Texas Holdem Casino Etiquette
So, you are new to gambling, and you are excited to hit your local casino or
make your way to Las Vegas and play under the bright lights of the big city.
Well, that’s all very exciting! However, you need to know some basics about how
to act when you are gambling so that you don’t find yourself in an embarrassing
situation, or even worse, removed from a property. We are here to help you –
we’ve all been there before, and drawing from the experience of our team, we
have compiled a list of etiquette rules that you should read before you set foot
in a casino.
Oh…and even if you are a seasoned gambler, we think you may also want to read
this page. We have seen too much bad behavior to believe it is all coming from
newbies.
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- Don't Play out of Turn. While you may be so excited about how good your hand is that you can hardly.
- Online Texas Holdem Etiquette Tips If you’ve ever sat down at a crowded poker table to play Texas holdem live and in person, you were probably given a quick crash course in the game’s specialized etiquette. Physically playing the game involves several unspoken rules of conduct, designed to keep tensions in check and avoid unnecessary disputes.
General Casino Rules
We’ll be focusing this page on how to act when you are playing at a live
casino. Obviously, if you are playing online, you don’t have to worry about most
of this, but you will need to adhere to some self-control basics which we cover
on another page.
Casino Texas Holdem Game
Now. Let’s have a look at some of the things you should be considering when
you are trying to be a respectful gambler.
Electronics
These days, everything we do seems to involve our phones. Well, in a casino,
they want you to be carefree and phone-free while enjoying your favorite games.
When you are seated at a table, you aren’t allowed to use a phone for the most
part. In fact, just go ahead and put it in your pocket, as you also aren’t
typically allowed to place it on the table itself.
Worried you are going to miss a call or a text? Turn the volume up. The good
news is that when no one is on their phones, everyone is focused on playing the
game, which means fewer distractions and waiting time between hands. Also, if
you do have to step away to take or make a call, actually step away. We have
seen players try to stay on calls while playing hands, and trust us…no one likes
that.
Finally, casinos are loud. If you are on the phone, go find a quiet place to
have a conversation. Don’t worry; the dealer will watch your chips for you, and
the rest of the players at the table will be pleased to not hear all about what
you are picking up for dinner.
Know the Rules of the Game
We understand that not all of you know all the rules of the games you will
find in the casino, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take a few minutes before
you sit down to read some of the basics. Heck, if you are reading this page,
then you may already know that we have a full section on strategy for casino
games. Here is a link to that section so you can brush up on some of the basics:
There is nothing wrong with asking the dealer a question or two, but they are
not your teachers. Other players are trying to gamble, and the friendly ones are
going to offer some assistance. However, your best bet is to wait and watch a
few hands of any table game before you sit down to play. That way, you can pick
up on the basic rules as we have outlined in our strategy guides, and you can
ask questions between the hands. This will lead to a much better atmosphere when
you are finally ready to sit down and play.
Sitting Mid-Shoe in Blackjack
When you are playing blackjack in a live casino, you will likely be playing
at a table which uses 6 or 8 decks of cards in each shoe before shuffling. Many
players are superstitious about these decks, having cut the cards or taken the
time to potentially try to card count (we do not recommend this). These folks
can be very frustrated when someone sits at the table during the play. We think
you should always look for an empty table or one where the cards are being
shuffled when you sit down. Otherwise, you should ask the players at the table
if they mind you sitting down. Being polite in that situation will likely get
you a positive response, or at the very least a polite request to wait the few
minutes until the shoe is complete.
Talking About Someone Else’s Strategy
Casino gambling, despite the tables being open to multiple players, is not a
team game. Each player is using an individual strategy to try to beat the house.
Now, while we want everyone to learn at least the basics of a game (we can’t
stand rogue gamblers), one thing you simply must not do is speak about other
players’ hands during the play. Commentary on how people should or should not be
playing is not cool, and if a player is losing, it could result in some strong
words heading your way.
If you don’t like the way someone is playing a game at your table, then your
best bet is to stay cool and go find another table. Ultimately, if the player is
playing with horrible strategy, then they will lose their chips soon enough.
Texas Holdem Casino Etiquette Game
Reaching Over People in Roulette
Roulette is a fun, social game with everyone sitting around the wheel and
watching to see if their number hits. However, there can be many more bettors
than there are seats at the table, and this can cause some commotion when trying
to get down bets between spins. Chaos typically ensues right around the time
that the dealer is ready to spin, so we always suggest that you err on the side
of patience and courtesy. The dealer is watching everyone and will see if you
are waiting to place your bets. There is no set time for each spin, so if you
have to wait a few extra seconds, then you should be fine. Also, you can ask the
dealer to wait a couple extra seconds so that you can let your tablemates get
their bets in – the dealers will be appreciative of your patience.
Tipping Dealers
Yes, the games are probability-based, and there is nothing a dealer can do to
influence the outcome of a hand. However, there are some unwritten rules about
tipping dealers at a casino table. These people don’t get paid a lot, and they
stand on their feet for hours and have to deal with drunk, disorderly gamblers.
The least you can do is throw them something when you win a big hand or when you
leave the table. While the dealers cannot impact your hands, they can make your
time at the table more enjoyable by getting you a waitress faster, chatting with
you, and keeping idiots out of your path. A few bucks here and there won’t hurt
your bottom line and will have a positive impact.
Tipping Waitresses
Many casinos offer their players free drinks when at the tables, but that
doesn’t mean you shouldn’t tip the waitress bringing them to you. They are
having to go back and forth from the bar, making sure your cocktail is topped
up. At the very least, a buck or two a drink will keep them coming back more
frequently, and these staff member really rely on those tips to make a living.
Oh, also, don’t just assume every waitress in a casino is looking to go home
with a patron – this isn’t Swingers, and you aren’t Vince Vaughn.
Consider tipping part of the cost of being at the table, and really…how much
money could you spend on tips?
Oh…Don’t Be “That” Person at the Table
This leads us right into the next bit of etiquette – don’t be that drunk
person at the table. Yes, you may be having a blast, but your drunkenness will
be annoying others playing the game and working at the table. We have all seen
it – a drunk person who can barely see the cards spills their drink on the
table, causing commotion and delay. Trust us on this one – your night will end
early and badly if you are drunk and belligerent at the tables. That isn’t to
say that you shouldn’t have a drink – just act like an adult, please.
Don’t Touch the Cards Unless Told You Can
This is a common mistake made by players at the tables. We think it comes
from watching players playing single-deck blackjack or Texas hold’em. For the
most part, you can follow this simple rule:
If the cards are face-up on the table, DO NOT TOUCH THEM.
Now, depending on how nice you have been to dealers (see the above rules of
etiquette), you may just get a simple request not to touch the cards. However,
when you touch the cards, the general rules of the casino dictate that the hand
has been fouled and can be removed by the house. We obviously don’t want to see
you lose a winning bet just because you decided to touch the cards. Steer clear,
or at the very least, ask the dealer when you are playing if you are allowed to
handle the cards.
Do Not Touch Your Chips in Play
Very similar to the previous rule, once you have made a bet, and the play is
ongoing, you are not allowed to touch your chips. Cheating players have in the
past tried to remove bets when they were losing a hand (ask Charles Oakley how
that worked out for him). There are cameras everywhere in the casino, and the
house is always going to be right in this case. Even when the hand is over and
is being paid out, wait until the dealer gives the signal that it is okay to
remove your bets. What’s the big rush, anyway?
Poker Etiquette
When you are playing in a poker room, there is an entirely different set of
rules of etiquette. Now, that doesn’t mean you can be a drunken fool, so at the
very least, you should be using your head when thinking about how to act.
However, we have a full page dedicated to the way you should behave at a poker
table.
We think that being in a casino can provide a lot of entertainment,
regardless of if you are winning or losing (but we hope you are all winners). If
everyone followed some simple rules of conduct, the overall atmosphere in a
casino would be much happier. Stick to the points we outlined on this page, and
you will find yourself making a lot of friends at the tables!
If you’ve ever sat down at a crowded poker table to play Texas holdem live
and in person, you were probably given a quick crash course in the game’s
specialized etiquette. Physically playing the game involves several unspoken
rules of conduct, designed to keep tensions in check and avoid unnecessary
disputes.
Keeping track of every etiquette essential at the poker table can be a bother
for some players, and more still simply don’t give a hoot about catering to
their competition’s sensitivities. For these players, the “wild west” of online
poker provides the perfect antidote, offering a virtual realm where you never
have to sit next to somebody, handle chips and cards, vocalize your bets, or
even be polite.
Playing the game of Texas holdem through an online poker room is an
inherently singular experience, and even though you’ll be connected to your
opponents on the digital level, it’s really just you and the computer screen in
all actuality.
For this reason, many poker players tend to think of the online game as an
etiquette free zone – a place where you can be free to slow roll opponents and
talk smack to your heart’s content. And indeed, you can expect to find a much
more liberalized view of poker etiquette when playing online, with many ironclad
norms of the live game simply abandoned altogether.
But even so, playing Texas holdem online still involves several points of
etiquette that you may consider adhering to during your own sessions. Of course,
the pressure to keep yourself “in line” with the game’s unwritten code of
conduct will be drastically reduced on the virtual tables, as you won’t have any
dirty looks or muttered comments to contend with. With that in mind, consider
the following etiquette advice from the perspective of fellow players, and try
to live by the Golden Rule whenever possible.
Online Etiquette Essentials
Breaking the Time Bank
Generally speaking, online poker tables offer a place where people can hang
loose and let their freak flag fly, but one behavior will draw the universal ire
of your tablemates: letting
your time bank tick away while everybody else sits
and waits.
One of the more infamous taunts one can send through the chat box is
“zzzzzzz” – as in, stop sleeping and wake up.
Whether an opponent has to use the restroom, steps away to attend to a family
matter, or they just can’t look away from that dramatic fourth quarter drive on
TV, you’ll find yourself sitting in poker purgatory from time to time. This
occurs when a player at the table appears to simply freeze up, as all action
stops pending their decision. But rather than fold, call, raise, or check, the
player just sits there with a live hand, doing nothing as their initial time
bank ticks down to double zero.
Even then though, most online poker sites equip players with an extended time
bank for emergencies or particularly tricky spots. So after the player burns
through 15 seconds, their extended time bank kicks in – ticking down for 90
seconds or more until the player realizes they still have a hand, or their cards
are automatically folded.
While this may seem like a rarity, you’ll soon come to learn that time bank
snafus like this are all too common at the online poker table. Players just
don’t have the same attention span when clicking through web browsers and music
platforms, so they wind up spacing out for a hand or two.
And when they do, the impact on the game can be enormous.
For cash game players, the delay is merely an inconvenience, as skilled
players see their precious hands per hour rate chopped down to size.
Recreational players hate all the waiting around, which is one of the aspects of
live poker they hoped to avoid by hopping onboard an online poker room.
For tournament specialists, on the other hand, losing 90 seconds of valuable
playing time during the latter stages of an event can be disastrous. Imagine
yourself sitting on a short stack, patiently biding your time to find a great
hand or a good spot, all the while keeping your eyes squarely on the tournament
clock displaying the current blind level – and the pending blind increase.
In this situation, time is of the essence, and waiting around for another
player to finish their dishes can cause those blinds to climb before the usual
amount of hands are dealt. For a short stacked player desperate to find the
right hand to make a move, sitting and watching 90 seconds drip away into the
ether can be nothing short of torture.
So with that in mind, do your very best to avoid becoming a time bank terror.
The first step towards that goal involves nothing more than discipline. Wait for
a scheduled break to leave the computer when you’re playing; don’t drink copious
amounts of liquid during a long tournament, and avoid distractions like TV or
web browsing.
To further ensure that you don’t waste the table’s time, you can also visit
the Options or Settings function for your favorite online poker room and toggle
the “Auto Time Bank” option back to OFF.
Most sites have a standard setting that
activates your secondary time bank whenever the first 15 seconds have elapsed,
but you can turn this off manually to ensure that even when you are away from
the computer for a moment, that moment won’t stretch out over several minutes.
Loose Lips Sink Chips
Most online poker rooms today make their chat box functions an optional
feature, so you can simply turn the talk off if you prefer to play in virtual
silence.
But where’s the fun in that, right? With a chat box running underneath your
online poker table, you can communicate with players before, during, and after
each hand.
The word “during” is the problem here. You’ll soon discover that some players
relish playing the role of spoiler, hitting the chat box as soon as the flop
drops down to offer one comment or another.
“Man, every time I fold hearts there they come!”
“Damn, I would’ve flopped trip 6s there…”
“Why can’t I ever flop a set with 99, this is so sick!!”
In each case, these comments violate a central tenet of poker protocol: don’t
offer any information about your cards while a hand is ongoing.
By doing so, you inevitably offer the players still competing for the pot
with added information – data points about the hand that they never should have
heard.
Picture yourself playing a decent pre flop pot against three players holding
J J. One player puts some chips in the pot with a call, but then folds when the
action intensifies on a three bet.
The flop rains down 4 4 A, and your aggression is obviously a bit chastened
by the presence of an ace on board, along with two fours. Your opponent makes a
feeler bet, and you go for the gusto with big all in raise, hoping to force
better hands like Q Q or K K into the muck for fear of the ace. But before they
can fold, that third player in the hand before the flop types out a comment
about making a full house had they called.
Immediately, your opponent processes that additional information, realizing
that they must have folded either A 4 or A A. In either case, that takes one or
two aces out of the equation, so your opponent begins to become a nonbeliever.
They call your all in bet with exactly the hand you hoped to fold out, Q Q, and
your J J bluff attempt goes down in flames.
Then, just to rub it in, the winning player types their own assessment of the
hand into the chat box:
“I was hovering over the FOLD button, but then that guy said he folded a
boat, so I had to call and look you up.”
As you can imagine, chatting about your own cards – or any element of a live
hand – while players are engaged in poker combat can unduly influence the
action. The point of poker is to approach a partial information puzzle and hope
to make the best possible decisions given that limited set of data. By
introducing variables like your own hole cards, possible draws, or anything else
that should remain private by rule, you threaten to undermine the integrity of
the game.
Do your best to bite your tongue until the pot is being pushed to one player
or another. From there, with new cards being dealt out, feel free to make any
comment you want about the previous hand – because at that point your input
can’t impact the game in any way.
And if you find other players at the table aren’t so accommodating, just
search through your Options or Settings menu and deactivate the chat function
entirely.
Keep It Classy
Staying on the chat box topic for a moment, the ability to communicate
directly with other human beings trying to take your money can create a whole
host of temptations.
Add in the anonymous nature of the internet, and many online poker players
can adopt an entirely new persona when the virtual cards start flying. And
unfortunately, for many folks, that persona is vicious and uncouth.
Whether they’re losing and simmering in the associated anger, or they just
enjoy heckling crestfallen opponents after cracking their monsters, these
players take things a step or two over the line with their chat box battles.
Spouting racist or sexist invective should never be acceptable, online or not,
but every online poker table seems to have that special someone swearing up a
storm, calling people names, and generally making things miserable for their
tablemates.
Some of these chat box warriors claim that their virtual verbal abuse is
merely a tactic, used to “tilt” an opponent and cause them to play emotionally
rather than logically. And to be sure, plenty of players do succumb to chat
conversations, letting their pride play tricks on them after a talkative
opponent touches the wrong nerve.
Table talk definitely has a role in Texas holdem, even when played online,
but the rule of thumb here should be this:
If you wouldn’t say it in real life to somebody’s face, don’t type it into the chat box.
Cursing, slurs, and similar forms of harassment have no place in a civilized
game of poker, so do your part to clean up the collective conversation and keep
things classy while chatting.
Optional Online Etiquette
Glass Tappers Just Don’t Get It
In any form of Texas holdem, online or otherwise, this etiquette item should
be considered a hard and fast rule.
The term “glass tapping” is used to describe any abusive behavior or berating
directed at lesser skilled players. By tapping on the glass – code for telling a
player off, commenting on their poor play, or generally being an ass – you
threaten to scare away the game’s “fish.”
Fish are the lifeblood of the poker economy, and for every player out there
who has the skills to play the role of shark, hundreds more simply think they do
while playing substandard poker the whole time. These players generally lose
more than they win, although a lucky run of cards can give them the impression
that they’re playing well. But by the end of the night, more often than not, a
fish will find themselves re buying into the game or cashing out for far less
than they sat down with.
Obviously, nobody wants to be a fish, but we all want fish at the table
playing alongside us. When a fish is happy and content, they tend to care less
about losses, using poker as a vehicle for entertainment and enjoyment rather
than the pursuit of profit. And a happy fish means happier sharks, because the
skilled players present will have an extended opportunity to take advantage of
mistakes while collecting big pots.
But skill level aside, some players are just sore losers – or even sore
winners. These players can’t resist the urge to critique the play of opponents,
usually after that opponent drags a big pot. Typical glass tapping exchanges go
something like this:
“Can you believe what this idiot just called the flop with? Attention
@$$hole, top pair isn’t always good!!!”
“What a dolt… this dude put in half his stack with a pocket pair?!”
“You keep raising 3x preflop like it’s 1998 again, get with the times dummy.”
For the most part, glass tappers respond out of rage when their strong hands
are inevitably ran down by ragged cards and lackluster draws. When pocket aces
can’t prevail over the lowly 5 6 suited, many players take to the chat box in
righteous indignation, accusing the winning player of being unskilled,
incompetent, or downright ignorant.
And while many fish can dish it out right back, sending out chat missives of
their own, many beginners find this hostile environment to be very off putting.
After all, why should they sit and subject themselves to losing money if the
game isn’t even fun to play?
Fish tend to recognize that they won’t win every time out, and they’re fine
with that fact for the most part – but when their intelligence is insulted
repeatedly, or they are disrespected in vulgar terms, it can be easy to take
that discretionary income and spend it on something less painful.
Glass tapping has been widely criticized within the realm of live poker, as
the struggling industry looks to grow the game, not scare new players off for
good. But for online poker players, glass tapping is much more prevalent, as the
anonymous nature of the internet spawns the same kind of trolls that occupy
social media and comments sections all across the web.
As a player, it’s up to you whether or not to respect the fish in your tank,
or to tap the glass until they flee from the scene entirely. By all means,
needle a competitor when the occasion calls, or engage in constructive dialogue
about previous hands with informed opponents.
But when you cross the line to crass, unprovoked attacks on a fellow poker
player simply because they beat you out of a pot, you’re failing to respect the
principles that make poker the great game it’s always been.
Panic at the Disconnect
From time to time during your online Texas holdem days, you’ll be faced with
a particularly tough etiquette dilemma that borders on an ethical quandary.
Picture yourself playing a hard fought Sit and Go tournament table, surviving
from nine players down to the final four. Only the final three will earn a
payout, and along with the two big stacks at the table, you and one opponent are
relatively short.
It’s a battle of attrition at this point, as you both wait for the other to
go bust and burst the money bubble.
But suddenly, the fellow short stack player’s avatar fades out and their last
hand is auto folded away. They’ve been disconnected from the server, leaving you
and two other players with a moral conundrum: play fast and steal every last one
of their blinds before they get back online, or kick back and use your time bank
to give them a chance.
This may seem like an abstract scenario, but you’d be surprised how often a
player will get disconnected during a long session. When they do, you’ll have to
choose between pillaging their undefended chip stack with blind steals – each
time seeing their hand auto fold and chips added to your stack – or pausing your
own action to let them sort through the technical issues.
Sometimes you’ll even be presented with the “dream” scenario – sitting heads
up for a tournament or Sit and Go win on the line, and only a disconnected
opponent standing between you and glory. In this spot, simply clicking the RAISE
button over and over again, while your frozen opponent can do nothing at all,
will quickly claim most of their chips through blinds and antes. It may not be
the most honest path to victory, but you can be sure that plenty of opponents
will show no compunction about crippling your chip stack while you struggle with
disconnection problems.
Typically, a disconnected player can reset their modem or restart their
laptop within a few minutes, before logging back into the game.
So if you’re comfortable using a chunk of your time
bank on a charitable act, sitting on your thumbs and waiting is clearly the
honorable thing to do.
Honor and poker haven’t always mixed though, and if you’re ever disconnected,
be prepared to see your stack dwindled and depleted in short order. That’s just
part of the game, an unfortunate part to be sure, but one which will occur far
more frequently than you might imagine.
Once you’ve felt the seething frustration and helplessness that comes with a
disconnection during a meaningful online poker situation, it’ll be up to your
own moral compass to decide how to handle things when the shoe is on the other
foot.
Slow Down on the Slow Roll
In live poker you’ll find few greater violations of etiquette than the
dreaded slow roll.
By acting as if they’ve been beaten upon show down, only to flip up the best
hand once their opponent goes to drag the pot, slow rollers are the bane of
every poker table. This crass and crude maneuver is nothing more than a
senseless needle, and almost every poker you’ll meet considers the slow roller
to be persona non grata.
But when you take your game online, you’ll notice that slow rolls seem to
happen far more often than in the flesh. Once again, this stems from the
protection offered by anonymity, as nobody can lecture or otherwise take the
slow roller to task regarding their bad behavior.
Many online players love to turn a simple poker hand into something more
sinister, so slow rolling is a prime piece of their arsenal. They believe that
arousing an opponent’s anger, or even that of the entire table, is a great way
to generate action against tilting players.
You’ll have to decide for yourself whether slow rolling is something you’re
willing to do, but aside from the sadistic pleasure of adding insult to injury,
there’s really no reason to justify this play in any format. Nobody will ever
think you’re cool for wasting 10 seconds before tabling the best hand, and for
the most part, using this move will mark you as a fish in the eyes of skilled
players.
Summary
Live game and online Texas holdem etiquette are clearly two different animals.
Use the tips included on this page to learn the proper etiquette for online play.
Once you understand the common practices it’s up to you to decide if you want to
use them or not.