A simple faux pas is to not act in accordance with the cardroom’s rules. For example, to raise, one typically places all the chips, those to call (if any) and the raise in one motion; you cannot do two hand gestures (this is called a string raise), unless you state your intentions prior to placing chips.
Cards are to be face-down to other players until showdown. If you fold, you hand in your cards face-down. If you are in the hand until showdown, you turn up your cards if either you are first to show (last person to raise shows first) or if your hand is superior to the hands previously exposed. Do not expose cards prior to showdown; depending on local rules, this may mean a comittment to check all raises or you may forfeit the hand.
If you are requested to cease an activity by a dealer or any other representative of the cardroom, cease that activity.
Damaging cards is both fairly difficult (because most places use cellulose-acetate cards which are hard to mark, scratch, and bend, and last approximately five years in daily play) and forbidden.
Don’t blame the dealer for a string of bad hands. Don’t ask the dealer to “switch decks”. This may annoy the other players and it will slow down gameplay.
Speak only English in an American cardroom. If they can’t understand you, they may assume you are in collusion with someone.
Turn off your cell phone, or set it to vibrate mode. Do not pick it up during game play. If you pick it up, there’s the possibility you are receiving information that may provide a clue to the other players’ hands, and are therefore cheating.
Keep your food and drinks off the table. The table is for playing cards and poker chips, not soda pop and potato chips. You have small stands around the tables to hold beverages and food. Food at the table, though, is not recommended if it leaves a residue on your hands. Sandwiches OK, BBQ ribs and fried chicken, no.
Cheating is right out. Having said that, do not accuse other players of being cheaters. If you are wrong (most likely), you will make an unnecessary scene and end up tossed from the room. If you’re right, the cameras above you will catch the guy in the act for you.
You cannot buy more chips while a round is in progress.
Failing to call out, “all-in” when you are is a minor issue.
All your chips must remain on the table during play. You may not remove chips from the table to your pockets, or vice versa.
Remember when you must pay forced bets, such as blinds in Texas Hold ‘em and Omaha Hold ‘em.
Keep the game play flowing. By the time the bet comes round to you, you should know what your course of action is. Calling for “time” when you have a difficult decision to make is acceptable as long as you don’t take excessively long or do this very often.
Remember, the cards speak for themselves. When the hand is over, don’t overstate your hand in an effort to cause an opponent to throw away a better hand. Also, don’t throw away your own hand until your opponent shows a better hand; he might not have read this etiquette page, and could be lying about having a straight flush. The dealer is the adjudicator of each round.
Knocking the table is a check, tossing your cards is a fold. Saying “Check” or knocking the table is the same thing. Placing your chips down without a spoken amount commits you to the full value of the laid chips or the table maximum, whichever applies. Calling a raise means following through.
The most important thing: NEVER EVER PLAY WITH MONEY YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO LOSE.
In poker, a “live” game played with “real” chips and money, usually with no predetermined end time. Players may freely buy into or cash out of a ring game between hands.
In “no limit” poker ring games, there is normally a maximum buy-in for ring games that prevents players from buying a chip stack size advantage. In limit poker games, there is seldom a maximum buy-in because betting limits on each hand already limit the advantage of having a larger chip stack.
Contrast this to a poker tournament, which is played with tournament chips (worth nothing outside the tournament) with a definite end condition (usually, only one player left).
In a casino, rake is usually taken from a pot if the player is in a hand while a flop is shown.
In the game of poker, the term cards speak (“for themselves”) is used in two contexts:
First, it is used to describe a High-low split game without a declaration. That is, in a cards speak game, players all reveal their hands at the showdown, and whoever has the highest hand wins the high half of the pot and whoever has the lowest hand wins the low half.
The other context is a key rule in casino poker rooms. “Cards speak” means that any verbal declaration as to the content of a player’s hand is not binding. If Mary says she has no pair, but in fact she has a flush, her cards speak and her hand is viewed for its genuine value, that of a flush. Likewise if John says he has a flush, but in fact he does not, his hand is judged on its actual merits, not his verbal declaration. At the discretion of management, any player miscalling his hand may have that hand fouled, but this is not required.
The “cards speak” rule does not address the awarding of a pot, player responsibilities, or the one player to a hand rule. It merely means that verbal statements do not make a hand value. The cards do.
People can play poker at public cardrooms. While the rules of the tables can change from casino to casino, most have similar rules and regulations.
Records
Some casinos keep records of the players at each table. This is done to help manage limited table space. During peak periods (Friday night), there may be a waiting list for poker seats. Players can get on multiple waiting lists (different types of games and money amounts) to help secure a space.
Chips
Some casinos will players buy their chips at the table, while others require players to have them already exchanged from the cashier elsewhere in the casino.
Betting
Betting rules at each casino vary based on blinds and antes. In some games, not everyone antes every hand, thus making it possible to fold early for “free”.
The betting system used by most casinos is what is commonly called “blind tiger”. In hold’em, the player to the left of the imaginary dealer (signified by a button) places a small blind bet regardless of his hand. Then, the player to the left of the small blind places a big blind bet. The blind amounts vary: an example would be $3 for the small blind and $6 for the big blind. The person to the left of the big blind would then start the betting; he would have to either match the big blind bet or raise to a larger amount.
In Stud, everyone places a small ante after getting their starting cards. Then, the player with the low exposed card usually has a forced initial bet. The ante is a smaller amount than the bet of the person with the low card (about 40% of a betting unit). Resulting players would have to match that bet or raise to a larger amount.
The maximum betting or raising amounts depend on the limits placed in. In limit poker, a player can only raise the amount of the big blind initially. The maximum amount of raises per street (card placed by dealer) is usually 3 to 4. The betting or raising amount usually doubles in later streets.
With no-limit poker, a person can bet the total number of chips he has at the table at any time. In pot-limit poker, a person can bet as much as the amount of chips at the pot.
Profitability of poker for casinos
Casinos make a relatively slim profit margin on the game. Whereas slot machines provide a substantial house percentage, poker tables require dealers, waitresses, cigarette girls, and a manager to keep everything running smoothly. The house supports this with a “rake” (a percentage taken from every pot). This can range from 5%-10%; usually with higher rake games, a limit is placed on how much the house can rake (10% with a limit of $5).
With the recent upsurge in poker’s popularity, more casinos offer live poker. They make money both from the rake and from attracting people to the casino, where they may play other games (craps, roulette, etc.)
