1. Proper Poker Etiquette Games
2. Proper Poker Etiquette Signs
3. Proper Poker Etiquette Rules

The Top 10 of PROPER Poker Etiquette

Poker etiquette refers to how players should behave themselves while at the poker table. It involves an unwritten set of guidelines to follow that helps promote good sportsmanship, the speed of play, and a healthy atmosphere for the game. Overall, the topic of poker etiquette is very comprehensive, and it includes a vast array of DOs and DON’Ts. Proper Poker Etiquette. In poker play, there seems to be a slightly different set of rules existing across every casino. There does not even seem to be consistency across the same casino chains and for casinos in the same area, either. Disputes at the poker table are another big problem. The Top Tips for Perfect Poker Etiquette. First, the best thing to do if you are unsure of a venue’s rules or procedures is to ask dealer or floor staff. Next, let’s talk about proper poker etiquette for 3 of the most common situations: You’re asked how many chips you have. Your only responsibility is to make your chips clearly visible. The proper etiquette when leaving a poker table in a casino however, is much different. Unlike a home game, at a casino, you can leave whenever you want. When playing live poker in a casino, you leave whenever you want to leave.

Always pay attention to what’s going on. If it’s your turn to play, and you’re busy chatting up some waitress or watching something on your iPhone, the rest of the table is kept waiting. Not good, and if it happens a lot, you’ll almost certainly get pulled up for it.

Do your best to be polite Always try to treat other players with respect. Watching the likes of Phil Hellmuth bad-mouthing his opponents might seem like harmless fun, but acting this way yourself will mark you out as an idiot. You might not get invited back to whatever game you’re playing!

Make sure that you protect your hand (and chips) at all times.

There have been too many incidents where a player watched on as the dealer mucked their pocket aces by mistake. With a lot going on at a table. It’s your responsibility to safeguard your own stuff, so buy a card protector and pay attention.

At the 2009 WSOP, French player Estelle Denis was dealt pocket aces, and when J.C. Tran bet out 32,000 the delighted Denis moved all-in for her last 130K or so. The dealer, however, had missed her bet and proceeded to muck her cards! Because she hadn’t protected them, and they couldn’t be retrieved, the unfortunate lady couldn’t use her aces to double up!

It’s best to always verbally announce your action.

You might know fine well what you intend to do, but no-one else does until it’s done! Remember that in most games, throwing a single chip in is just a call, no matter how big that chip is! So tell the table what you’re doing before you do it, particularly in games with non-professional dealers.

Keep your cards, chips, etc… in your own area.

Poker tables vary in size, but with a full-ring game for example, you need to be aware that there’s not a lot of room. Making sure that cards and chips don’t get mixed up between players is as much your responsibility as it is the dealer’s and other players’.

Leave the table if you have to take/make a phone call.

The majority of casinos insist on this rule, so get used to it. Nobody wants to listen to your call anyway, and it’s not only distracting, but also considered rude.

Try your best to be modest when you win.

Nobody likes to lose a big pot, or get rivered with a 2-outer, so act as you would like someone to act if you were on the receiving end of things.

Make sure you don’t play out of turn.

This might be forgiven occasionally, but repeated offences cause not only ill-feeling and exasperation, but serious problems for the other players. Although certain seats at a poker table can be more difficult to follow things from, and distractions abound in casinos and particularly on TV tables, it’s still up to you to make sure you know what’s going on and when it’s your turn!

Swearing and other offensive language won’t be tolerated in most places.

Yes, poker is traditionally a ‘man’s game played in smoky backrooms’, but the world has changed! Don’t be left behind, or worse still kicked out, because your f-bombs are uncontrollable!

Treat the dealer with respect.

They are generally professionals doing their best to make sure your game goes smoothly, and dealing you 7-2 offsuit 5 times in a row isn’t REALLY their fault, so don’t take it out on them! Apart from which, nobody ever won a big pot after telling the dealer what an asshole they are!

The top 10 of IMPROPER poker etiquette

Don’t talk about a hand if you’re not in it!

In a similar way to folding your hand below, don’t get involved in talking about the cards, possible plays, bet sizing or anything directly related to an ongoing hand if you’re not in it!

At this summer’s WSOP Main Event, one of the players who went very deep in the tournament – Justin Schwartz – displayed an almost complete ignorance of table etiquette and common decency throughout the event. After folding his own hand, he proceeded to comment on the play between Daniel Negreanu and Federico Butteroni, until fellow player Max Steinberg pulled him up for it.

Don’t splash the pot.

This is a big no-no – it’s not only rude to the dealer and other players, it can lead to accusations of cheating. If you throw your chips or money into an already big pot, no-one actually knows how much you’ve paid into it – so simply don’t do it!

Don’t make string bets.

This problem is not as common as it used to be, when movies always seemed to have players saying ‘” I call….and raise you xxx”. This type of ‘string-betting’ is simply not allowed nowadays and your initial call will be accepted as such, regardless of your actual desire or intention to raise.

Don’t accuse other players of actions unless you’re 100% sure!

You might think that somebody hasn’t put in their blinds or antes, or they have done something else against the rules, but you’d better be sure before you start a conflict at the table.

Much better, of course, is to inform the dealer or floor manager if you think something incorrect has occurred. If you do pull the player up about it, going on and on about the problem can have some seriously negative effects,

When Prahlad Friedman got it wrong at the 2006 WSOP, it almost had very serious consequences for both him and his opponent. Friedman thought that Jeff Lisandro had not put in his ante, worth 5,000 chips, and stated so. He referred to it constantly during the hand, and Lisandro was getting more and more angry with the young American. When Friedman refused to stop his accusations, and basically called Lisandro a cheat, the big Australian lost his cool and threatened Friedman that he would “take your head off, buddy”.

Never show your cards to only 1 or 2 players.

Apart from being rude, everybody at the table has the same right to see or not see certain cards – to do otherwise could give an advantage to some and not others. Of course, it’s easy enough to just flash your bluff to the guy next to you without thinking, but you should then display it to the rest of the table.

Don’t slow-roll – ever!

This is one of the rudest and least sporting things to do in poker; letting someone think they have a chance of winning while all along you’re holding the nuts. It’s not big, it’s not clever, and quite how there are no videos around of people being punched for doing it is quite bizarre!

Sometimes, though, it backfires spectacularly – as when Andreas Gann for some reason slow-rolled Donnacha O’Dea at the Irish Open. Having flopped the nut flush, Gann had no other option but to put the Irishman all-in, but he took so long to do it that when he showed his cards, the rest of the table was disgusted at his slow-rolling. However, O’Dea’s 2 pair hit a beautiful river to make a full house!

Don’t Agree to check a hand out when a third player is all-in.

Although this is pretty much a given in many instances in online play, it’s another one on the ‘blacklist’ of poker’s ‘etiquette rules’. You are never allowed to collude with other players in any way in live poker.

Don’t Misrepresent your hand or action.

This one can actually be border-line outright cheating rather than etiquette. If you say you have a specific card or hand, and you don’t, that’s just wrong. If you make as if to move your stack into the middle of the table, and then pull it back, that’s also a major no-no.

At the EPT Season 7 Grand Final in Madrid, and with the board showing 5♣3♦K♠5♦6♠ Eugene Yanayt bet out on a river holding K♦Q♠. This left his opponent

Freitez announced ‘raise’, then immediately corrected himself, stating that he meant to only call. When the tournament director, Thomas Kremser, was called to the table, things got very interesting indeed. Not only was Freitez told that his ‘raise’ had to stand, he then proceeded to explain to Yanayt that Freitez had pulled the same stunt 3 times previously!

Amazingly, despite Yanayt being informed of exactly what the angle-shooting Freitez was doing, he proceeded to call anyway! Freitez turned over his boat and scooped the pot. The rest of the table could only look on in disgust as Freitez then went on to pick up the title.

Over-celebrating is pretty offensive.

It’s absolutely fine to be happy, even ecstatic when you win, but taking it too far is not remotely ok for most players and fans. Naturally, players get excited, and celebrations should reflect this – but a bit of respect for the rest of the table or room would be good to see also.

During the 2007 WSOP Main Event, Hevad Khan made it to the final table, but his celebrations when he won a hand led to a new rule being introduced the following year. His offensively boisterous behaviour spoiled the event as a viewing spectacle for many.

Don’t comment about the cards you just threw away.

If you fold your hand, don’t give away any information about it while others are still playing. Don’t tell people what you had, don’t make noises of disgust and don’t show your cards!

The 2005 WSOP Main Event saw Mike Matusow livid with fellow pro Shahram Sheikhan. Matusow’s raise saw Sheikhan fold, leaving ‘Mike the Mouth’ heads-up against Allen Kessler. When the flop came, Sheikhan slammed his hand and chips on the table –indicating that the flop would have hit his hand-and then said something to his rail.

Matusow, naturally, was less than amused, saying: “You know, we’re in a hand, you need to shut the fuck up!” Things of course didn’t end there….

Proper Poker Etiquette Games

Fundamentals of Poker - General GuidelinesMason MalmuthTwo Plus Two Magazine, Vol. 15, No. 11

• General Guidelines
• Seven Card Stud
• Limit Texas Hold'em

Although poker is a pleasurable pastime, it’s enjoyable only when the game runs smoothly and quickly. Most of the responsibility for ensuring this rests with the house dealer, but players can do their part to keep the game moving in an orderly fashion. So you will know what is expected of you at the poker table, we are providing the following “rules” of poker etiquette.

Act in turn.

In poker, the action proceeds clockwise around the table, one player at a time. Acting out of turn not only shows a basic disregard of propriety, but also may give a player an unfair advantage over his remaining opponents. As an example, discarding your hand before the action gets to you may tell a player who should have acted ahead of you that it’s now easier for him to get away with a bluff. This obviously is not fair to those players who already have chosen not to bet.

Proper Poker Etiquette Signs

Don’t throw your chips into the pot.

Throwing your chips directly into the pot, also known as “splashing the pot,” makes it difficult for the dealer and other players to determine whether you have bet the correct amount. In fact, when a player splashes the pot, it sometimes may be necessary for the dealer to interrupt play and count down the pot to make sure it’s correct. The proper way to make your bet is to place it directly in front of you on the table. The dealer will inspect your bet for accuracy and then will add it to the other chips in the center of the table.

Avoid making a “string bet” or “string raise.”

When you bet or raise, you should place the proper amount of chips in the pot at one time. A string bet/raise is an illegal play and occurs when a player places less than the full raise in the pot and, without verbally announcing a raise, returns to his stack to get more chips. This play is prohibited, as an unscrupulous player can use it to his advantage. As a precaution, always say, “Raise,” when you intend to raise.

Make decisions in a timely manner.

Most starting hands in poker are thrown away, which means that a great deal of your time is spent watching, not playing. Thus you want your opponents to play as fast as possible, and you should do the same. This doesn’t mean that when you’re faced with a tough decision, you can’t take some time to figure it out. In fact, if you need a moment, say, “Time, please.” But whenever possible, act on your hand quickly.

Keep your cards on the table.

Most cardrooms prohibit you from taking your cards off the table. However, it’s important to keep your cards in front of you for two additional reasons. First, when you pick up your hand, it may be seen by a player sitting next to you, which gives him an unfair advantage. Second, the dealer usually looks down and in front of you. If he doesn’t see your hand, he may deal your next card to someone else on a later round, causing confusion.

Turn all of your cards face up at the showdown.

This is necessary so the dealer can read your hand to determine whether you’ve won the pot. In addition, the other players will see that you have a legitimate hand made up of seven different cards. If you turn up only the five cards that you think make the best hand, not only will the other players object, but also you may have missed seeing the winning hand. Needless to say, if no one calls your final bet or raise, it’s not necessary to show your cards.

Don’t discuss your hand during play.

Providing information about your hand to other players, even if you have thrown your cards away, may give someone an unfair advantage. For example, if you abandon your hand and then remark, “I just threw away an ace and a king,” a player holding one of these cards now may choose not to enter the pot with a hand he otherwise would have played.

The games are played “table stakes.”

This means that only the money and chips you have in front of you on the table are in play. If you run out of money during the play of a hand, you are said to be “all in” and can contest only the part of the pot that your bets cover. You are not allowed to reach into your pocket and produce more money during that hand. (Notice that you will not lose the pot because someone has bet more money than you currently have on the table.) In addition, you are not permitted to remove money from the table until you are ready to leave the game.

Tipping is appreciated.

Though not obligatory, it’s customary to give the dealer a tip when you win an average-sized pot. Tipping is an accepted way of thanking the dealer for performing his job in a professional and courteous manner.

Proper Poker Etiquette Rules