Upstate New York has OTB, video slots and electronic table games at Saratoga Casino Hotel and a lot of expertise when it comes to betting the ponies in summer. But live casino table games are new here, and there are unwritten rules to learn.

TABLE GAMES

Rivers Casino has 67 gaming tables, including blackjack, roulette and craps. If you want to check out the action, but you don't know how to play, don't be intimidated, said Rosemarie Cook, vice-president of gaming.

Things to know:

• The Rush Rewards Room, to your right as you approach the gaming floor, is stocked with instructional brochures on how to play every game. The dealers are also happy to teach you.

• Poker players win money off each other, but in table games everyone is playing against the house, so expect camaraderie among players, but don't celebrate your wins loudly, advised Danny Brockdorf, vice-president of marketing. Keep in mind someone nearby just lost.

• You may take a seat at any time with cash or chips in hand. A small computer screen on the table will tell you the minimum and maximum bets. The dealer will include you as soon as he or she is done with the hand.

• Do not get up from your chair while you have cards on the table. The game can't continue without you, so your absence will hold up play.

• Before leaving the table, don't forget to "color up," which means you trade in lower-value chips for higher-value so you don't have to carry as many chips around.

SLOTS

The casino has 1,150 slot machines, including themed slots like Elvis, Elvira, Wheel of Fortune, Plants vs. Zombies and Ellen. The Walking Dead game is the most popular, Brockdorf said. These are no one-armed bandits. Both the chair and the terminal surround the player with sound effects from the show, and images of the cast members let you know if you won or lost.

Things to know:

• There are penny slots all the way up to high limit slots that are $25 a play.

• Don't hover over a player. There is no time limit on how long a player can use the machine.

• If nature calls, tip your chair forward so the next player knows the machine is still in use.

POKER ROOM

Rivers offers Texas Hold 'Em, No Limit Hold 'Em, Omaha and Seven Card Stud.

And things are a little more strict in the poker room. Think of it as fine dining compared to a diner.

Things to know:

• You do not seat yourself. Put your name in at the podium for the game you want to join, says poker room manager Bruce Dixon.

• While you wait, trade in cash for chips at "the cage."

• When there is a chair available, you will be escorted to your table.

• You may observe the game as long as no one objects.

• A dollar or two gets you in the game at the entry level tables.

• Just like every other kind of human interaction, staring at your phone while the game is going on is frowned upon. A good dealer will quietly encourage the players to pay attention so no one misses their turn or puts a card down prematurely, Dixon said.

• It's good manners to tip your dealer, typically between $1 and $5.

lhornbeck@timesunion.com • 518-454-5352 • @leighhornbeck