Poker Etiquette

It is said that manners evolved to allow us to conduct ourselves without having to worry so much about what other people were about to do. Not only do they help ensure that everyone has a chance to enjoy themselves, but etiquette has a function, too. It helps players focus on what is truly important - playing and having fun (read: without pissing someone off). So whether the motivation to play poker is fun or money, a little bit of etiquette goes a long way.

The general rules of poker etiquette include several thou-shalt-not's, including injunctions against weapons, drugs, and loud noise. Also banned is coarse or vulgar language, cheating of any kind, damaging property or otherwise being abusive. All that makes sense. If it doesn't, the Casino employs staff members who are meticulously trained to provide other entertainment options to the unruly guest - with emphasis.

Other principles of decorum are perhaps less obvious; nevertheless, they are logical and important:

Basic Rules of Conduct at a Poker Table

Don't touch cards during the deal - Enough said.

Don't touch or examine cards until after the deal has finished - If there's a mistake in the deal (a misdeal), things just start over. This typically happens if a hole card is exposed or if the wrong number of cards is dealt, or if cards are dealt out of sequence. Do not cause misdeals by having your hands anywhere near the cards as they are being dealt.

Don't act out of turn - Not only is this rude and inattentive conduct, but it may unfairly convey extra information to another player.

Don't stall or hold up play - If there is something on your mind that keeps you from being attentive to the game, withdraw. When someone asks, "Whose bet is it?" The answer is almost always, "He who asks."

Don't play with the chips - First of all, it bears repeating that once chips have been wagered by being placed in the betting circle, you can't touch them any more. The dealer will give them back to you (with some more, it is hoped) if you win. Once they are in the circle, they really do not belong to you. Keep your other chips out of the way of the play and do not fondle them during play. If you do so, the dealer will probably ask you to stop. If you must play with something whilst thinking, grow a mustache.

Don't handle the cards more than necessary - The cards must never be lifted away from the table, and should be raised off the deck only the minimum amount necessary to see what they are. Memorize what they say. They will not change for the entire hand, no matter how often you look at them. Dead cards (i.e., those already played) are not to be touched. Also, never touch another person's cards, live or dead. The dealer is paid to take care of those details and will also enforce the rules. Players are permitted to complain when someone breaches these principles, and they do.

Don't reveal cards (if at all) until all play has concluded - People who carelessly show their cards to other players, or discuss them with passers by, are really unwelcome in a poker room. If a player is negligently revealing a hand, do not look at it. Players who reveal cards during a game probably are so inattentive to what is going on that they should be asked to leave. It is the sign of a newcomer (a "newbie") to reveal cards after play is over anyway. If you have lost, it does not matter what your cards were. If you have won without a showdown, it is a little egotistical to show off what you had. Occasionally there may be a strategic benefit in showing cards in this circumstance, to show that you are not a bluffer (so that later you can bluff). But do not revel cards just out of pride or ego.

Don't check when a player is "all in" - Either fold or pay to play.

Don't dawdle or tease when putting chips on the table. - The despised "string raise" comes up one more time. Some people, when seeing a bet and raising, put the "see" part on the existing stack and then the "raise" next to it. It is always best to keep all the chips in one stack (if you can). Regardless, always put the chips out in one motion. It is inappropriate to place chips out in the circle in a teasing way, by putting some out, and then adding more. The "two trips" method of "seeing you . . ." and then pausing and then saying " . . . and raising you . . ." is from old Westerns. The players who did that then, if indeed they ever behaved that way outside of Hollywood, have been dead for a long time (possibly from saloon violence). If you try it, the dealer can disqualify the second half of the bet. This faux pas might induce someone to show cards or otherwise communicate his or her position or hand out of turn or before the game is over.

Don't talk too much - Talk is generally sparse at the poker table, as everyone is thinking and concentrating. A jabberer breaks the concentration of other players and is distinctly unwelcome. During a game, talking is really unnecessary. In between hands some light-hearted comment is all right. But be mindful that people are not there to chit-chat. They are mostly there to enjoy themselves - so the atmosphere can be relaxed and friendly - but conversation is best minimized. Even more to the point: Never talk about a hand in progress. This is, of course, particularly true if you are still playing the hand. If you are trying to reinforce a bluff with words, it is a failed stratagem from the outset. If you are just careless, you are spoiling the game for others. Many people violate this rule after they have folded, but before the hand is concluded. Because they can relax, being out of the game themselves, they start to talk. They are so embarrassingly self-involved that they forget about the others still in the game. Worse still, if the comment had to do with how "I only had two tens," or something like that, it could also affect who wins the hand. A second offense probably will prematurely end a player's time in the poker room.

Do use the appropriate hand signals to play the game - Of almost equal importance to the thou-shalt-not's is a "shalt" rule. You need to know and use the correct gestures of poker action in a casino. Words don't count, or at least, they should not. There are at least three reasons why words do not count in the Poker Room: (1) possible ambient noise; (2) possible language barriers with some of the players; and (3) (and the real reason) the many surveillance cameras can not hear you. Most dealers will strictly enforce the use of gestures for the conduct of the game, though few will object if the gesture is accompanied with a verbalization of the usual term. The easiest gesture is for a call or a raise. The player simply advances the requisite chips to the circle. A "check" is shown by a tap of the finger on the table felt. A draw request is communicated by the number of cards pushed toward the dealer. The best way to fold in draw games is to place the cards more towards the center of the table face down, and lean away from the table. In stud games, a good method is to turn the face-up cards face-down. Never fold by turning face-down cards face-up. Other than a call, a raise, a check, a draw and a fold, players have nothing else to say.

Other rules of table conduct and courtesy may vary somewhat according to the nature of the game. For example, in draw poker, each participating player can request new cards after the first betting round. Just slide the discards face down on the table towards the center and retrieve the new cards without showing them to anyone else. In stud and Texas Hold'em, it is customary not to lift the hole cards from the table. Just peek at them. Never touch the board cards.

Experienced poker players are nearly unanimous in condemning the following behaviors in the poker room. While all of this may be fairly intuitive to most people, even if they have never even seen a card room before, the following points bear mentioning, to be sure everyone has an enjoyable time.

Poker Peeves and Annoyances

This is a list of especially bad poker behavior that can make you a persona non grata very quickly.

Drunk Poker - Seasoned players never drink and play, unless they do not care what happens (which is almost never). Drunk poker is really hard on the drunk, but it is also hard on everyone else. Most good poker rooms will not let this go very far. Staff and player alike should encourage the drunk to hang it up and just retire from the table.

Spreading your nasty germs - Dealers and seasoned players, who spend a lot of time in poker rooms, will tell you that it is hard to stay healthy around so many strangers all the time. Invariably someone shows up with a cough or cold and infects everyone at the table. The rule is simple: If you're ill, play poker online or don't play at all. Because chips and cards are handled by many people, it is especially important not to sneeze or cough into or on one's hands, which then go right to the cards and chips. Please use a handkerchief.

Smoking - In the good ole days smoking was cool. Not anymore. More and more players prefer a non-smoking game. This includes poker rooms or tables where smoking is permitted. Even though smokers may want to be insistent on their "right" to smoke at a smoking table, a lot of times it is better to ask the other players if they mind.

Changing Seats all the Time - In cash games some players like to change seats all the time, hoping for some sort of leverage that table position might provide over an incoming player. Sometimes it is a change in order to get a "favorite seat." Both reasons amount to superstition, and the sooner the player quits behaving that way, the sooner he or she might actually improve. Results do not depend on which chair it is. And all the shifting around is a foolish annoyance.

Neglecting the Dealer - Anyone who has tried being a dealer knows it is not an easy job. Every pot that goes to the flop or Fourth Street should deserve a tip from the pot winner, even when the pot is small. Anyone who is stingy with dealer tips probably has not gotten to know very many dealers and how much they deserve it. They are the working folks of Vegas.