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Poker Etiquette: The Do's and Don'ts in Poker

Every social activity has its norms and taboos and since poker qualifies as such for it is a pastime replete with social interactions, there will be behaviors that will be deemed either to be acceptable or not.

Here are some of the things to remember to stay on the side of proper etiquette and appropriate conduct when playing poker.

Be polite.

As in all forms of etiquette, observing politeness is always number one on the list. After all, what is the use observing all the other decorum in poker etiquette when you are swearing and heckling all the other people on the table because of a poor hand?

Play your turns at an even pace.

Poker may require thorough strategizing especially with certain hands, but that does not mean you can eat up the time of the whole poker session. Playing at a snail's pace frequently does not only incur the ire of other players, it also takes away the excitement from the game.

Play only when it is your turn.

This is perhaps the most important thing to consider when observing good poker etiquette. Twofold are the consequences for actions like excitingly raising the pot when it is somebody else's turn because of an excellent hand or folding prematurely as they will not only disturb the flow of the game but also give away hints to your opponents.

Avoid "splashing the pot".

You may see poker players in the movies frequently 'splash the pot', which is tossing the bet in a big mess at the center of the pot. Doing so does look cool but it only generates confusion in determining how much the bet was. When making a bet, just place your chips in front of you in neat stacks to avoid the penalty of additional wagers for 'splashing the pot'.

Never remove the poker chips from the table while playing.

Proper poker etiquette requires you to place all of your chips in the table until you leave the game. Besides, the chips are not money until you exchange them for it so why pocket them already? Wait for the session to end before finally appropriating them in your purse.

Keep quiet.

Noise and strategic games such as poker are obviously not compatible.

Have grace in defeat.

Avoid using salty language when on the losing end. Doing so won't bring back the money you have just lost and will only yield you a terrible reputation.

These etiquettes are fairly easy to remember and do as they all revolve around respecting other players and on keeping the game orderly and untainted with malice. Consistent abidance of these etiquettes coupled with the mastery of the game will surely earn the utmost respect from your peers.