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Playing poker live for the first time can be a nerve racking experience, and also a bit intimidating. The last thing you want to do is upset another player by doing things you shouldn't, right? The purpose of this column is to offer some hints and tips on good poker etiquette and to make the introduction to live poker as smooth and enjoyable as possible.
I'll assume that you already know the basic rules of poker and are comfortable with the mechanics of the game. But there are many more rules, regulations, and etiquette issues you should know before embarking on your first foray into live poker.
Don't let anything in this column put you off playing live poker. Everyone was a novice at one stage and poker players are generally a friendly bunch who are welcoming to new players. If you explain you're new to the game then nobody will expect you to be perfect, but the following points should help you integrate into the game without any unexpected bumps:
#1 – Keeping Up with the Game
Poker players get frustrated when the game is moving slowly. Pay attention to the game so you know when it's your turn to act. When it's your turn to post blinds/antes, then do so without having to be continually prompted. Everyone can forget sometimes, so don't beat yourself up about this too much – but players will appreciate it if you pay attention and keep up with the flow of the game. Also, only act when it's your turn – don't check, call, or fold out of turn. This annoys other players.
#2 – 'I See You….And'
You've probably seen poker in the movies where they all say 'I see you…and I'll raise' – STOP! This is incorrect, and phrases like 'I see you' are classed as a call, plain and simple. If you wish to make a raise then just say 'raise'. Then make your bet. At some venues you might get away with this kind of sloppy table talk, but it's a bad habit and one that should be eliminated early on.
#3 – Saying 'Raise' When You Mean 'Bet'
Another very common verbal error that beginners to poker make is saying 'raise', when they are just making a bet. Don't say raise when you mean bet. For example, after the flop the first to open the betting should say 'bet' rather than 'raise'. Even though there is money in the pot, they aren't raising a new bet – they're opening the betting. Saying 'raise' should only occur when you're actually increasing the bet and thereby raising someone else's previous bet. Other players probably won't say anything because it's such a common occurrence, but a good one to avoid nonetheless. It won't get you into trouble but saying raise when it's just a bet is like holding up a big neon sign saying 'I'm a poker novice'.
#4- String Betting
A string bet is when a player entering his chips into the pot as a bet or raise proceeds to move chips in multiple chip movement, such as dropping chips one at a time or going back to their chip stack to pick up more chips. The ruling for string bets varies from region to region, with some places being far stricter than others. Avoiding a habit for string betting is a good idea as it can prove to be a costly mistake. Here's some advice – when you want to make a bet, put the chips in one smooth movement. Better still; verbally declare your bet amount before even touching your chips.
Blackjack rules house advantage. Using basic strategy to act on your hands when playing blackjack can reduce the house advantage to as little as 0.14%. In other words, when you make the correct decisions at the blackjack table you can almost make winning a 50-50 proposition. The key is memorizing basic strategy and making the correct play each and every time.
If you're wondering why this is even at all important, then let me be clear about why string betting is frowned upon. String betting is not allowed because it opens up the possibility for cheating, by trying to gain a visual tell or response from another player in the pot. Other players will probably pull you up on string betting – so just be extra careful when making bets.
#5 – The One Chip Rule
Here's another betting situation that beginners to live poker often fail to understand – until it's too late. If you don't announce raise or call and throw one chip into the pot then it can be classed as a call. For example if it's 100 to call and you place one 500 value chip across the line without declaring raise or call it's usually only classed as a call. This is why it's good to declare your action verbally before moving your chips. Just like with string betting, verbal declarations help cut out any potential mistakes.
#6 – Verbal Goes
In a few of the points mentioned so far, I've recommended making verbal declarations. I even said 'verbal declarations help cut out any potential mistakes' – but they can also be costly, if made in error. You'll often here poker players say 'verbal goes', and what they mean by this is – what you said first and foremost stands. If you say 'call' and proceed to muck your cards, then your call stands and you have to put the chips in (you cards will be dead though in this example).
Make sure you're up with the game (see #1) before making any verbal declarations. For example, if someone had made a raise before you and you thought there hadn't been a raise, yet you announced call, then your call will stand. Sometimes this ruling is relaxed, especially for beginners, but it could cost you a lot of chips/money. So use verbal utterances with great care and concentrate on what's occurred before it's your turn, so you know exactly what you're calling or raising.
#7 – Cards on the Table
The cards should remain on the table at all times. Sometimes new players like to hold the cards up towards their chest when sneaking a look – and most people won't be too strict about this. It's something beginners tend to do. However, your cards should be visible at all times. Do not hold your cards under the table or away from view. It's quite obvious why this would be unacceptable, but I've seen many new players do this.
When your cards are on the table, avoid covering them with your hands. Other players should be able to see who is involved in the hand, and shouldn't have to ask 'do you still have cards?' If you want to protect your hand then just place a chip onto of them or buy a card protector.
#8 – Mucking Your Cards
When the time comes to fold (muck) your cards, then place them into the muck pile. A lot of new players will barely push their mucked cards forward. This can cause confusion, with other players unsure whether they've actually been folded. Avoid any potential confusion and properly muck your cards face down along with the other mucked cards.
Be careful and muck your cards properly. Don't wildly throw your cards into the muck, because if you cards should miss their intended target and end up on an opponent's hole cards, then their cards could be declared dead. They won't be best pleased with you either! This is one reason why it's a good idea to protect your cards (see previous point), should someone do the same to you.
#9 – Talking / Gesturing During a Hand
When a hand is in progress you should refrain from talking about the hand. General table talk is usually acceptable, but if things get serious then pipe down. If by chance you would have made a great hand, then don't let the whole table know about it either. For example, you fold 7/2 pre-flop and the flop comes 772. Don't thump the table, yell 'Oh my god!' or shake your head profusely. Do this after the hand if needs be, but never during it. It indicates what you had to the other active players involved in the hand and is considered very poor etiquette.
#10 – Slow Rolling
If a hand enters a showdown (where cards are revealed) then you should show your hole cards as soon as possible, if you've been called. If your opponent has shown their cards first and you have a better hand, then reveal it immediately. Don't let your opponent think they might have won the pot, then slowly turn over the nuts (best possible hand). This is known as 'slow rolling' and is one of the main ways to upset people at the poker table. You want to win their chips, not upset them!
Playing poker live is great fun. I hope you've found this article useful, particularly if you're interesting in playing live poker for the first time. If you're playing in a casino or cardroom and are unsure or confused about any aspect of the game (such as the structure, blinds/antes) then just ask the dealer when you're not involved in a hand, preferably upon sitting down.
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By Tim Ryerson
Tim is from London, England and has been playing poker since the late 1990's. He is the ‘Editor-in-Chief' at Pokerology.com and is responsible for all the content on the website.
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Raise - To increase the amount of the bet.When you are facing a bet from another player, you will typically have the option to fold, call, or raise. If you 'fold' it means that you throw your hand away and concede the pot to the other players who remain in the hand. This is your best option if you do not want to match the wager your opponent has bet. If you 'call' it means you match the wager that your opponent bet. This gives you the right to proceed in the hand. If you raise, it means you increase the current wager by an amount that constitutes a legal raise, as defined by house rules. House rules regarding raising can vary from poker room to poker room. Rules pertaining to raising also differ between games with structured betting and those with unstructured betting.
In a Limit Holdem Game, the betting is structured. This means that the size of the bets and raises on each betting round are dictated by the stakes of the game. For example a $3/$6 Limit Hold'em game would have a $3 small bet and a $6 big bet, and bets and raises would be required to be in exactly those amounts. In No-Limit and Pot Limit Hold'em, the betting is unstructured. This means that in No-Limit play, a player may bet any amount equal to or greater than the minimum established wager, up to their entire stack, and in Pot-Limit play, a player may bet any amount equal to or greater than the minimum established wager, up to the size of the pot. In these games, the minimum wager is established by the amount of the big blind. This remains the minimum wager throughout the hand until a player increases it.
Rules regarding raising can get a little tricky, especially for games with unstructured betting. In most poker rooms, the raise rule for No-Limit and Pot-Limit play would be phrased something like 'In order to constitute a legal raise, the increase in the wager must be equal to or greater than the amount of the previous bet or raise.' The problem is that the 'previous bet or raise' amount may only be a part of the wager you are currently facing. That is because the 'previous bet or raise' amount is only the amount added to the current wager by the last player to bet or raise. If there was no previous action on a betting round, then a player's bet will establish the minimum wager for that betting round, an be the entire amount of the current wager. Often, this will not be the case, and the current wager will also include blind bets or earlier action from the same betting round. In the traditional raise rule, the minimum raise requirement is based only on the action of the last player to bet or raise.
Consider the following, in a $5/$10 blind No-Limit Hold'em game, a player raises to $20 before the flop. This constitutes a legal raise because the increase is 'equal to or greater than the amount of the previous bet or raise.' In this case, the previous bet or raise was the $10 blind bet. In order to make a legal raise, the raise had to increase the wager by at least the amount established by the big blind, or $10. Our player's raise to $20 consists of a $10 call and a $10 raise, which constitutes a legal raise. Now, the total amount of the current wager is $20, but the previous player only raised $10. In this situation, the amount of the minimum established wager has not been changed, it remains at $10. Under the traditional raise rule, if a third player wanted to reraise, they would have to increase the wager by at least the minimum established amount, or $10. If our third player wanted to reraise the minimum amount, he would make it $30 to go, which would consist of a $20 call and a $10 raise. But, the game is No-Limit, and our third player elects to raise more than the minimum. He makes it $40 to go, which can be broken down into a $20 call and a $20 raise. The rules of No-Limit Hold'em state that the minimum bet amount, once established for a particular betting round, cannot be regressive. In other words, the minimum bet for any particular betting round can only stay the same or increase, it can never decrease. When our third player made it $40 to go, his $20 raise increased the minimum wager from $10 to $20. This means that if the initial raiser wanted to reraise when the action got back to him, he would have to make it a minimum of $60 to go, consisting of a $40 call and a $20 raise. Of course, that would be the minimum reraise, but since we are playing No-Limit, he could theoretically bet up to his entire stack. On subsequent betting rounds, the minimum wager reverts back to its initial amount of $10, as established by the size of the big blind. Increases to the minimum wager do not carry over from betting round to betting round.
Since this can all be a little confusing, some clubs have implemented a simplified raising rule that states that a legal raise must be 'equal to or greater than the entire amount of the current wager.' With the simplified raise rule, the amount that the previous actor bet or raised is irrelevant. Here, the minimum wager is set at the entire amount of the current wager, including all prior action. This is done for simplicity's sake, so that the current wager need not be broken down into a call amount and a raise amount. Consider the previous situation where we were playing $5/$10 blind No-Limit Holdem, and a player raised and made it $20 to go. Under the simplified raise rule, the minimum wager is now established at $20, the amount of the current wager. In this situation, if our third player wanted to raise, he would have to make it a minimum of $40 to go, because he would have to at least double the current wager, whereas with the other, more traditional raise rule, he could have made it a minimum of $30. With the simplified raise rule, if the initial player wanted to reraise the $40, he would have to make it a minimum of $80 to go. You can see that with this simplified raise rule, the minimum wager will tend to increase more often than with the tradition raise rule we discussed previously. Many poker purists consider this simplified raise rule a bastardization of the rules of play, and dislike it intensely.
Usage: Raise it Up, I Raise, Check Raise, Check Raised, Raised Preflop
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