measure from your own location, enter your address and the Las Vegas coordinates into any mapping tool.
Can I find the current table limits in this article?
No. Table minimums and maximums change by day, time, and property, and no such figures are documented here. The authoritative current limit is shown on the electronic sign or placard at each table. Confirm it before sitting down, because it can change between the afternoon and evening shifts.
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This article is general information about how these mechanics work. It is not legal advice and not a recommendation to gamble or to use any particular operator. Availability and legality differ by jurisdiction — check the rules that apply where you are.