Originally posted on 08/11/2010:

Poker etiquette varies as much as the play of the game itself, but there are some common rules that must be followed to stay in the good graces of your fellow players.


1. Don't whine and moan about bad beats- Everyone sitting at the table has had there fair share of bad beats, but some players can just not let it go. Who wants to listen to some guy foam at the mouth for 30 minutes over a bad river card?

 2. Don't criticize the bad players- It can be hard at times when they river your pocket Aces with something positively crazy like 83, but please do your best and refrain from childish put-downs. Oftentimes these are new players to the game, or simply poor players who are just there to have fun. You can make money off of these players but not if you ruin the game for them and make it less enjoyable, they may just go home. If you run off all the bad players pretty soon you will be in a losing situation, or making a lot less money than you could have otherwise.


3. Don't blame the dealer for your luck- I've seen many a player blame the dealer for their porous luck. In reality the dealer has no control over what types of hands you receive, they are just doing there job. Please don't make it a living hell for the people who make the game run smoothly for all players.


4. Tip the dealer- One dollar per pot is usually an acceptable tip for most poker games out there, if you are playing a home game and rotating the deal between yourselves this usually doesn't apply.


5. Don't talk about a hand while its in progress- It's not acceptable to say to your friend after the flop, "Wow i think that guy hit a set of threes on that flop." This can affect the game and change players perceptions of the hand, and is one of the worst etiquette mistakes you can make. The only time it's relatively acceptable to talk about the hand is when it's down to you and one other opponent.


6. Never slow-roll- A slow-roll occurs at the end of the hand when all the betting is complete, typically if you believe your hand is best you should be the first one to flip it up. Occasionally a player will purposely wait until everyone has flipped up there hands, and then flip up a monster hand to inflict maximum pain on his opponents. Generally when someone waits to flip its because they have a weak hand, so when this player waits so long the other player will assume they have won the hand, but to their dismay they have not, they've been slow-rolled.


If you follow these simple rules everything should run smoothly at your local poker game. You'll probably make some friends and the entire experience should be more enjoyable. Good luck at the tables!