Poker is a social activity as well as a game. Like any social activity there are various norms or customs which guide our behavior. Like any game there are rules to be followed. For lack of a better term I will refer to all of these as poker etiquette. Observing poker etiquette might not make you a better player, but will make you a more desirable player to invite back.

In home poker games you are usually playing with friends, acquaintances, neighbors or even relatives. There is often less formality in enforcing rules. That does not mean poker etiquette or rules should be ignored. Should you choose to play against strangers in a casino they will have no reservations about pointing it out should you violate a rule or behave poorly.

When you accept an invitation to play in a home game you should honor it. Other people are expecting you to show up. If something comes up that prevents you from playing you should inform the host or organizer so that they can find another player.

When you play in a home game there are typically designated starting and ending times. Obviously, you should get there on time. What about leaving? Generally, you will be expected to stay until the end, barring some unforeseen emergency that may arise or unless you have made it clear from the start that you must leave early. You certainly have the right to leave whenever you want whether winning, losing or even. Exercising that right is the potentially problematic part. While no one is going to stop you if you leave early you run the risk of not being invited back, especially if you leave as a big winner.

When you are dealing the cards you must do so in a manner that protects the identity of the cards. Hold the deck in your hand close to the table surface and slightly tilted away from you so no one can see the bottom card. Deal the cards close to the table surface as well, so that no one can see a card as it is dealt. Never play with the deck in the midst of a hand or do anything that others might think is intended as trying to peek at upcoming cards.

The cards that have been dealt to you should remain on the table. In a game such as draw poker you can pick them up to look at them, but the cards should always remain in sight of the other players. Don't show your cards to other players during the hand, even if you have dropped out. When you fold, discard in way that does not expose any of your cards.

You should always be paying attention to the action at the table and act only when it is your turn. Try hard not to announce your action before it is your turn. Prematurely disclosing your intention may give you or another player an unfair advantage. You must never fold unless there has been a bet. No matter how bad your cards are, if you are first to act or it has been checked to you, you must check as well. Folding could give another player an unfair advantage.

There are only four actions you can take during a poker hand: check, bet, raise, fold. When it is time to take your action just verbally announce what you are doing. Bear in mind, you can make only one of these actions per turn. The classic violation of this rule is called a "string bet" in which a player says something like: "I call your bet and raise you...". You cannot both call and raise in the same turn. Whatever you say first is the only thing that is allowable, so in this example you have called. When you want to raise just say "raise". You may also find yourself in a string bet situation if you move chips into the pot in two separate motions. That is, putting the amount of chips out to call the bet, then returning to your stack and placing a raise out there. Place all the chips out at once. Also keep in mind that your verbal declaration is binding. Once you've said it you've done it. If you say something like "I guess I fold. Oh, wait! I call" you've folded.

As already mentioned, you want to announce verbally each of your actions, that way there is no question of what you are doing. There are, however, some situations in which a non-verbal action signals your intention: Tapping the table in front of you with your hand/fingers will be taken to mean you "check". If you move chips into the pot without announcing a raise it will taken to mean you are just calling. Throwing your cards away or turning your hand face down in stud means you have folded. It is still preferable to make a verbal declaration along with these actions.

During the play of a hand keep the talk focused on the game. Save social conversations for between hands or during breaks. If you are not involved in the hand you should keep quiet. Never discuss anything that could reveal information about your hand or other players' hands. A particularly serious violation would be to blurt out something like "darn, I folded a pair of deuces!" when favorable cards hit the table.

When the hand is called at the end, just reveal your cards. Do not delay revealing them, something that is referred to as "slow rolling". In a "slow roll" a player with a powerful hand lets all the other players reveal and announce their hands. Someone thinks they have made the winning hand, then the slow roller reveals the actual winner. Another similar move is to say something like "I have 2 pair...both are aces" when you have four of a kind. You will not win any friends with these kinds of moves.

Everyone who plays poker has had losing sessions and received their share of bad beats. Frankly, no one is interested in hearing about yours, so you might as well keep it to yourself. You might hear some seemingly sympathetic responses, but no one really cares, they are just trying to be polite. Just as no one is interested in hearing you whine, others especially do not want to listen to you brag. People are going to take offense to you saying something like "Thank you boys and girls. I won $100 tonight". There are a couple of reasons for this: One is that they have been playing with you and already know you won. Another is that the money you are stuffing in your pocket used to belong to them. If someone asks you how much you won, just give a simple answer, but otherwise, don't volunteer the information.

Player collusion is a form of cheating and must never be allowed. Even if it appears to be unintentional it still must be banned. Collusion occurs when two or more players openly act together to influence the play of a hand. Obvious examples would be when one player says to another something like "I think if you and I keep betting and raising we can get Joe to fold" or "If we all check, Sue won't be able to keep raising us". Of course there are some much less obvious or more subtle methods of collusion. Whenever a player says something that is intended to influence others to play a hand in some type of coordinated fashion you should speak up.

Read more about poker etiquette for home and casino play and other poker topics at HomePokerEdge.com

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Dogbiter contributes articles to HomePokerEdge.com.
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