Last week began this series regarding poker etiquette. Additionally the points made then, in this article and in the following issues also apply to play during live action. Poker is a civilized version of either a hostile conflict (war) or illegal activities (robbery and thievery). Despite the ultimate end of eviscerating people through their wallets it should be done in a civilized, genteel way. (I smile when I write lines like that, but it’s true!) What are we doing at the tables but trying to remove every chip from someone’s possession and place them in ours. Think “Scrooge McDuck plays poker” or “Butch Cassidy goes to a tournament.”
Due to the wide variety of what is considered socially acceptable behavior in the international community of poker players, these articles present an unofficial guideline for what may be considered acceptable poker and tournament behavior. Referring to the outlandish scenes one sees on televised poker, ask yourself this: Is this behavior indeed that of a world-class poker professional or a wild bid to stroke an ego and get face-time on television? My guess is, most of the time the latter reason is why these people act the way they do. But who gets true respect as a person and as a poker player? Those like Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu and Hoyt Corkins (among others) who behave with cool class – win or lose – while those with nicknames like brat, mouth and so forth don’t.
This minor rant began last issue with four admonishments: Don’t drink alcohol excessively. Don’t be verbally abusive to other players. Don’t “Rabbit Hunt.” Don’t be a trash talker. Continuing with some more “don’ts” in this and the next few issues, I will conclude this series with a number of “dos” of which I wish more people had a clue. Again, in no particular order of precedence, here are the next cautions for those who wish to epitomize class and decorum while playing poker:
5. Don’t slow-roll a winning hand. If, at the conclusion of all action, it is up to you to show your hand first, do so without delay. The order and sequence of play should be well understood; if you are ashamed of your (weak) holding, why play it all the way to the river? See the article a few issues back about angle-shooting; if you are obliged to show first and yet hold back or declare “I missed” but do not muck your cards, you will quickly become known as an angle-shooter and believe me, there are ways others will then deal with that fact – and you won’t like any of them. If it’s your turn to show your cards, do so promptly or muck them…simple as that.
6. Don’t soft-play anyone. By “soft-play” I mean taking it easy on another player, usually a friend. An example would be finding just yourself and a buddy remaining in the hand and then just checking the action down. At the very least this is unethical and at the worst could be viewed by the tournament director as collusion, thereby earning penalties for you both. Remember, the end goal of a tournament is to be the last one standing with every chip in your stack. If you allow someone (even a friend) to live longer in the tournament than they should, they may return and wipe you out.
7. Don’t ask for deck changes. Most tournaments operated under Tournament Directors’ Association rules do not allow this. If you attend one where TDA rules are not in effect, keep this caveat in mind. Asking for another deck is plain old dumb and stupid; face it, there are the same 52 cards, 13 card values and 4 suits in every deck. The only difference between that and another deck is the card back color. Do you really think asking for a different color card back will change your luck, the odds or anything else? Yes, you may feel put upon by those Donkeys at your table so take a short break. Go outside, take a walk or just don’t play a round or two to get your mind right will be better than asking for a deck change. That accomplishes and changes nothing.
8. Don’t reveal your cards to anyone. Sure, occasionally we would like to show just how close we came to a monster hand, but stop to think. Showing someone cards reveals information regarding your hand choice, style of play, etc. Poker is a game of incomplete information, you’ve just handed a competitor free information regarding your play. Believe me – if someone gifts me intelligence on their play I definitely will use it against them if and when I can. Remember the statement in the beginning of this article – you are at war with these guys. Remember the fighter pilots’ maxim: I certainly will. And I will win because I think about poker.
—————————————
Drew Chitiea is a semi-pro poker player living in Colorado. His tournament wins amount to over $500,000 with fourth place at a World Poker Tour event and a second place at Binion’s World Poker Classic in Las Vegas, NV.
