Question regarding placeing all in bet in home game.

[SSSAce]

5 of all were playing $0.25 / $0.50 NL Texas Hold'em tonight. We are all friends. I am the most experienced player of the bunch. A couple of the guys talk about hands a bit, drink too much, preasure people to call; the standard home game stuff. Tonight we all bought in for 30. One hand was a bit weird. I was on button with A 4 offsuit so I raised it to 2 bucks. I flopped the top two pair. Ac 4d 3h was the flop. 3 callers so I slow played a bit and checked. Double Check. The turn came 5c. I bet out 5 and got called. River was a 10c. I bet out 8 and got re raised for 25. I thought he might have A 10 or the flush or staight. I still had the two pair. It did not add up so I went to call. I said oh f*** and went to drop my chips toward the middle of the table. Just before I let go of the chips my buddy pumped his arm in the air in celebration. Instintivly I did not drop my chips. My other buddies said I had to call as I said 'all in'. I did not say it and I did not drop my chips. They wanted me to call bad as they wanted to see the hands. They said I had to call. I felt like I did not have to call as I was given the information that I had a losing hand. I then looked at my opponent and alomost called again. I was thinking a couple of mins. I looked at his face and almost called. He celebrated my almost orriginal call so I thought he had the a 10 or flush. He is not the best player so I thought he might just have middle pair only. Finally I did not call. My friends would not let it go and said I should have been forced to call. My one friend keep on me later and I told him I was a little insulted that he thought I was lyeing about what I had said when I almost called. Talking to the pot winner later, he did have middle pair so I would have won the hand.
Question, do the rules say I have to call? I would rather call the 25 rather than have everynone pissed at me for not playing correctly. Thanks in advance.

[Pov]

First off, don't slowplay two pair in a multiway pot.

I think in many casinos your action would be ruled as a call, even if everyone was certain you hadn't said "all in". When you picked up your chips and moved your hand forward far enough to drop them into the pot, you called. Airtight? No. Very common ruling? Yes.

[ottsville]

I've only played a very little bit of NL in casinos, and the ruling I've seen made is that once your chips are moved beyond your cards (between your cards and the center of the table) you are considered to have bet/called.

[pfapfap]

This is not universally applied, however. And in home games, it's usually even more lax. You could have very easily raised as well, so tell your friends not to consider action completed until action is completed. Also announce your intention before moving chips, and don't slow play two pair on a coordinated board.

[rothko]

yeah, it's a gray area. making the action = bet sometimes, but i've seen them let it go even at wsop.

did he show his hand? this makes no sense for him to be celebrating with middle pair.

[PantsOnFire]

I would rule that you called.

Otherwise, in the other players eyes you could be angleshooting. That is, you make every motion to call, but wait for a reaction. That might not have been your intention but it is a common angleshooting practice and I feel in most cases you would be ruled against.

[SSSAce]

Thanks for your replys. I would never angleshoot. I would rather call then not be honest. My friend who celebrated with middle pair had too many drinks and he said he was joking around and he was celbrating have the worst hand. I took it as him having the nut flush. Deep down I had a gut feeling I had the best hand. The funny thing is if my friends made me call I would have won.
We played at a old style octagon table. There is no line on the board. If there was a line and I put my chips over it in the air. Then maybe that would have been a call. I think at the casino I play at if you put your chips over the line they are in. I did put them in front of my cards though. Thanks guys, I might print this and show my friends.

[SSSAce]

It can be a bit tense playing with friends sometimes. We are a bunch of competive dudes who like to win. A couple of the guys get a bit mopey when they lose. I try to have fun. Bottom line is in that, in the passt we might play risk or monopoly and we acted worse because alot of rules would get made up on the fly. A couple of the guys act happy when they are up and sad when they are down. If we all went to the bar we would probally spend between 75 to 150 bucks each. Losing 30 or 50 bucks should not bother them but it does a bit.