[fishyak]

Caveats and warnings:

1) I am not AN old timer. Playing less than 3 yrs.
2) I play LOW stakes, FOR FUN and a little $.

I read through this post and the replies and wondered if everyone followed all these instructions to STFUB, a) would you be right by the rules, and b) would you suck all the life out of the table and the game? Yes and yes?

Old Chinese proverb: "Fastest horse cannot overtake word of mouth, once spoken."

So I think it will be hard to get everyone to be quiet when an interesting card hits the board. I do have one suggestion that I feel would limit these problems. IMO, dealers do not regularly enforce the rules at showdown of who shows and in what order, except for when there are sidepots. There they say: "sidepot shows first." But even then do not indicate who should go first within that sidepot.

Rather than the punch in the face escalation, if asked what you had simply state, "$6 first, please. (If you were playing 3/6, for example.) As to the offhand comment by the non-participant. I would make a polite comment to the offender to please make their remarks generic to not influence the game.

If a difficult card hits the board I've been known to look at the dealer and say: "Oh, you troublemaker, you." On some quick folds I say PF: "Put these cards back on the kiddie menu, or can I take these cards to the blackjack table, double 'em down and them bring em back?" I try to have fun without being so specific but an argument can be made that even these statements could inappropriately influence the balance of play in the hand.

So if someone does step out of boards, start with a polite request to reform the behavior. Bu let's try not to take it so far so that the fish take the game too seriously, or you get known as Mr. Serious Buzz Killer if you are in the hand.

And get dealers to enforce the show order by refusing to show our hands out of order. And then, if we show first and are lucky enough to win, it is OK to remind ourselves to STFUB and NOT ask what our opponents had.

There, I've taken the high road for possibly the only time today.