POKER ETIQUETTE

Have you ever turned your hand over at the river because no one else did? Did the last player to turn his hand over have the winning hand? This irritating practice has happened to all of us at one time or another. It's called Slow Rolling, and is one of the most annoying moves a player can make. There are players that seem to get a kick out of doing this repeatedly.

When the hand is over and it was a bet and called hand, the correct procedure is for the BETTOR to turn his hand over first, then proceed to his left in the order that they called. If there was no bet on the river, it is proper for the player who had the last action to show his cards. That means the last one to check. Another courteous move would be for the person who made the last bet to turn over his hand first. I do this often to save time.

Poker is a numbers game; you want to play as many hands per hour as possible. When people stall, and hem and haw about exposing their hands, they are wasting time that could be used by the dealer to start a new hand. Play acting at this point is not going to make you any more money, so you should act quickly. Acting before it's your turn gives information, to people ahead of you, about the strength of your hand.

If you checked, they know the board didn't hit you and it could prompt them to bet and steal the pot. If you bet prematurely you're letting them know what your intentions are. They could then set you up for a check raise. Either way, it pays to follow the betting order and pay attention to the action. Getting your chips ready to call before it's your turn, or preparing to throw your cards, is also not fair to the other players. Along the same lines, always protect your hand and don't let your neighbors see your cards. Why give anyone free shots?

One of the most annoying practices is the following. Let's say we have 5 players in the hand. A player at the front holds his cards in such a fashion as to hide them from view. The players behind him all check, as they didn't realize he was still in the hand. All of a sudden, he tells the dealer that he hasn't acted yet and shows he still has cards. The dealer calls the Floorman and the ruling is that he has a right to act on his hand. He then makes a bet knowing everyone else is weak.

Two things could be happening here. The first is that he has the nut hand and was going to check raise. Since nobody bet, he now wants to put money in, hoping for a call. The other scenario is that he has a bad hand, and is now going to try to steal the pot knowing everyone else is weak. If I see an individual doing this more than once, I make it a point to instruct the dealer to have the player leave his cards where we all can see them, because I'm not handing him that double edged sword to use against me!

When the flop hits the board and it's your turn to act, what are your options if there is no bet ahead of you? They are simply to check or bet; NOT to fold! You only fold after action. To do otherwise is to give people information. If there are 4 people in the hand and you throw your cards away in 2nd position, two people behind you know there is one less caller to worry about and it could affect the betting. It is not fair to the other players to fold out of turn, yet many people do this even in the higher priced games.

Besides, what if your card comes out on the next card? You are denying yourself that opportunity.

Most ladies that play poker are a pleasure to have at the table, but every now and then one comes along and shatters that image. The other day, a young lady at an Oklahoma casino was using the "F" word repeatedly.

Every time she missed the hand, it was the F'ing card or the F'ing dealer or "No F'------g way!" The dealer asked her to please stop that practice, to which she replied; "What are you, a momma's boy or what?"

He called the Floorman over, and she was escorted out of the room. Women like her seem to think that acting tough is somehow going to improve their game.

When men get rowdy, it's even worse. Have you ever seen some of those so-called Pros on TV that abuse everybody verbally and berate anybody that beats them? There are many players that want to emulate that image, and even when things are going well for them, they stand up and holler, "YEAH BABY", or, "THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" Don't you just want to strangle them?

It makes everyone very uncomfortable when one of these guys is throwing menacing looks, insulting players, yelling all day and bragging about himself at the table. The truth is, that even with all his machismo, he usually leaves all his chips because he's focused on the wrong thing: trying to make an impression.

Pocketing chips is called "Going South With Chips", and is a no-no at any poker table. Chips in action, stay in action and you're not allowed to hide them in your pocket, or hand them to a friend off the table. I know of a case where two such fellows were involved in a hand, and didn't get the Bad Beat Jackpot because they had rat-holed so much money off that 2/4 table.

There was only $28 in the pot instead of the mandatory $30! Served them right. Another related issue is passing them to a friend that is also playing at your table. Many casinos forbid this, so it is best to ask the dealer what the rules are. Especially annoying is the habit of passing a bet back to a friend in the hand you just won. If you gave a bet back to ALL of the players in that hand, then there would be no appearance of collusion.

Another chip related issue is hiding your large chips behind stacks of small chips. Even though it is not usually a forbidden practice, common sense and Poker Etiquette indicate that you should allow the other players to know how many chips you have. The only place this is mandatory is at tournament tables, for obvious reasons.

Whether you're the table bully or the fellow that doesn't care if he folds his hand out of turn, you are disrupting the game by your behavior if you do any these things. It would serve you better to follow the rules of the room you play in, respect the other players, and gain their respect for your play. Help keep poker a pleasant endeavor for everyone and remember that Poker's roots stem from its' being a "Gentlemen's Game".