Poker Etiquette: 13 Unwritten Rules of Playing Poker Online & At Casinos

Along with the general rules of the game, poker etiquette rules help keep the games fair and fun for everyone involved. The etiquette rules are more subtle, and not always written down, but poker players around the world consider them as the norm.

We will walk you through the most important poker etiquette rules every player should know. We will cover the you should do at the tables, as well as those you should avoid at all costs:

1. Act in Turn
2. Keep your Cards Visible
3. Be Polite and Respectful
4. Respect the Dealer
5. Stack your Chips Neatly
6. Announce your Actions Clearly
7. Don’t Angle Shoot
8. Don’t Hit and Run
9. Avoid Slow Rolling (**can possibly be merged with the point on time wasting too)
10. Do not String Bet
11. Don’t Criticize or Coach Other Players
12. Don’t Complain
13. Don’t Reveal your Hand When Game is in Play

Good Poker Table Etiquette

When playing poker in a live poker environment, there are some things which are considered the norm or minimum expectations. Doing these ensures a smooth, trouble-free game.

Whether the norms are clearly stated or not, you should know these rules of behavior before stepping foot in a live poker room or when playing online poker from the comfort of your home. 

Act in Turn

One of the most basic poker room etiquette rules is to wait your turn before you act. While it can be tempting to fold your bad cards as soon as you see them, you should always wait your turn before acting.

Acting out of turn is not only rude but can actually give an advantage to other players. For example, imagine you are in the small blind, and you fold your cards out of turn. When the action folds to the button, they can now raise, knowing they only have one player to worry about instead of two. Acting out of turn will get you a penalty in a poker tournament and is generally frowned upon in cash games as well.

Keep Your Hole Cards Visible

One thing amateur players often do that’s a severe breach of poker etiquette is that they hide their hole cards. Whether on purpose or not, they will hide their cards behind their chips, under the palm of their hand, or even take them off the table completely.

Hiding your hole cards can give you an advantage in the game, so you should never use this trick. Serious poker rooms in Las Vegas, Macau, or Rozvadov may even penalize you if they notice you purposely hiding your cards.

Be Polite and Respectful

Poker is a competitive game, and emotions can sometimes run hot, but it is very important to always be polite. This includes being courteous to both other players and poker room staff, regardless of what’s happening in the game.

Berating other players after losing a hand to them is unacceptable. Similarly, you should not be rude to players in between hands or negatively comment on their plays. Remain polite in all conversations at the table and keep any negative comments you may have to yourself. 

Respect the Dealer

Being respectful to the dealer is just as important as being respectful to other players, if not more. The dealer’s job is to deal the cards and run the game, and they do not influence the cards that will be dealt or the outcome of any particular poker game.

Poker etiquette dictates you should always remain polite to your dealer and never blame them for any bad beats or coolers they deal. Even when a dealer makes a mistake, you should never be rude to them or blame them for the way that mistake may have impacted you. Instead, remain patient and request a dealer change if the mistakes get extreme.

Stack Your Chips Neatly

The next rule of live poker etiquette dictates you should always stack your chips neatly and in even stacks. Preferably, you should keep your chips in stacks of 20, 30, or 40, and always keep chips of only one color and denomination in a single stack.

Furthermore, it is essential to keep the biggest denomination chips either in front or on top of your other chips. For example, if you are playing in a cash game, you should not keep your two $500 chips hidden behind your $5 chips, as this can lead to players making mistakes against you and assuming you have fewer chips than you actually do.

Announce Your Actions Clearly

Being clear in announcing your actions at the poker table prevents confusion and mistakes. Whether you want to check, bet, raise, or call, make sure you express your action loud and clear.

If you are looking to make a bet or a raise, place the amount of chips you are betting into the pot and verbalize the amount if you wish to. If not, allow the dealer to count out the bet and announce the amount for you. If you are calling a bet, you can do so by announcing “call” loudly but also by putting a single chip or a small amount of chips into the pot, which will count as a call.

Bad Poker Room Etiquette

There are some poker etiquette rules you should never break if you don’t want to be known as “that guy.” While you are still technically allowed to slow-roll players or complain about bad beats, these things create a bad atmosphere at the table and don’t help you in any real way.

Here are some of the most common bad poker room manners you should avoid when playing:

Don’t Angle Shoot

Angle shooting is a term that encompasses all actions that border on cheating but don’t break any of the actual rules of the game. Angle shooting can include actions like:

• Intentionally acting out of turn
• Hiding big denomination chips
• Faking action
• Announcing the wrong hand at showdown
• Taking chips off the table mid-game

For example, imagine you make a bet of $200 on the river in a hand where you have the best hand. Your opponent takes his cards and moves to throw them into the muck. You push your cards towards the muck too, assuming you have won the hand, but they announce they have not folded. Such a move is considered angle shooting and you should never make it. When playing in live poker games, you should also be aware of angle shooters and be careful not to fall prey to their tricks.

Don’t Hit and Run

When playing in live cash games, you should never play until you win a single big pot and then walk away. This move is known as a hit-and-run, and cash game players absolutely hate it. If you end up winning a decent chunk of money in a short time, you should stick around for at least some time and give other players a chance to win their money back.

Of course, your goal should always be to win, and you should not expand your range or gamble just because you are winning. Keep playing your best game and try to win even more, but don’t walk away after playing just a few hands and getting lucky in one of them.

Don’t Complain About Bad Luck

Poker is a game of skill, but luck plays a big part in any individual hand. Whether you are the best player in the world or you play casually, you will have days when luck is on your side, and those when it is not. 

When running bad, you should do your best to control your emotions and not complain about your bad luck. While experiencing negative emotions at such times is understandable, you should always strive to remain calm and not share these negative vibes with the entire table. 

Don’t Slow Roll

Slow rolling in poker is the act of unnecessarily waiting before showing the best hand. This move has no strategic upside, and its only goal is to upset the other players and cause negative feelings with your opponent. 

For example, imagine holding AsKs on a board of Ts9s5d4s3c. On the river, you make a big bet, and your opponent calls. Instead of showing your hand, you hesitate, tap the table, or even say, “You’re good.” You wait even longer once your opponent tables their hand, only to show your best hand some seconds later. This kind of slow rolling is considered very poor poker table etiquette and you should avoid it at all times. 

Don’t String Bet

String betting is an attempt at angle shooting where a player puts their betting chips into the pot in a sequence instead of all at once. However, unlike other poker etiquette rules mentioned here, string betting is also against the rules of the game, which is why it won’t fly in most poker rooms.

If you are playing in a major poker room such as Aria in Las Vegas or The Lodge in Austin, any attempt at string betting will be stopped by the dealer. If you string a bet, only the first chip that falls into the pot will count as a bet. To avoid confusion, announce “bet,” and you will be allowed to place chips in any pattern until you are done.

Don’t Criticize Other Players 

There are few more annoying things at a live poker table than a player who is trying to criticize every play and coach other players. Regardless of how other players play their hands, keep any comments you have to yourself, or simply say “nice hand” and move on.

There is no strategic advantage to teaching other players how to play, and criticizing plays made by others will only make you sound desperate. Instead, keep playing your own game and only discuss strategy if someone explicitly asks. Even in that case, reveal the minimum and keep your thoughts to yourself.

Don’t Show Your Hand Prematurely

Much like acting out of turn, showing your hole cards prematurely can affect action and give other players an actual advantage. For example, imagine a player is considering making a call with a flush draw on a board with two spades, and you throw your cards into the muck face-up, showing you had two small spades. In this case, the player with the flush draw will know two of his outs are dead and will be more likely to fold.

In fact, the only time you should show your hole cards is at a showdown. Showing them at any other time is a breach of poker etiquette, and it can even cause you to be penalized if playing in a poker tournament.

Tipping the Dealer

Another important segment of casino poker etiquette has to do with tipping your dealers. In most poker rooms, there are no strict rules on tipping, but players are encouraged to tip the dealers. This is especially the case in Las Vegas and Atlantic City poker rooms as part of the overall US tipping culture. However, you should also tip your dealers when playing in Europe, Asia, or other parts of the world. 

In cash games, players are expected to tip after winning a pot or at the end of their session. If you win a small pot in a low stakes game, tipping a dollar or two is considered polite. If you win a thousand-dollar pot, you may want to tip $5 or $10, depending on how big the pot is for the game you are playing in.

In poker tournaments, players who reach the final table and get the top payouts are expected to tip something. Tipping anywhere between 2% and 5% of the payout is considered adequate. Some poker tournaments include a 3% fee for the staff at the beginning, in which case you are not required to provide any further tips.

Manners for Online Poker Rooms

The majority of poker etiquette rules that apply in live games don’t apply to online poker. Yet, there are some rules you should stick to when playing online if you don’t want to be considered rude and inconsiderate.

These include:

• Chat Abuse: The poker room chat is not made for you to abuse other players. Don’t write nasty or abusive comments in the chat. If you do, expect your chat privileges to be revoked.
• Bum Hunting: Sitting at a poker table without playing while waiting for weak players to join the game is known as bum hunting. Some poker rooms don’t allow for bum hunting at all, while doing so at others may cause you to get minimal action. 
• Wasting Time: When playing online poker, you should act as quickly as you reasonably can. It’s OK to take a few seconds for balance, but don’t waste everyone’s time when you know you are folding your hand. 

Conclusion

Following casino poker rules and etiquette will ensure you are well-liked by poker players and poker room staff alike. By always doing the right thing, you will gain favor with everyone involved and avoid any negative situations from arising. 

The next time you play live poker, remember to apply the poker etiquette rules we discussed here. If you prefer to play online, Join CoinPoker and remember to comply with the online poker etiquette rules found in the previous section. 

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