Lessons on Casino Poker Etiquette

It’s easy to spot a casino first-timer. So behave like a pro and be treated accordingly. Here is a summary of casino poker etiquette.

Don’t just take a sit at a poker table in a casino. Register first by signing up at the desk. Then tell the keeper or host the choice of card game. Wait for the host to find an available seat. When one is found, wait to be ushered to it. That’s the time to walk in and take a seat. Then tell the host or dealer the amount of playing chips desired. The chips are given as we pay.

If we come from another area of the casino we can bring in chips to a poker table. We are allowed to buy the minimum number of chips. For low-limit poker, the minimum is usually $30. Decide the amount of chips to be laid out on the table. Casino poker etiquette doesn’t allow us to keep digging into our pockets for more chips once a session has started. This is the table stake rule. If we fall short of chips, we go all-in (and do say it aloud). This means we play for whatever is in the pot at the time we declared an all-in. Additional bets go to another side pot. If we win, we win only the original pot.

We should wait for our turn in any part of the poker game. We get cues from the player to our right. If we do anything before our turn, we might become the odium of the table we might be giving undue advantage to a player and make the player win or be saved from loss. Such preemption can foil strategies. So just wait for one’s turn.

When raising we must say so, or at least put both the raise and bet in simultaneously. Don’t keep going to and from the stack to raise and bet. That’s an illegal string bet. If we do that our raise won’t be honored, thus we lose one raise. Talking of bets and raises, casino poker etiquette says to note them at all times so that we don’t grope in the dark when our turn comes. Note well if the bet has been raised.

Always wait for the dealer to declare who the winner is. Don’t throw in cards before the dealer says so. And don’t play casino poker for too long. Veteran players easily notice tired players and take advantage of fading interest. The thing is, behave well.

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