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Poker is intended
to provide fun and a poker room should emanate an enjoyable and
safe atmosphere. The excitement in poker comes from the game itself
and
not from the “attitude” of players.
Any decent poker
player would like to play against players who are courteous and
abide by certain poker etiquettes. A poker player with good manners
will
find opponents that will be happy for his successes and will
be sorry for his failures.
On the other hand, a poker player with
bad manners
will create a tense air among players. This hostility will
eventually result to poker rooms closed on his face. His credit in
casinos
will be removed and his account in online poker games will
be closed.
Here are some basic pointers to follow if you wanted to exhibit
admirable poker etiquette.
Courtesy is important. Foul words, insults, and insinuations against
other players or against the dealer could ban you from joining
the game again. In the interest of honesty and fair play, you must
keep your cards and chips on the table.
You should not place your
chips or some of it inside your pocket. Good decisions during
your turn would require you to check the piled chips of your opponents.
You do not want them to hide their chips.
When it is your turn, do not try to delay the game for hours on
end. This is an exaggeration, of course, but a player must keep
pace with the play. For example, if the average time that the player
takes before deciding to call, raise or fold is about one minute,
spend just about the same amount of time to deliberate your decision.
Know what is going on at the table. It can get irritating if you
keep asking “whose turn?” or “how much was it
again?” If you suspect that there is cheating, “do
not take the law into your own hands”. Report this to the
casino management.
There are also taboos during a poker game. First, you should not
place your food and drinks on the table. Mobile phones are also
prohibited on the table. In fact, it would a good idea to turn
off your cell phone when playing poker.
It is considered bad manners to splash your chips into the pot
or to talk about your hand while the game is still on-going. You
should also avoid damaging the cards or act when it is not your
turn.
And most important of all, you should never criticize or give
negative comments against a poker player. Most of the time, you
don’t know his background, his motivations, and his aspirations.
When in doubt, just play well and stay courteous.
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