Poker Etiquette: Basic Poker Rules and Table Manners
Top 8 Poker Etiquette Rules
Whether you’re playing at a home game or in a casino, there is basic
poker etiquette that any player should know and follow. These basic
poker rules of good behavior make sure the game is fair and runs smoothly,
no matter what kind of game you’re playing.
1) Don’t Play Out of Turn
While you may be so excited about how good your hand is you can
hardly wait to raise the pot, you have to wait until it's your turn
to do so. Same goes for folding hands you can't wait to get away
from. If you jump the gun, it gives other players information they
shouldn't have before they make their own decision and can confuse
the action.
2) Don't Talk About Your Cards While the Hand is Still Going On
Once you've folded, it's tempting to chat about what would have
happened if you had stayed in, but if anyone who's still in the
hand hears, it'll give them information that they might use to their
advantage. For instance, if you had a 7-2 as your pocket cards in
Hold'em and the flop comes 7-7-2, if you blurt out that you would
have had a full house, everyone will know that it's unlikely that
any player still in the hand has the full house, making it hard
to bluff and represent that hand.
3) Don't Show Your Cards (Until the Showdown)
When you fold, make sure you don't flash or flip over your cards
as you toss them into the muck. Again, if players know what you
fold, it'll give them information that may change how the rest of
the hand plays out. Unless you are all-in and heads up, there is
no reason to show or expose your cards until the showdown.
4) Don't Splash the Pot
There are two bad betting habits that you see a lot in the movies
which are no-nos in real life. The first is when a player tosses
his bet in a big mess in the center of the pot. That's called Splashing
the Pot, and it makes it hard to tell how much you've bet. A better
way is just to stack your chips neatly in front of you to bet.
5) Don't Make String Bets
The second bad habit from movies is the string bet, which is when
a player goes "I'll call your 500.... and raise another 1000!"
You have to declare whether you're simply calling or raising right
away -- once you say "call," that's all you can do. If
you're going to raise, say raise and the amount right away. This
is especially important in casinos.
6) Don't Be Rude or Mean
Even if you're having a bad losing streak, it doesn't give you the
right to curse other players or be rude to the dealer. It will win
you neither pots nor friends.
7) If You Show One, Show All
If you win a hand before the showdown but want to show your cards
anyway, you can't just show them to the one player to your left
or right, you have to turn them up for the whole table to see. After
all, why should only the lucky players next to you get to know what
you were holding?
8) Do Pay Attention
If you're in a hand, don't make everyone remind you that it's your
turn -- keep up with the action so the game keeps moving. Talking
on cell phones is a bad idea.
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