Top 10 live poker etiquette mistakes
These rules are not written in a rule book or actively enforced by anyone, yet they still exist.
If you ignore poker etiquette, you will quickly become a persona non grata in any poker room, as poker players generally prefer that everyone follow these rules.
If you are not fully familiar with poker etiquette, here is a look at the top 10 live poker etiquette mistakes that amateurs often make, and that you should avoid making at all costs.
10. Being a bad winner
Getting mad and tilting when you are losing is pretty bad, but understandable. Being rude and obnoxious when you are winning, on the other hand, is completely unacceptable.
Most poker rooms have at least one player who can be called a bad winner, and everyone generally dislikes these players. When winning at poker, whether it’s through sound decision-making or pure luck, you should always remain modest and not comment on the hands you won.
The only time you should actively discuss your winning hands is when you are directly asked about them, and even then, you should not be cocky or rude.
If your opponents criticize your play or claim you just got lucky, accept the critique, change the topic, and move on. Nobody likes a bad winner, and you may not be welcome in the games if you constantly make others feel bad when they are on the losing side of things.
9. Constant tanking
Poker is a strategy game, and it’s completely understandable that there are times when you have to think about a hand before making your decision.
If you take your time when you have a difficult decision to make, no one will fault you. If you do so all the time, you may cause quite a bit of anger.
Players who tank every time the action is on them are some of the most frustrating to play against, as they waste everyone’s time with no real goal but to tilt others. Remember to act quickly when you have an easy decision to make, as this will help you increase the number of hands you play per hour and ensure no one at the table finds you insufferable.
Acting out of turn can be costly to other players.
To amateur players, acting out of turn can seem like a small deal. However, it’s one of the biggest mistakes you can make in poker, and it can be costly to other players.
Much like discussing your hand, acting out of turn can help some players and hurt others. For example, imagine a player betting on the river against two players.
You are last to act, and the other player is thinking about whether or not to call the bet. If you act out of turn by folding your cards or making the call, you will make the other player’s action much easier.
If you fold, the player can now call more easily, knowing they don’t have to worry about you having a big hand behind. If you call, they can fold knowing they have to beat both the bettor and you. Regardless of the action and the betting street you are on, always keep your actions to yourself until it’s your turn to act.
7. Talking about an active hand
Another breach of poker etiquette that can hurt other players quite badly is discussing an active hand.
There are two ways in which players often influence hands with their words. One is by talking about the cards they folded, and the other is by suggesting what players should do, or what they may be holding.
Both of these things are completely unacceptable at the poker table. You should never discuss the contents of a hand you folded, as this can be of big help to the players still in the hand.
For example, if you announce you folded the Ace of spades on a board with three spades, a player with the King-high flush will now know they have the nuts.
Similarly, you should never “coach” players during an active hand by suggesting what they should do or whether you think the other guy is bluffing or not. For the most part, keep your mouth shut while the hand is happening, and discuss it after all betting is done if you truly have to.
6. The hit and run
Another common way some players, especially less experienced ones, breach poker etiquette is by pulling a hit-and-run. A hit and run is the action of sitting down at a cash game table, winning a big pot after playing briefly, and leaving the table with your profits immediately.
In public games, you are allowed to leave the table anytime, but playing hit and run is considered very unethical.
Instead, you should always give the other players a chance to “win their money back” by playing at least some more hands before you leave the table. More broadly, avoiding “quick win” habits goes hand in hand with smart bankroll management. Even if you play online, getting a casino bonus code can add extra value to your sessions.
5. The fake hand announcement
Announcing a hand you don’t have at showdown is a move that sits right between being unethical and straight-up angle shooting.
This situation arises often in cash games, where hands aren’t typically revealed before all the community cards are dealt, even if players are all-in. In many cases, players announce their hands verbally before showing their cards, and most of the time, they announce the hand they actually have.
However, announcing a fake hand can sometimes result in your opponents mucking their cards. For example, on a board with three hearts, a player moves all-in and gets called. On the river, the player announces “Flush,” indicating the strength of his hand.
Since most players take the verbal announcement seriously, they will sometimes throw a weaker hand into the muck without revealing it.
The player who announced his hand won’t even be required to show it, and even if they do, the opponent’s cards will no longer be live. While this may sound like a fun joke to pull in your live poker games, it can be considered a serious breach of poker etiquette, and should be avoided at all costs.
Always display your big chips clearly.
This “strategy” is often used in poker tournaments by players who don’t mind getting tricky and shooting some angles.
The premise is simple. You hide your most valuable chips behind towers of low-value chips. When the action comes to you, and you have a strong hand, you announce all-in, instead of counting out a bet.
If your opponent makes the mistake of calling your bet without asking for a chip count, they will get a huge surprise, since all of your chips will count.
Since they think they are calling a significantly smaller bet than they are, they may do so with marginal hands that are definitely not strong enough to call your real all-in. Whether you play in a cash game or a tournament, the dealer will often remind players to keep their big chips visible at all times, but mistakes can still happen.
If you want to play in a fair and transparent way, make sure to always display your big chips clearly and never try to hide the value of your all-in bet by keeping the big chips out of sight.
3. Berating the dealer
If there is one thing that will make you persona non grata in any serious poker room, it is berating the dealer when you are running bad. Regardless of how many hands you have lost, the runouts you had to endure, or the bad beats you suffered, you should always remember that it’s never the dealer’s fault.
You can blame bad luck, your own actions, or even other players for the way things turned out, but taking it out on the dealer is the worst thing you can do.
If you are tilted to the point you want to say bad things to the dealer, leave the game for the night, or at least take a break until you are calm and collected again.
2. The slow roll
Unlike a string bet, which is a clear violation of poker rules, a slow roll is perfectly within the rules of the game. This means you won’t get penalized for a slow roll by the poker room staff in any way, making the slow roll an acceptable action for some players.
The definition of a slow roll is taking too long to call a bet or raise when you are certain to have the best hand, or taking too long to show your cards at showdown when you have the winner.
For example, if you hold Aces before the flop, and another player moves all-in, you are supposed to call quickly and show your cards when the dealer announces showdown.
Some players like taking their time in spots like these, giving their opponents false hope, before revealing the bad news.
The slow roll is one of the most unethical moves in all of poker, and you should never employ it unless you enjoy being hated by the entire poker room.
1. The string bet
String betting can be considered a poker etiquette violation, although technically speaking, it also goes against the rules of the game.
If you don’t know what a string bet is, it is a bet not made in a single motion. For example, if you want to bet $300, you might put in a $100 chip, wait a couple of seconds, then put in another $100 chip, followed by four $25 chips a second later.
This kind of bet is not allowed in poker, and it won’t be accepted in any serious poker room. Instead, you will be asked to either verbally announce you are betting, after which you can take your sweet time putting the bet together, announce the exact amount you are betting, or put out your entire bet in one motion.
If you try string betting, and you are not a complete amateur, other players will think you are trying to shoot an angle and get their reaction before committing to the bet in full, which is a serious breach of poker etiquette.