~ Poker Etiquette ~
Rules of poker etiquette are provided as guidelines to help make good sportsmanship the standard for all members of The Tilted Jack. Following these guidelines will help make you a welcome player at any poker table worldwide.
RULES OF ETIQUETTE
Do not reveal your cards to anyone while a hand is still live.
Do not react to the flop (or the turn or river) if you've folded.
Do not use excessive foul language. Never curse or call another member a name directly.
Trash talking among friends is okay, but don’t cross the line and be so cocky that everyone at the table dislikes you. Keep the free poker lessons to a minimum, please. It isn't necessary to waste a lot of time talking about your hand when you shouldn't even be talking about your hand. Even heads up. Blinds are going up.
If you're not in the hand, you should never talk to someone who is in the hand. Quietly carry on a conversation with another member who has folded, but never talk about a hand when you aren't in it. Giving advice to a live player is against the rules. The members who are still in the hand don't want to have to listen to your noise pollution when they're trying to focus on the other live opponents.
MORE ETIQUETTE GUIDELINES
Don't blame the dealer. Don’t wing your cards at the dealer or not tip him as a result of previous bad beat. They really, actually, and truly have no control over what cards are dealt. They are just there to do their job and they deserve respect.
Don't fold out of turn and get up from the table. You're giving certain players information that they wouldn't normally have.
When a player busts out, don't be the first player to start talking about that player after he or she has left the building. Don't rush to the cage window after the live one busts out. At least wait till that player has left the building.
Don't give lessons at the table. It is in your best interest ot keep the opponents in the dark about how badly they played that hand. Don't let your ego get the better of you by announcing to the world how poker savvy you are. Some people don't know or care about how many outs you had compared to them. Remember, it was your choice to tangle with the loose wildcard everyone wants to snap... if he snapped you, that's poker.
Lose courteously. Watch the old-timers. They have taken so many bad beats and been on the receiving end of some good luck, that it doesn’t faze most of them either way anymore.
Don't swear or curse. We want a pleasant environment for our members, and staff for that matter. You shouldn't use profanity. At certain tables, you know it's okay to cut loose a little bit, but even then repeated F-bombs are annoying and considered discourteous by many of our members. Yes, we are all adults. Let's try to act like it and adhere to the language policy.
If you are felted, be a good sport, shake the winner’s hand and leave with a courteous, “Good luck all” with truly as little sarcasm as possible.
Winning graciously requires as much discipline as losing. Don't pump your fists or run around the room like you just scored a goal in soccer.
Don't ask a player who just lost what he had.
Keep an eye on the action. Know when its your turn to act and don't act out of turn. Don't get distracted and make other players wait on you and be quick with calls you don't have to think about. Post your blinds and/or antes promptly and don't make people have to remind you. It slows down the game.
Do not to splash the pot. The reason that players aren't supposed to is because you could potentially toss in fewer chips. Other players at the table don't want to worry about that. The best way to present a bet is in a neat stack in front of you.
If you decide to show your cards even though everyone else folded, make sure to show everybody at the table. If you show just one player your cards, anyone else at the table has the right to see them too. Might as well not give them the satisfaction of invoking this rule anyway.
If you are still in a hand, make sure that your cards are front of you are visible to all other players. If they aren't visible, another player may accidentally act out of turn not realizing you are still in the hand.
In a ring game, don't switch seats too often. Once per session is plenty. Constantly trying to gain some sort of postional advantage over incoming players isn't worth it. Neither is switching seats over and over in an effort to eventually get to your favorite seat at the table.
Tip the dealer. Even very small pots warrant a small tip. The exception is the "no flop, no rake, no tip" rule, which is accepted by dealers
Don't play around with the dealer button. It needs to be visible and clearly in front of a player at all times, so putting your hands on it or moving it is a bad idea.
If you have a cough, don't cough into your hand. Cough into your shoulder. Everybody is going to touch the same cards and chips, so coughing into your hand is just as bad as coughing on the other players' hands.
No string bets is a rule. TTJ dealers will call string bets.
The main reason we play poker is to have fun. Some players argue that money is the actual motivation. But most people don't actually make money playing poker. Most people lose money. There are also other ways to make money, so why did we choose a risky game like poker to earn it? The answer is because poker is an enjoyable game.
Most of the time.
Every once in a while someone does something that makes you want to pull your hair out. For instance, one of my pet peeves is when players don't put their highest-denomination chips in the front of their pile. Even worse though is when the guy to my right whispers, "You know what I had that last hand and actually folded?" Surprisingly, I still don't care after all the times it's been said. I used to think that was useful insight into a players preflop hand selection, but now I just cringe whenever a flop has a pair of twos and that guy shoots me that quick look of anticipation to let me know that he wants to tell me something after the hand is over. You had a two, huh? And folded it? Wow.
