The following rules of etiquette are intended to help keep the game moving and be as fair as possible to the players in a hand.
No smoking. Well, if you must, go outside.
Please, no eating at the poker table. By this, I'm not talking about simply snacks like peanuts or chips -- I mean don't bring in your sandwiches, subs, pizza, etc. (things that could make a mess or make your hands greasy), no matter how careful you think you're being. Please consume such items away from the table, during which time you will not be dealt a hand.
Spilling your drink on the table is not allowed unless you are the host.
Stay alert, and try to know when it is your turn to act (i.e. either by folding, checking, calling, raising, etc.) Many times, inaction will be taken as a check (if no one has bet yet) or a fold. Plus, it keeps the games moving along. Call "time" if you need a moment to think.
If you win a pot, please drag the chips into your trough and stack them later, especially when it's your turn to deal next, collect the deck, put up your blind for the next hand, or whatever. Please don't make everyone wait for you to pick up the chips one at a time and stack them.
Tapping the table is the same as a check. So be careful about drumming your fingers while you consider your choices. :-)
At any time, your opponents have a right to know approximately how many chips you have left. So if you are asked, allow your opponents to see. In some cases (like in tournaments), you may be asked to furnish the exact amount in front of you. It's unethical to conceal large denomination chips behind smaller denomination chips, or any such action that would deliberately mislead your opponent as to the amount of money in front of you.
If you reach into the pot with enough chips in your hand (two or more chips) to constitute a raise, your action is considered to be a raise. This rule shall not contradict the "One Chip rule" or the Verbally Binding rule. (For more explanation, see this article from Card Player magazine).
Excessive talking is considered bad form. Pro poker player Bob Ciaffone wrote: "Some talking is of course okay, but yakking loudly while some poor fellow facing a big bet is trying to decide what to do is certainly poor form. Do your conversing between hands. Doubly bad is endless discussion how a hand was played or should have been played. And worse is any activity that interferes with your obligation to act promptly on your hand, such as heated discussions. Please pay attention to the game."
Play at a reasonable speed. Please be ready to act when it's your turn. Try not to agonize and take too long in reaching a play decision -- most poker players enjoy a fast game, and if you slow things down unreasonably it may not be well received by other players.
Please, no cell phone conversations in the poker room. If you absolutely must take a call while you're in a hand, your hand will be declared dead if you hold up the game when the action comes to you. Please try to talk outside the poker room so you won't annoy the other players.
When dealing out the flop, turn, and river in Hold'em and Omaha, always deal from left to right (from the dealer's perspective).
Before dealing, the player to the dealer's right must first cut the deck. This should be done by placing the top-"half" of the deck (at least 5 cards) directly onto the cut card, and then immediately completing the cut by playing the remaining "half" on top of the first. A player shall not refuse an offer to cut the deck; all decks should be properly cut by someone other than the dealer before the deal begins.
Don't splash the pot. When it's your turn to bet, call, or raise, place your chip(s) on a clear part of the table in front of you (i.e. please don't place your chips on top of other chips). Place raises and other additional bets in the same round next to your original bet. This makes it easy for all players to clearly see how much you've wagered. After the betting round is over, shove your stack into the pot (in the center of the table). Same goes for the antes.
Don't expose your cards. Revealing your cards prematurely may reveal important information to the other players and can potentially affect the outcome of a hand.
Keep your cards on the table at all times. If you're holding them up, other players might think you've folded and skip you. If your cards go below the table, your hand will be declared dead.
Don't comment on a hand in play. It's not appropriate to make comments about possible hands being played regardless of whether you're in the hand or not. Doing so can give unfair advice to less seasoned players. This is especially true when talking about your hand or the cards you just folded.
Don't be an inveterate whiner. We've all had bad beats and been on losing streaks, but nobody likes the guy who constantly bemoans his "bad luck", or whines about something that happened several hands ago.
If you fold, pitch your cards face down in the middle of the table (i.e. along with the burn cards). Please do not leave them in front of you, or others will think you're still in the hand.
Mucked cards: Once your hand touches the muck in the center of the table, it is immediately dead. No exceptions. Additionally, please do not dig through the muck looking for your cards after you've folded. Once they're mucked, leave them there.
No rabbit hunting. When a hand is over, please don't dig through the muck or the remainder of the deck to see "what you might have had." This slows the game down and is rather annoying.
Betting out of turn: From time to time, someone accidentally bets out of turn. If this happens, and it is caught in time, the player must take back his bet and wait for his turn. When his turn comes, he must bet/call the same amount (or more if it's been raised). That is, he cannot retract his bet because of some action that happened before him. (e.g. He cannot raise or fold instead, just because someone before him happens to bet).
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Folding out of turn: Some players occasionally fold their hand out-of-turn, before it is their turn to act. This is frowned upon, as you are (a) acting out of turn, and (b) giving players in front of you additional information. It is also not smart card play, as it may be that everyone will check, and you've effectively forfeited your right to a "free" card. However, if you do fold out of turn, and it turns out that everybody checks in front of you, you cannot reverse your decision to fold, and come back into the game.
When it's your turn to act, your first action is binding. If you say "call" and then put out enough chips for a raise, it's still only a call. Similarly, if you put out enough chips for a call and then declare "raise!" your cannot legally raise.
Single chip rule: When it's your turn to act, if you put out a single chip that would be enough for a raise, and you say nothing before the chip hits the table, it's considered to be only a call.
Show one, show all: If you are plagued by the need to show someone what a good hand you had, when not required to do so at a showdown, make sure all the players enjoy the same experience.
When you fold, and you just have to show your crappy hand to another player, please make sure that: (A) that player has folded as well, and (B) that a player still in the game does NOT see your cards. And watch any comments made about said crappy hands, as that may also give "inside" information to a player still in the game.
Protect your cards. It's your responsibility to make sure your cards don't get swept into the muck. Placing a marker on your cards lets others knows your hand is in play.
When determining hands at showdown, we use the "cards speak" rule. Unfortunately, this means that if you have four Kings, and Player B calls his hand as four Sixes, but someone else points out that Player B really has a Straight Flush just as you are starting to rake in the chips, you still lose. That's the breaks. (However, do make every effort to determine your hand's actual value correctly before you state your hand).
If you see an error in the amount of a bet, an improper reading of a hand, or see the pot about to be awarded to the wrong person, speak up!
No string bets. A "string bet" is a bet that initially looks like a call, but then turns out to be a raise. Once your hand has put some chips out, you may not go back to your stack to get more chips and increase the size of your bet, unless you verbally declared the size of your bet at the beginning. If you always declare "call" or "raise" as you bet, you will be immune to this problem. Note that a verbal declaration in turn is binding, so a verbal string bet is possible and also prohibited. That means you cannot say "I call your $5, and raise you another $5!" Once you have said you call, that's it. The rest of the sentence is irrelevant. You can't raise.
On showdown, some players who are the last to act in the final betting round will occasionally reveal their hand face up. This tactic is legal, and should not be considered a fold. Its purpose is usually to illicit some sort of response or "tell" from his opponent(s), or perhaps to show the table the tough dilemma he has in deciding whether to call or not. He can even ask the table to verify to him the value of his hand. (This is especially true in wild card games, where it can become confusing as to what your highest possible hand value actually is). However, it is not a fold until he either verbally states that he folds, or he mucks his hand.
After the final showdown and betting, all calling players have the right to see all other calling players' cards, but only if requested. However, once a hand is revealed to one player, it must be shown to all at the table. In high-low split pot declare games, a person who "skates" (i.e. is the only player going a certain way) does not have to reveal his hand to anyone. See our list of Five Scenarios for precise examples.