Poker Etiquette
Poker etiquette rules are not official poker rules that would affect the results of a hand necessarily. They are set of “gentlemen rule” set by the house (where the game is being played) to keep the game friendly, polite, and in general to keep everyone happy.
It is a great practice for those who run house poker games to add some of the following poker etiquette rules to their Basic House Rules, print it before the game, and make sure all players are aware of them.
- Act in turn
- Keep your cards on the table at all times
- Act in a timely manner. Don’t take too long to make your move.
- If you are not in the hand, don’t comment: Don’t give advice or information (about the flop or anything) to players who are playing. They are supposed to pay attention themselves.
- One hand one player: Don’t give advice to anyone. Don’t pursue them to make any actions. Everyone is grown up enough to make their own decisions.
- Keep your large denomination chips in front of your stack
- Don’t talk on the phone while playing
Betting
- Don’t splash the pot.
- Don’t string raise.
Showdown
- Don’t expose your cards until the hand is over
- At showdown flip both cards at the same time.
- Don’t slow roll: Slow rolling is to pretend your hand is not good enough and take a long time to reveal your cards at the end while your hand is really the winner. Do not do it – it is very frustrating.
Don’t check down hands:
This is a very non-friendly practice, so unless you are in a very large tournament/game stay away from it.
Treat the dealer with respect
The dealer has nothing to do with your cards. You know that. So be nice to him/her and tip.
Don’t give poker lessons
No one likes to take poker lessons at the poker table, besides why do you want them to know the right play anyways?
Follow the house rules
If you plan to go to a home poker game, plan on following their house rules too.
