Washing is a routine practised by croupiers. Before leaving the table, or before the next hand begins, a dealer rubs their hands together and shows them to the players to prove they are empty. The name comes from the motion itself, which looks just like someone washing their hands.
New dealers learn the habit in training until it is part of their everyday routine. Casinos value transparency and require croupiers to follow strict procedures, which is why you will so often see them “washing their hands” at the table. The word has a second meaning too: card washing, a shuffling technique in which the dealer spreads the cards across the table and moves them around at random, as if washing them, before shuffling.
Washing on camera
Live dealer studios keep the same discipline on stream. Visible hand-clearing, card washes and a consistent shuffle routine help make a live table credible to players watching from home.