Cover the pay-in, take your seat and bring your finest poker etiquette to the table and the games will be smooth and enjoyable!
Bad manners may happen, but we all know that in almost everything we do, there are written and unwritten codes of proper conduct. These range from not getting so drunk that you give other people a hard time to driving faster than allowed. There are many—we mean thousands—of other examples, but today, let's focus on the poker aspect.
Whether you're a seasoned pro or just dipping your toes into the world of online poker, one thing remains crystal clear: virtual tables have their own set of unwritten poker rules so do the rooms at Everygame Poker.
Today, we're donning our poker visors and delving into the realm of poker table etiquette and the subtle but critical written and unwritten rules supporting your online poker experience. Get your deck ready, shuffle up, and let's deal with these online poker taboos!
As a Poker Player, there is no Teamwork!
Teamwork makes the dream work ... but not for Poker!
Whilst being in a poker game, never collude with another player! There are several ways to collude with another player and they are all very poor from the sportsmanship point of view but they have serious consequences for poker play as well. Among many other rules, this one can be found at the official rules of ANY poker website!
If you are caught colluding, you will likely receive a lifetime ban from that poker site. However, it can get worse. There might be a database out there which collects information about the player with poor etiquette. This could lead to finding yourself banned from several casinos if not many!
The Distracting DJ is in the House!
Oh, the allure of the chatbox! It's a place for camaraderie and psychological warfare. However, using it as a platform to narrate your entire life story or reveal your strategies is akin to telling your opponents to raid your chip stash.
Never give away your hand by keeping your comments poker-centric and letting your opponents play the guessing game. The players at the table just want to have a good live poker game. Give them their space and refrain from overusing the chat box.
Creating Distractions is Not Okay
At a land-based poker room or casino, there are many distractions. These include tipsy players, women wearing revealing outfits, too many lights, bells, and whistles, and the shouts of lucky winners.
These distractions are all externally caused. At an online poker table, it is very unfair and unethical to create a distraction on your own. This is often done by bringing up a subject that a player in the hand is known to be sensitive about.
It could range from politics, the favored sports team losing a big game or it could be a bad beat the other suffered from. The Poker community appreciates respectful players at the table, and imagine how you would feel if somebody were doing that to you. Doesn't feel too good, right?
Fair players do everything they can to avoid causing a distraction and focus on a great game with good poker etiquette.
Chip Dumping - Cheating on the Win Rate
Chip dumping is a play where one player bets illogically in order to force another player to call thereby giving the player’s partner a bigger pot. Since these players are colluding, the fact that one lost on purpose is immaterial. My money is your money, so to speak.
In an online poker room, chip dumping is relatively hard to detect. If the colluding players are good at it, they will have a secret code to convey when a chip dump is in order. This might be a signal as in bridge where a certain bet telegraphs to the other that the player has a very good hand.
The players might signal each other in chat, but rest assured; any poker room management, upon notice, will ban you. A fair game is manifested in the etiquette rules and has to be adhered to while playing your poker hands.
Poker is Not "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?"
Asking another person for help on a hand (or on many hands) is called ghosting. This term means something a little different in poker at a land-based casino. Since we are talking about online poker etiquette, we will stick with getting someone to help you on hand or hands.
There are so many ways to communicate with people these days that ghosting is very tempting, especially to a player who is just starting out and wants his or her “coach” to help on every hand. But let's face it; on the Poker tables, you are on your own. After the match, you can always ask for feedback from your go-to person, but during the hands - nope.
Kibbitzing a Hand is Also Not Okay
Kibbitzing means analyzing a hand as it is going on and then sharing your unasked opinion. It’s totally fine to talk about the weather, the buffet, the ballgame, or any other neutral topic but talking about the hand is not fine.
Here, we get back to collusion and ghosting. If two players have a secret language that they can use to seemingly “properly” kibbitz a hand while giving each other valuable information, they are cheating and should be banned from playing.
The tough decision of what to play is for the other players - you gotta keep to your hands. So don't be a busybody; lay back and just enjoy your cash games and poker tournaments online.
Stay Calm, Although the Very Big Pot Makes Your Heart Race
Your opponents will take your money; there is no doubt about that. They will not offer to give your money back to you. As much as poker players like to win, they like to win fair and square. Players do not like it when a poor player sits at the table and loses an extra-large bankroll in short shrift.
Experienced players tend to have a feeling (obviously due to past experiences on the poker tables) of what seems to be a suitable bet. Deciding how many chips to stake may seem overwhelming to new players. Thus never play poker on tables requiring more skills to gamble at. That takes the fun away from you and the other players.
It is an unspoken poker etiquette to stick to tables that are "your range". This gives fellow players a fair chance to win and a good game without hassle.
The Story of "Slow Roll" and Waste Time
There is a big difference between thinking for a long time on a difficult decision and wasting time because you need to track whose turn it was to play. Paying attention is a common courtesy when you are in the hand. You can waste all the time you want when you have folded the hand.
In addition to the above, picture this: you're all-in, heart pounding, and your opponent tanks before revealing their winning hand. The 'slow roll' might be legal, but it's the equivalent of showing up to a party fashionably late – it's just not cool.
Respect your opponents by revealing your hand promptly and maintaining a friendly atmosphere. Slow rolling will be the mood killer for most players.
Double Trouble Ain't Worth it!
Multi-accounting simply means that one player has more than one account at an online poker tournament. The unethical nature of multi-accounting is a little hard for some players to understand. American players might compare it to a pitcher having several pitches or a manager arranging his infielders in a certain way to take advantage of the batter’s weaknesses.
Well, multi-accounting increases that player’s chances of winning all or part of the tournament, and it is considered to take unfair advantage of the official poker rules of tourney play, which include one player and one account.
Rage Against the Machine
No doubt, the rock band Rage Against The Machine from California is great, but we are talking about how to react when at the tables dealing with a bad-beat story. Bad beats happen, but turning into an online Hulk isn't the solution.
Remember, each mouse click or keyboard smash is seen by all your viewers. A flurry of expletives won't reverse the river card and certainly won't make you more friends. Keep the digital table civil, even if the river seems out to get you.
Everygame Heat Team Covers Poker and Brings it Home to You
We invite poker players to come to Everygame Heat Team often to receive excellent information on all aspects of the game - our game - poker. Our streamers play with the best decks in the poker rooms, presenting common sense and etiquette worth mentioning.
Join the poker world of Everygame and take your chance of winning the big pot! Good luck and good cards!