- Online poker etiquette exists to better player enjoyment.
- Commonly accepted online poker etiquette only had four simple guidelines to follow.
LAS VEGAS – Online poker etiquette is a topic of debate in the poker world. Online poker etiquette should be enforced and followed by all players.
The online poker etiquette rules are pretty simple guidelines that require players to play the game the right way.
These “rules” or recommendations were established with the intentions of bettering the enjoyment of all players that are online gambling.
There are four main rules or guidelines to follow when playing online poker.
- Keep a good connection
- Pay attention to the table
- Don’t abuse the chat box
- Don’t discuss hands that you folded
These guidelines are very easy to follow and don’t require much effort by players to abide by them.
Aside from the affect it has on other people, keeping a good connection just makes sense for a player to ensure that they don’t lose money due to lag or connection problems.
The first two poker etiquette guidelines attempt to minimize distractions and improve the pace of play as if it were in an in-person setting.
Rule number three should only exist to remove hateful speech and spamming. Players should be allowed to talk in the chat if they want to, especially during a hand.
In the PokerStars Big Game, many players have been convincing into folding or calling a bet through verbal discussion. In this clip, poker legend Daniel Negreanu and Jason Calacanis go back and forth discussing whether Negreanu should call or fold his bet.
Negreanu ultimately gets convinced into calling and loses, a play that likely wouldn’t occur if the game was played in an online setting with limited chatting.
With live poker you can have friendly banter, see opposing player’s facial expressions, and notice other mannerisms for clues on the contents of their hand that can’t be used in an online poker setting.
If the chat is being monitored for offensive language and spam, online poker players should be free to use the chat box as much as they want.
Any poker player understands the consequences of sharing your folded hand while other players are still in.
It gives some players an advantage, while putting others at a disadvantage.
For example, if an active player is trying to bluff that he has three jacks, but a folded player calls out that they have it instead, the active player’s chances of winning are gone.
If players want to share what they folded at the end of the turn, that’s completely fine because it only puts themselves at a disadvantage by giving opposing players more intel.
Players using the best online poker sites should be sure to follow these four online poker etiquette guidelines.