1. Pay Attention!
This should go without saying, but the game can start to seem super tedious if you feel like you’ve been folding a lot. The other players won’t necessarily announce when it’s your turn and those “check” signals can be pretty slight and easy to miss if you’re not 100% focused. Paying attention will also prevent you from accidentally and embarrassingly betting or folding out of turn.
2. No Excessive Talking or Stalling
Poker is a social game to a certain extent, but excessive and unnecessary talking can be seen as a disrespectful and, more importantly, disrespectable stalling tactic. If you are unsure just how much is too much, best to err on the side of caution and keep quiet. When it is your turn, you can and should take as long as you need to make the best bet, but keep in mind that other players can call time and start a countdown on your time limit.
3. Don’t Ask To See A Folded Hand
If someone folds during an intense hand, it is only natural to be curious about what they were holding — this is an absolute no-no! It is not your place to invite yourself into another player’s strategy this way, and can be seen as a petty move if the person who won the pot does it. This same advice applies to yourself — you may be cringing inside after throwing away what would have been a winning hand, but there’s a reason it’s called a “poker face.” Keep your cool and focus on the next hand without drawing unnecessary attention to yourself and undermining another player’s win.
4. Don’t Toss Your Chips Around
Or, as Mike McDermott would say, don’t splash the pot! Place your chips gently and neatly in front of you when betting so it’s easier for other player’s to see how much you’re betting. (On a related note, it is also usually not a good idea to quote poker movies at the table or use excessive poker jargon.)
5. No Commenting On Hands That Don’t Involve You
It is generally a good rule of thumb to keep your opinions to yourself when others are playing. If you have no stake in the outcome, why even bother? Play your own game and don’t risk giving away any tells.
6. Don’t Over-celebrate
It is natural to be pumped after a big win, but it can be seen as cocky to actively rub that in the other player’s faces. Similarly, dwelling on a big win during later hands will not earn you any friends.
7. Keep Your Cards On The Table At All Times
Do not bring them up to your face or hold them any other way, and especially never put them in your lap…. A guy might get shot for that back in the Old
8. Tip Your Dealer!
It shows good form to tip anyone who is working hard at providing you a service, but it is especially customary to tip the dealer when you win a big hand. It does not have to be a percentage, a few dollars here and there should be fine.