Etiquette of Poker

Poker requires etiquette, and that etiquette goes a long way when it comes to playing the game. To many the etiquette is nearly just as valuable as the rules of the game. Below are some general guidelines you should abide to:

Etiquette on any table:
Things you never do at any time:

• Never talk about a hand during play, just play and keep your opinion to yourself.
• Never show your hand before the showdown, in some casinos you can be removed from the game or tournament.
• Never talk about previous times you won or lost a game.
• Never touch other people's chip stacks or money without their permission.
• Never "splash" or toss your chips into the pot, set them in front of you to notify everyone your bet amount, allow the dealer to be responsible for your bets.
• Never make a move out of turn, be sure to wait your turn to bet, raise, call, or fold.
• Never peek at other players hands or hold/hide cards from previous games, it is considered cheating.
• Never hide your cards and pretend you're out of a game, that too is also cheating.
• Never take your time in deciding your next move, others want to play the game too.
• Never talk disrespectfully or curse at a table.
• Never listen to music at a table too loud so that others are inaudible.
• Never ask for additional money during a game to another person, be sure to have all your money on the table prior to the game's beginning.
• Never blame a person of cheating, let the dealer or the host decide.
• Never take any game personally.

Things you should always do all the time:

• Always establish and understand the rules of the game before playing.
• Always be respectful to all players and leave any drama or past quarrels off the table.
• Always remind new players of rules if they are beginning and be patient with them.
• Always ask permission to smoke.
• Always leave your cell phone alone and do not use it during a game.
• If you arrived at an already established game, always wait until the game ends before entering, then ask the table to enter - usually the dealer will determine where and when you can begin playing.
• Always notify the table prior to stepping away from the table. If it's a cash game at a house, usually the host will establish a time for you to stepping away. Always respect that time duration.
• Always respect people's superstitions or luck charms.

Etiquette at a house game:

• Always allow at least one hour of notice that you are leaving a table.
• Always be respectful to the host or owner of the house and respect their belongings.
• Always bring something to eat or drink if you plan on eating or drinking at the house or leave a tip for the host.
• Always respect the other individuals at the house, even if they are not playing.
• Always shuffle the deck (if you're the dealer) and always have another person cut it.
• Never touch another player's money or chips without permission.
• Never invite others to a house game without permission.
• Never allow yourself to become under the influence to the point that you lose control.
• Never raise your voice or become disrespectful to the host at any time.

It is suggested that you...

• Tip the dealer if the house game has an established dealer (non-playing dealer).
• Thank the host for their hospitality after everyone is done playing, even if you lost.
• Disassociate or not flirt with the host's female companions.

Etiquette at a casino:

• Always know the specific rules of a casino's poker room, some can vary.
• Always arrive a few minutes before the allocated time of a tournament.
• Always tip the dealer when you win a hand.
• Always tip the server when your order arrives.
• Always turn off your cell phone or devices and keep it away from the table.
• Never eat at the table during a cash or tournament game.
• Never leave a tournament or serious cash game unless it is an emergency.
• Never answer your phone at the table, in some casinos it is against policy.
• Never smoke near other players and be courteous of your smoke exhales.

Misdealing, wrong calls, and mistakes: Despite the fact that we're human and we make mistakes, in poker you're going to have a table full of angry players that won't invite you back. But if you're honest and keep your mishaps to a minimum you'll do fine. Here are a few tips to help you keep your reputation solid:

• While making change with chips on the table, always present the chips separate from your stack or any stack. Be sure to have another person notice your exchange before you make a move.
• If you're at a house game and you're dealing, it's not recommended but polite to keep your fingers spread open and show your hand while moving the deck. In casinos many dealers will reveal their hand upward for the security cameras and to reveal that there is no hidden cards.
• Misdealing is when someone mistakenly receives a card that is not theirs. In bigger house games this mistake occurs often and can cause tension between dealers and players, especially if the player received great starting cards only to discard them. To prevent this, practice tossing the card across the table with the deck close to the table when you're not playing. If you misdeal, take all the cards and reshuffle the deck and be confident on dealing. If there's another misdeal, it's best to give the cards to someone else to deal. Also sometimes amateur dealers will ask players to push the cards down the table but some superstitious players believe it's bad luck for another player to touch their cards.
• Card revealing is when someone (usually the dealer) presents a card (this can be by mistake or for cheating). Regardless card revealing or peeking can be a huge advantage for those who see that card. Keep the deck close to the table while dealing, or holding your hole cards. Usually you can buy deck cut card, which is a piece of plastic that goes on the bottom of your deck (be sure to buy the cut card that fits your deck - bridge decks are slimmer than standard poker decks).
• Wrong calls is when the game showdown has occurred and someone makes the mistake of reading the showdown cards correctly, usually resulting in someone being the mistaken winner or loser, or both. To prevent wrong calls, know your correct hand ranks. There are people who still believe two pairs beat three of a kind and straights beat flushes...and some who believe three pairs are legit. It's also best to do the showdown slowly and check to make sure the pot is given to the actual winner. Make it a rule to hold the dealer responsible for the pot or money in play.
• The deck should be shuffled three to five times to prevent any suspicious activity and always have it cut by another person besides the shuffler. In many house games, there will usually be two decks on the table: one being shuffled and one being played. The decks are there to speed up the game.
• Don't get emotional. Remember that although this game requires money, it's best to consider that when your money is exchanged for chips, that money is gone. Consider the chips that flow on the table play chips and keep your mind clear.

Be sure to follow me at @pokercinch or email me at snailderail@gmail.com for more information.

Poker Basics

In this post you will learn about:

1. The poker deck

2. Basic terminology

3. Playing the game

1. A standard poker deck is a 52-card set that is made up of 13 ranks. The ranks are a combination of numbers and letters. The number rank begins at 2 and ends at 10. The remaining letters consist of a "J" (jack), a "Q" (queen), a "K" (king), and an "A" (ace). Each rank has a specific suit. There are only 4 suits in a deck: clubs (♣), diamonds (♦), hearts (♥) and spades (♠). When you buy a deck it'll have a few extra cards, like promotions, jokers, and even a hand ranker. Place those excess cards aside and make sure you have 52 to play the game. Before you play always count the deck and make sure you have four of the same card and that each of them have a different suit. You may also use a bridge deck, the only difference is the shape of the cards. Check out this video link to help you with the deck.

NOTE: Some home games like to play without the full 52 card amount. This is considered very amateur and shouldn't be allowed if money is involved. Also cards that are bent, torn, or even marked are a big no to any felt table. If you plan on being a serious poker player it's best to always have a fresh deck handy while playing.

2. The terminology of poker you absolutely need to know:

Ante: This is the first amount of money that you place in the center of the table, surrounded by other players, telling them that you want to play poker. No ante means you can't play.

Dealer: This is the person who is in charge of the cards and the actions of the game. In a home game, the dealer usually rotates clockwise around the game table. They shuffle the deck and makes sure everyone is putting in the appropriate antes and bets. Customarily they hand the deck to the person to their right to "cut the deck" before dealing to their left (before the game). The dealer always is dealt last. In a casino situation, the physical dealer still deals the cards and commands the actions of the game (who is part of the casino), but to not allow seat advantages, a dealer button (a small puck on the table) rotates from player to player clockwise during each game. In a casino situation, the person that has the dealer button in front of them is dealt last.

Hand: Your "hand" is the cards that are given to you from the dealer. Depending on the game your hand cards can change. In order to win the game you must show your hand to the remaining players in the game. The winner is determined by your "hand" ranking. The highest ranking wins.* NOTE: In some instances, if all the players fold except for you, you do not need to expose your hand. Also in some games the lowest or specific type of hand ranking can win.

Chips: Chips are the circular pieces used in place of money during a poker game. In casinos they are sometimes called "checks". Each chip has a specific color and denomination. The person with the highest chip amount based off denomination is considered the "chip leader".

Blinds: Casinos and serious poker players use blinds. Blinds are forced bets that the players must put in if they want to play. The blind system starts with the location of the dealer button. To the left of the dealer button is the "small blind" which is half the amount of the "big blind". The big blind is left of the small blind. The two people left of the dealer (small blind and big blind positions) must place these bets in order to play. After the cards are dealt, the action on the table starts with the person left of the big blind and rotates around until it gets back to the blind positions. If the small blind wants to stay in, it must place the additional half of the big blind as well as any additional bets from the other players. Same goes for the big blind. NOTE: In tournaments the blinds increase in timed intervals to put pressure on weak or inactive players.

Betting: An amount of money placed on the table that notifies everyone your hand or situation is better. If another player believes that their hand or situation is worth more they can place a "bet" on the table but it must be higher than the previous bet by at least half and it is considered a "raise". Each game has their own version of betting rounds, which are rounds that allow the players to bet in a specific order. Example of term: Sally places $1000 on the table with the intention that her opponent Lucy is going to either match her bet or fold. Lucy responds by placing $2000 (the initial bet was $1000 and her raise is an additional $1000). Sally must now decide to place $1000 to see Lucy's hand or fold.

Hand Rank: The way to win poker is based on your hand rank. The person with the best hand rank wins the game. At the end of every game, if you are still in it, you show your hand rank to the other players. Your hand rank consists of only a 5 card combination, even if you have more than 5. Since poker is a social game, many times a player can convince an opponent that their hand rank is better or worse, essentially tricking the opponent into believing a false rank. NOTE: Sometimes the person with the worst hand rank can win depending on the poker game you are playing. Also, sometimes a person doesn't even need to show their hand rank to win the game. Below is the hand ranking (from worst to win):

Hand Rank Chart:

Bluff: The lie of which you attempt to fool your opponent. Depending on your actions in the game a bluff can be a bet that makes your hand look weak or stronger, a gesture, or even a lack of action that disguises your hand. What makes poker so popular is that although it's mathematical, it is also a social and personal game based off of people's character, personality, and wits.

Check: When you want to stay in the game but you don't want to place any money to see the following action, you can "check". A tap of the finger or fingers on the table is also considered the universal gesture that you are wanting to check. If someone has betting before you and you need to either place the bet or fold you cannot check.

Call: If someone bets or raises and you want to stay in the game, by matching their bets you "call".

Raise: When someone bets an amount and you believe your hand is still the better, you can "raise" by adding an additional bet to the initial bet. Depending on the game, the raise must be at least the same amount of the initial bet or more.

Fold: To leave the game you can "fold" your hand. You discard the cards from your hands that the dealer provided to you by placing them on the table. You can do this action at anytime of the game, even before the betting rounds. Make sure when discarding your cards you place them in the center of the table where other cards have been discarded, usually called "the muck". Players will fold if they feel their cards are not as good as their opponents or their card rankings are too weak for a victory. For etiquette, make sure you notify the dealer and the table, be careful not to mix your cards with others on the table that are still in the game, and make sure you do not turn them over to show the other players.

3. Playing the game:

I've attached an example game from the website http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/ regarding a five card draw example. As always it's best to actually see poker in action, write down notes, and get familiar with how it's played before actually putting any money down for some poker play. Many players out there can be easily discouraged if they begin the game straight from home into a casino due to their lack of knowledge and understanding. Don't be fooled, always do your homework.

Example:

Five card draw is one of the most common types of poker hands. Each player is dealt five cards, then a round of betting follows. Then each player may discard up to 3 cards (4 if your last card is an ace or wild card, in some circles) and get back (from the deck) as many cards as he/she discarded. Then there is another round of betting, and then hands are revealed (the showdown) and the highest hand wins the pot. So you are the dealer at a five card draw game (against four other players, Alex, Brad, Charley and Dennis (seated in that order to your left). Everyone puts a nickel into the pot (Ante) and you deal out 5 cards to each player.
You deal yourself a fairly good hand Ks-Kd-Jd-5c-3d. A pair of kings isn't bad off the deal (not great, but not bad). Then the betting starts...

Alex 'Checks' (checking is basically calling when you don't owe anything to the pot).
Brad bets a dime.

Charley calls (and puts a dime into the pot).

Dennis raises a dime (and puts twenty cents into the pot).

Well, it's your turn. Twenty cents to you. You can fold, call or raise. Like I said before, pair of kings isn't bad, not good but not bad. You call and put twenty cents into the pot.

Back to Alex, who grumbles and tosses his cards into the center of the table, folding. (Note, when folding, never show your cards to anyone).

Brad calls. The total bet is twenty cents, but he had already bet a dime, so he owes a dime, which he tosses into the pot.

Charley is in the same position as brad, and tosses a dime into the pot.

The round of betting is over. After Dennis's raise, everyone else folded or called (there weren't any raises) so, everyone is all square with the pot. Now everyone can discard up to 3 cards. Brad discards 3 cards, Charley discards one card, Dennis discards two cards. (You deal replacements to everyone) and now it's your turn. You have a pair of kings, three spades, and no chance for a straight. It's best to just keep the two kings and hope to get a 3rd or fourth king. You discard three cards, and your new hand is: Ks-Kd-Kc-4c-8h. Three Kings! A nice little hand.

What do you suppose the others were trying for? Well, Brad kept two cards, so he probably had a pair (just like you) but it probably wasn't aces, so even if brad got a three of a kind, you probably beat him. Charley kept four cards, so he was probably trying for a straight or flush. (If Charley had four of a kind, he might have bet much harder). The big problem is Dennis. He raised earlier, and only drew two cards. He might be bluffing, but he could have had three of a kind off the deal... In any case, the second round of betting starts (with dealers left).

Brad bets a nickel.

Charley folds (I guess he didn't get his straight or flush).

Dennis raises twenty cents (to a quarter total).

You call.

Brad looks at his cards, then calls (betting twenty cents).

Again, everyone called Dennis's raise, so the round of betting is over.

Well, the betting is over, everyone reveals his hand:

You had Ks-Kd-Kc-4c-8h.

Brad had Jh-Jd-3c-3s-Ah.

Dennis had Qh-Qs-Qd-As-7s.

Well, the highest hand is three of a kind, and the highest three of a kind is your three kings. You win!

The full article of poker from the example is here.