7 Etiquette Tips For Live Poker Tournaments

There are lots of poker rules of etiquette for live tournaments that you should be aware of. They fall into two basic categories, house rules and general fair play standards. It's important to familiarize yourself with both and to know the difference between the two.

House rules are set up by the casino or poker room you are playing in. They can vary from place to place. It's really important to know the rules of the place you are playing in because breaking those rules can get you warnings. In fact, if you break them often enough, you could be kicked out of the tournament.

General fair play standards, on the other hand, tend to be unwritten rules that most poker players try to follow all the time, no matter where they play. These fair play rules, if broken, can be really annoying to the other players at the table. They can also slow things down a lot. They aren't likely to get you kicked out of the game, but they still aren't worth breaking, especially deliberately and on a regular basis. So, let's look at some standard fair play rules that are good to live by.

Card Talking

It's a bad idea to talk about cards that you were dealt when a hand is still going on, even if you've folded. It's also a very bad idea to show emotion when cards are turned over, based on a hand you would have made, had you stayed in the pot. Talking about or reacting to a hand that is still going on gives people unfair information.

Slowrolling

Taking a long time to show your winning cards, known as slowrolling, is very bad poker etiquette, for two reasons. One is that it slows down game play and the other is that it may lead others to believe that they have the best hand unnecessarily. It's very poor sportsmanship.

Pot Splashing:

Pot splashing is throwing chips into the middle of the table when you make a bet. If you place your chips in neat stacks, it is easier for others to count the size of the pot and much easier for the chips to be distributed at the end of a hand. So, pot splashing is inconvenient and can really slow down play.

Acting Out of Turn

Even if you don't plan to play a hand, don't throw away, or muck, your cards when it's not your turn. Doing so can change how other players play the hand. It can also confuse people and slow things down considerably.

String Betting

String betting is, basically, reaching back and forth with your chips multiple times to make your bet. When the next player sees you place chips in the pot, he or she is likely to assume that that is the amount that you are betting, period. So, it's always best for you to move all of the chips into the pot that you want to bet at once, to avoid confusion.

Stay in the Game

Staying in the game basically means not getting distracted by other things around you. Don't be the type of person that constantly has to ask whose turn it is or what's going on. Not only can that slow down play, but you won't be likely to win if you don't even know what's happening.

Play Nice

Finally, don't be rude at the poker table. No matter what happens, it's never a good idea to offend those around you. After all, poker is a game. It's best if it's fun for everyone. Keep that in mind and you'll be well on the way to great poker etiquette.