It may sound obvious to some that playing any game with other people requires some basic sense of decency and poise. Well-designed software will usually bear the brunt of your aggression and impatience with saintly resignation and if your purpose for playing poker is to get rid of pent up emotion or to redirect frustration you had better stick to customized bot opponents. But it is surprising the amount of people who behave like bullies and hillbillies, sometimes in the belief that it is a manner of bluffing.
Behavior is a very telling part of any human being. The polite but brisk behavior of a focused, resolute poker player is at the table to play a quality, honest game.. The novice who is just learning the game will exhibit the same type of behavior if he is also a focused, purposeful player. Both are sure to take common everyday etiquette into consideration in whatever their endeavor.
Professionals are characterized both by mastery of the medium and impeccable manners. Good manners create a pleasant atmosphere which makes it easier to focus on winning. Experience and plain common sense dictate that you do not insult rookies, since they are a profitable source.
It may seem odd, but etiquette is also required in on line games when playing with live opponents. Above all, keep chat to a minimum. Every message you send or respond to may reveal unintended information. Every message you receive may mislead you. The more chat going on, the more distracting it becomes. Keep the chat to a minimum or do without it altogether.
By incessantly chatting, you may be revealing your level of mastery (or lack thereof) to your opponents. This is not good for your game whatever your level may be. Being discreet is usually a good idea, but especially so in poker.
If you must, greet friends and answer questions with polite reserve. Save the juicy chit-chat for ICQ: you will be doing your friends, and the rest of the table, as much a favor as yourselves. Games do not happen in chat rooms, but in Time – a realm beyond the control of your laser-pad mouse – and wasted time is wasted opportunity. Avoid using negative language: it will not achieve as much as you perhaps think it might and will unnecessarily pollute the atmosphere with repulsion. A few nice words to anybody may help, or will simply keep the atmosphere adequately neutral.
Attempting to anger your opponents into better play is a tactic that just doesn’t work and may backfire by showing the table your actual level of ability. Believe it or not, blatant rudeness is officially taboo in most online poker rooms.
Typing in UPPER CASE means you are speaking in upper key, i.e. shouting or expressing abnormally intense emotion. This has no place at the poker table. You do not want to betray any unbalanced emotion, such as frustration, greed, or anger. Play with grace under pressure. Even if you don’t like Hemingway, it will still lend your play at least a patina of cool intelligence and impressive nonchalance.
The author is a full time online poker player and makes the majority of his income from his online play and rakeback at Aced Poker. To sign up for a Rakeback account of your own visit Rakeback Solution.