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Before we get started into the strategies, let’s talk about poker etiquette… There are three primary reasons to always use proper poker etiquette at the table:
1. It shows respect for the GAME.
2. It shows respect for the PLAYERS.
3. Your opponents won’t “gun” for you.
The first two reasons SHOULD be enough to convince you to use proper etiquette… but the third reason is the icing on the cake. When you don’t follow the fundamental rules of poker etiquette, other players will become annoyed, angry, or whatever. The result is ugly.
The absolute LAST thing you want happening is all of your opponents BADLY WANTING YOU GONE. It alters the way the game is played… and NOT in your favor. Players will raise you when you’re in the blinds… use trap plays… and “gang up” on you whenever possible.
For instance, let’s say you’re short stacked and you go all-in before the flop. Your opponent is holding Queens, so he calls. ANOTHER opponent knows that he probably SHOULDN’T call with his K-J, but that doesn’t matter. He knows the odds that you lose the hand will INCREASE if he plays, so he calls too.
See what I mean?
I’ve seen this type of thing happen all the time to players who don’t adhere to proper etiquette. Plus, players who earn a negative reputation at the poker table are less likely to find as many games.
OK, so we’ve established that not using proper etiquette is a BAD IDEA. Now let’s discuss what poker etiquette REALLY IS… and how to follow it. First off, refrain from excessive trash talk. A little table talk is okay… I actually recommend it… but not TRASH talk.
For instance, when an amateur player chases a gutshot straight draw and HITS, the guy at the table who got burnt usually gets bitter. I’ll often hear things like, “You f’in idiot, don’t you know you’re not supposed to play stuff like that?!”
Don’t be like this.
Just stick to your game and your strategies.
Other players think it’s a GOOD idea to harass or try to INTIMIDATE the other players at the table… they think it will help them win.
For instance, just last night I heard a player bullying one of the younger guys at our table.
He kept asking him, “Do you like to suck on gas pipes? C’mon, do you?”
It made everyone at the table feel uncomfortable. And it created an atmosphere where everyone started secretly “gunning” for this arrogant a**hole.
And I don’t think it to be coincidence that he was one of the first guys eliminated from the table.
OK, so I’ve made my point. No trash talk.
The next rule for poker etiquette is to never play your hands out of turn. Sometimes, of course, this may happen by accident. If that’s the case, start paying closer attention to the game.
But what I mean here is when guys play out of turn in order to achieve some type of STRATEGIC GOAL.
For example, let’s say Richard is in the big blind and he’s got A-5 suited. Everyone at the table either folds or limps-in and it’s around to the guy in the small blind… who seems to be contemplating a raise.
Richard, who would like to see a cheap flop here, doesn’t want the player in the small blind to raise the pot. So he reaches for a large stack of chips and puts them in the middle… or, he reaches for a big stack and ACTS like he’s about to bet. Or, he could even say something like, “Raise.”
The particulars are not important. The point is, Richard KNOWS that it’s not his turn. What he’s trying to do is get the player in the small blind to NOT raise the pot… by scaring him into thinking he’s got a great hand. When the player in the small blind decides to just call the blinds because of Richard’s behavior (I used the name Richard for a reason!), Richard then decides to just CHECK when it REALLY IS his turn. This is bad poker etiquette. Do stuff like this and it WILL come back to haunt you, I can promise you that. Okay, let’s talk about third… and perhaps MOST IMPORTANT rule of poker etiquette. There are obviously tons of poker etiquette rules that I could spout out… but the others are mostly just common sense.
This third rule is this:
NEVER LOOK AT ANOTHER PLAYER’S DOWN CARDS.
The only time you are allowed to see another player’s cards is when the hand is over and you have called his bet. If he places a bet and you fold, you are NOT allowed to see his cards. Period.
I know, I know… you’re absolutely DYING to know whether or not he bluffed you. Just get over it!
Looking at another player’s down cards is CHEATING. Because what it’s doing is giving you information about a player’s betting habits that can be used later in the game.
In my opinion, this is just as bad as leaning over and looking at another player’s cards DURING THE HAND!
What’s perhaps even WORSE than picking up a player’s down cards after the hand and looking at them is doing it in a sneaky way that NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT. This happens in home games all the time.
For instance, let’s say Darren bets 800 in chips on the river and Jack folds. Jack had top pair but is afraid Darren had him beat with the flush. Now, Jack REALLY wants to know if he just got bluffed out of that pot.
Darren puts his two down cards on the table and rakes in his chips. Meanwhile, it’s Jack’s turn to shuffle. So he collects all the cards that are scattered around the table.
Now here’s what players will do all the time…
Jack will watch Darren’s two down cards and intentionally position them at the BOTTOM of the deck. Then, he’ll simply keep them on the bottom and gradually sneak a glance at each of the cards… or maybe he’ll do it after positioning them at the top. Either way, Jack has gained a valuable piece of information about the hand, but has also ruined the integrity of his own game.
This little maneuver happens way more often than you’d expect. Even with the most honest players.
So what should YOU do about it?
Well, for starters, you should NOT be one of these CHEATS. Secondly, when you make a bet and everyone folds, make sure you don’t just throw your cards into the muck in an easy-to-spot location. Just nonchalantly mix your cards up with the others on the table.
And last but not least… if you suspect that someone is doing this or WILL do this and he gets into this position, simply grab the winning two down cards (even if they’re not yours) and shuffle them into the mix yourself.
This will prevent the bad guy from cheating. And it will also give him a subtle message that you’re on to him.
OK, so that wraps up our discussion of poker etiquette.
No trash talk, no acting out of turn, and no looking at another player’s cards. The rest of poker etiquette is just the common sense stuff that you learned way back when you were in Kindergarten. Remember, it’s in YOUR OWN SELF INTEREST to use proper poker etiquette at the table.