rules
The rules nobody writes on the table.
Almost everything below exists for one reason: information belongs to whoever paid for it. Acting out of turn, talking about a live hand and hiding your chips all hand somebody an advantage they did not buy. That is why these count as rules in a card room and not as manners, and why breaking them costs a stranger money rather than offending them.
while a hand is running
Act in turn
Wait until the action reaches you, every time. Folding early tells the players behind you that one fewer opponent is left, and that can change what they do with a hand they would otherwise have thrown away. It costs somebody money even when you had nothing.
One player to a hand
No advice, no second opinions, no showing your cards to the person next to you. A hand belongs to the player holding it, from the deal until it is folded or shown, and anything else turns one opponent into two.
Do not discuss a live hand
Once you have folded, say nothing about what is happening until the pot is pushed. Naming a card, reacting to the board or telling somebody what you threw away all hand information to players who are still paying for it.
Keep your cards on the table
Cards stay above the felt and in sight. A hand that leaves the table can be ruled dead, and a hand left unprotected can be swept up by the dealer by accident. A chip on top is the usual fix.
The first of those is the one that comes up every session, and it is easier to get right once you know exactly when your turn arrives. That order, and what closes a round, is on the page about betting rounds.
chips, and how they go in
Say the amount, then move
A number said out loud is binding, whatever your hands do afterwards. Reaching for chips more than once without announcing anything is a string bet and is not allowed, because the first movement lets you read the reaction before choosing the size.
Do not splash the pot
Put your bet down in front of you, in a stack that can be counted, rather than throwing it into the middle. Once chips are mixed with the pot nobody can prove what you put in, and the dealer has to guess.
Keep your big chips visible
Your highest denominations belong at the front of your stack where everyone can see them. Hiding what you have behind smaller chips changes what opponents believe they are risking, and every room treats it as a serious offence.
Announce all in clearly
When you are putting your last chips in, say so. It is the one bet that cannot be taken back and the one most often miscounted, and it is where side pots come from.
All four rest on the same principle: an opponent has a right to know what he is playing for. That is also what makes a stack the limit of your risk in a hand, and what happens when one player runs out is set out in the explanation of all in and side pots.
the end of the hand
Show in order
The last player to bet or raise on the river shows first. If nobody bet, the first player left of the button shows first, and the rest follow clockwise. Nobody is obliged to show a hand they are giving up.
Cards speak
A hand that is turned face up is worth whatever it is worth, whether or not the player names it correctly. If you table a straight and call it a pair, you still have a straight.
Do not slow roll
If you know you have the winning hand, turn it over. Pausing for effect while somebody else believes they have won is the one breach of manners that other players genuinely resent.
Call the floor rather than argue
When there is a dispute about a ruling, stop and ask. In a casino the floor decides; at home it should be one person agreed on in advance. Arguing at the table costs more time than any ruling ever does.
Cards speak is worth trusting, and it is worth being able to read your own hand anyway, because you have to decide whether to call before the dealer reads anything. That is what the ranking of poker hands is for, and it is the one thing on this site worth learning by heart.
two things that are only courtesy
Take your turn at a reasonable speed. Thinking is part of the game and every player is entitled to it, but a phone in one hand and a decision in the other slows a table down for everybody. If you need a long think, it should be because the decision is hard.
In a card room, dealers are usually tipped from pots you win. Nobody is obliged to, the amount is small, and the way to find out what is normal is to watch the table for a round before deciding. Where you are playing determines a good deal else too, from the rake to the rules of the house, and where you can legally play is worth checking first.
next
At home there is no floor to call, so agree first.
Most of these conventions come free in a card room, because a dealer enforces them. At a kitchen table somebody has to decide them in advance, along with the stakes, the blinds and how the evening ends. The home game guide covers all of it.
etiquette questions
What is poker etiquette?
The set of conventions that keep a game fair and quick when the written rules do not cover it: acting in turn, playing your own hand alone, not talking about a hand that is still being played, keeping your chips and cards visible, and showing your cards in the right order at the end.
Why can you not talk about a hand you folded?
Because the players still in it are paying to find out what you would be giving away for free. Naming a card, reacting to the board or saying what you threw away can change how a pot is played, and the money involved is not yours any more.
What is a string bet?
Reaching for chips more than once to complete a single bet, without having announced the amount first. It is not allowed, because the first movement lets you read the table before you decide how much to bet. Announce the number and it is binding; otherwise put the whole bet out in one motion.
Who shows their cards first at showdown?
The last player who bet or raised on the river. If there was no bet on the river, the first player left of the button shows first and the rest follow clockwise. A player who knows he has lost may fold without showing.
What is a slow roll?
Waiting before turning over a hand you already know is the winner, while an opponent believes he has won the pot. It breaks no rule and it is the thing players complain about most, because the only thing it produces is somebody else's embarrassment.
What should you agree on before a home game starts?
Who decides disputes, whether verbal declarations are binding, whether misdeals are redealt, what happens to an odd chip in a split pot, and whether anyone can rebuy. Ten minutes at the start saves the argument that ends the evening.
Back to all poker rules.