Many times, you will see players do things that are quite irritating. More often than not, it is the amateur players than the more advanced players that do these things. Occasionally, we all may let one slip from time to time. In this article, we will be discussing some of those things that irritate the others at the table. Some are against the rules and can get you a penalty which may cost you some money. In this article, we will be talking about your actions at the table, your table talk, and why tipping is important.
Table Talk
Many amateurs like to announce that they had a certain hand once it is over. For example, if the board comes down K-3-4-5-A and the winning hand is shown as AK, an amateur player may say, "I folded 2-6! I would have had a straight." Well, yes... he folded 2-6 when AK raised preflop. This is irritating to other players for many reasons, but how do you think the guy that just lost two-thirds of his stack feels about what you folded? Another situation is when a player talks DURING the hand. With the same board of K-3-4-5 with the river yet to come, the amateur looks at his neighbor and says, "I folded 2-6..." Even if this is spoken incredibly softly, it is poor etiquette because it is a possibility that another player heard it. You would be surprised on some of the things you can hear at a poker table. This is an easy one to explain... if a player hears you say "I folded 2-6" and his opponent was considering folding before hearing this extra info, you might need an escort to the car.
Table actions
You can do a lot of things at a poker table that could influence action one way or the other by another player. Some of these include: reaching into the muck, folding out of turn, calling out of turn, telling your neighbor to fold you and leaving the table, and even actions as small as rolling your eyes. You will never be able to reach into the muck at a casino, but I see it a lot in local freerolls and even a few house games. However, a big problem I have noticed is that when a player folds preflop and he or she flops a monster. If you fold 2d2h preflop and the flop comes Ac2s9h, it is poor etiquette to slam your fist, scream, and/or act out of line. We are all here to play the game, we do not force you to make the decisions you choose.
The Dealer
I will say this for as long as I play the game... it is NOT (always) the dealers fault. If you are running bad, that's poker. More often than not, if you are running bad, you are also playing badly. Notice, I put always in paranthesis. It is definitely the dealer's fault if they are constantly flipping cards or dealing unprofessionally. In a cash game, tipping is crucial to the performance of the dealer. It is usually poor etiquette to not tip the dealer. Not tipping the dealer will indirectly change the game dynamic. Although it is a customer service position, if the customer isn't taking care of the server, his or her performance may fall. Remember... the dealer is just as important to you as you are to him or her.
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