Home Game (and general gambling) Etiquette

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I feel good etiquette is very important when gambling. It shows respect for other players and gives you a feeling of class and fraternity with other gamblers. That said, there are both large and small violations of etiquette in almost every home game. Many threads in this forum show a lack of understanding of proper etiquette, which is what has inspired me to post this. Therefore, I will present as many of the rules I can think of right now. Please feel free to add more or tell me if you disagree with mine.

1. Don't influence a hand you are not involved in.

This, in my opinion, is the most broken rule in any home game. Common methods of violation are speculating on another player's hand and obviously giving away the hand you folded (i.e. flinching and moaning when the board pairs).

2. Don't ever give advice unless asked.

People don't want to hear it. You sound like you think you are better than the other people at the table. Most people give advice are wrong anyways- don't get lumped in that group.

3. Don't tell bad beat stories.

No comment necessary.

4. Don't hold up the game/ play within a reasonable amount of time.

You don't need to give a five minute staredown every time some minor decision comes to you.

5. No bragging.

Let your play speak for itself. There is no need to recount all of your recent poker heroics; this can be almost as annoying as bad beat stories. If you did something really impressive, let someone else bring it up.

6. Don't berate others for beating you/playing badly/drawing out.

Good natured ribbing is of course allowed.

7. If you are not running the game, don't try to run the game.

If you are at someone else's home, their rules apply, no matter how dumb(as long as they are equally dumb for everybody). This also applies to enforcing string-raises and such; if it is not the house standard to enforce, don't do it unless it was a clear angle shoot. Further, this applies to enforcing rules of etiquette such as those listed here.

8. When side-betting, give the other player the chance to get even.

If you are playing zero EV games on the side, don't book a win and quit. If you are ahead, it is only proper to give action until you are no longer ahead or the other player is now ahead (may be different times if more than two people are involved).

9. Try not to leave while significantly ahead.

If you absolutely have to go, that's fine, but don't get up a bunch of money and leave to book a win. Stay longer than you might want to if leaving would remove a huge amount of chips from play.

10. Don't needlessly intimidate weak players.

Some people aren't poker geeks that sit around watching High Stakes Poker and reading 2+2. They just want to have a good time and gamble a bit. Don't stare them down, talk crap about their play, or make it obvious you think you are a better player.

OK, that's all I can think of right now. Additions and comments are now being accepted.

[Grasshopp3r]

11. Mind your drink and your neighbors. Better yet, don't keep drinks on the table.

12. Don't flash your roll. Keep it in your pocket.

[Soupy]

i want to disagree with number 9 but i dont entirely. if you have somewhere else to be mention it ahead of time, if you plan to leave at 1am, tell them at 11. no reason to stay longer than you wanted/planned/can just because youre ahead.

[pfapfap]

Love #3.

Also disagree with #9. I always leave when significantly ahead, but I also always leave last. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] I agree it can be frustrating when some big stacks cash out, but as long as we know ahead of time their departure time, not much we can do. I'd change #9 to don't hit and run.

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I'd change #9 to don't hit and run.

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It is by no means a requirement that you should stay if ahead; I'm just saying that it is the polite thing to do from a gambling standpoint. Hit n run would be an egregious violation of this idea. I'm really not saying this because it annoys me personally (though it can at times), but because it is respectful to the other players in the game.

[PantsOnFire]

11. Have a shower and brush your teeth or at least have some gum.

[pfapfap]

I gotta disagree with you on this. Isn't the point to win as many chips as possible? Why is it bad for me to leave when ahead? My goal is to stack everybody.

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I gotta disagree with you on this. Isn't the point to win as many chips as possible? Why is it bad for me to leave when ahead? My goal is to stack everybody.

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Winning is certainly important, but, especially at a home game, respecting the experience of the other players is also important. A lot of these guys are effectively paying you a lot of money and you should sacrifice a little to make their experience better; its the least you can do.

[HolyRoller78]

I've been reading this forum for a few months now, just started posting today, but I've always felt that there should be an Ettiquette Forum added to the site.

[SmokeyRidesAgain]

How about some online ettiquette? Like not using the whole fking clock every time you have a decision.. that would be nice.