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If you like playing poker, please remember that it is a "gentleman's game" still to this date. There are several do's and don'ts when sitting around the felt. If you want to get invited back to play, keep these rules of poker etiquette in mind every time you play.
1. Wait your turn Always act when it is your turn and not before. If you know you are going to fold, just wait and be patient. Folding early can give away part of your strategy and interrupt the other players' concentration. The same applies when calling or raising. Keep your chips to yourself so that the pot is kept in order and accurate. Tossing your chips into the pot early can cause quite a bit of confusion and no-one like to be on edge when counting their chips.
2. Keep Quiet During a Hand This should be obvious but we often see people at the table that just can't keep their yapper shut. It's distracting and quite rude. Not to mention you could tip your hand even with an innocent statement. Keep the casual conversation between hands before the next set of cards is dealt.
3. Don't Piss in the Pot At least not the one that holds all of the chips. When it is time for you to call, raise, or move all in, push your chips away from your main stack enough distance to make the house happy. This shows your commitment of chips without confusing the pot. People have been shot before by accusing someone of not being right with the pot. This habit of showing your chips which are in play but keeping them separate helps you prove that you have put in the proper amount of chips. If everyone's chips are in the pot it is hard to determine who tossed what.
4. Poker is not a team sport You shouldn't bring help into the room. If you're not strong enough to play on your own, you probably shouldn't be playing. In addition, no one likes a "know-it-all" at the poker table. Simply keep your mouth shut and let each person play the hand they were dealt.
5. Play the game This rule is self-explanatory. If it's not clear to you then we'll spell it out for you: P - A - Y A - T - T - E - N - T - I - O - N. Nobody likes to play poker with someone than can't keep track of who's turn it is. You can avoid being the asshole at the table by simply being observant and act in a proper amount of time. Never ask "Who's turn is it?". If you have to ask, odds are it is your turn.
6. Don't high-stack your chips If you are ahead in the chip count, the table knows it. You can be a real dickhead if you make your chip stacks so high it hides your hand or interferes with dealing. Keep organized and humble. You may be a great poker player but you're still lucky to have all of those chips.
7. Don't Heckle the Dealer The dealer works very hard to maintain balance and keep the table professional. The last thing they need is someone telling them that the cards suck or "learn how to deal". Bad card turns happen - learn to live with it quietly.
8. Speak the Common Language If it is an international room, the general rule-of-thumb is that any language goes. However, the room may establish a common language which you should speak. If you can't speak in the common language, remain quiet and just pay attention. Poker has it's own unspoken language which you can clearly understand.
9. Turn Off Your Phone This really only applies to non-online situations. Just have common courtesy regarding your phone.
10. Don't High Toss Your Cards When it's time to fold, toss your cards in the direction of the dealer at a low flight grade. You're already out and there is no sense in disturbnig the game for others. Should they see your cards, it could unfairly alter the game.
11. Don't Chase Rabbits Down The Hole Ok you've lost - own up to it and lose with grace. Demanding to see the cards would have appeard had you bet is just tacky.
12. Let the Calls Play On Asking to see called hands unnecessarily is a waste of time. Unless the table or house has established rules for showing hands, if someone calls, play on. Getting all pissy over this generally is a waste of time and very distracting to the game in general.
13. Don't Commentate Making statements about the visible cards may show off how much you know about the game, but it could reveal something to another player which they hadn't seen and that could come back to bite you. Leave the comentating to the PROs on televised tournaments.
14. Don't Make String Bets Avoid calling and then immediately raise - especially if you are playing in a casino or tournament. Once you call that is typically it for that round. if you know that you are going to raise then just say "raise" followed by the amount right away.
15. Show All or Show None If you win a hand and want to show your cards then show them to the table. Showing cards to one person builds bad raport at the table and can get you kicked out for collusion with another player.
16. Maintain Table State Keep your playing area tidy at all times. If you need to stretch, wait until between hands and then stand for a moment and stretch your legs.
17. Do Not Mis-declare Your Hand At the showdown, make sure you call the right hand you're playing. Once called, you cannot take it back. if you have three of a kind but call two pair, live with the mistake and lose the chips.
18. Keep the Cards Tabled Holding the cards against your shirt, in a pocket or in your lap is not allowed. Play safely and keep your cards on the table in your assigned playing area.
19. Keep the Cards Tabled Holding the cards against your shirt, in a pocket or in your lap is not allowed. Play safely and keep your cards on the table in your assigned playing area.
20. Do Not Rake The Pot Let the dealer make sure the pot is right before taking the chips. The dealer will either inspect the pot or if they know the pot is right, they will push the chips to you.
21. Do Not Push Chips to Another Player When the hand is over, if you have lost, do not touch your chips. Let the dealer rake the chips and handle the transaction to the winning player. People have been accused of palming chips while pushing and many ended up with a knife in their gullet.
22. Do Not Play Out of Turn This really should be self explanatory. If someone has gone to the restroom, wait until they return to play. Likewise, if you have to relieve yourself, have the common decency to agree with the rest of the players on when it is ok to go.
23. Do Not Spam the Room Online poker players should refrain from posting ads in the chatrooms. Keep chat relevant to the conversations.
24. Keep Timely Play Online poker players are typically allowed to play at more than one table at a time. If you do this, please make sure that your playing speed is appropriate and does not slow down either table. If you cannot play in a timely manner on more than one table at a time - don't do it.
25. Lose Gracefully No one likes a bad loser, but losing with grace reveals your true character. Under no circumstance should you grab the house cards and see what the next few cards would have been "if they had gone your way".
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