Poker 101

It seems that the more I discuss codes of conduct and proper and ethical behavior, the more discourse I hear at the tables. This is not supposed to be what is happening. I have received numerous letters in the past few weeks about what some of you are witnessing while playing, and it disturbs me a great deal. What is the big deal about following the golden rule while playing poker, as most of you would do while dealing with life in general? Why is it so seemingly difficult?

There are several poker rooms that have a zero tolerance policy regarding abusive behavior. To you folks, I say, "Way to go!" Unfortunately, the flip side of that coin is that I have seen some horrendous behavior in other poker rooms. It doesn't have to be that way. I know for a fact that the overwhelming majority of players prefer to play where customers conduct themselves a decent manner. This is a no-brainer. When you are playing, ask yourself if you are part of the solution? If you are not, you may be part of the problem. Players can be part of the problem in some of the most innocuous ways. Let me tell you about an incident that I witnessed recently.

It was an Omaha eight-or-better game, but it could have been any game. The betting was over and the cards were shown. The dealer called the hands, killed the losing ones, and divided the pot between the two winners. So far, so good, right? Not! As the dealer assembled the muck and began the shuffle for the next hand, a player who had not been involved in the hand said to one of the players with a losing hand, "You had two pair, aces and sixes." Reacting immediately, the losing player went ballistic and started screaming at the dealer, "I had aces and sixes and you killed my hand!" The player who won the high end of the pot had aces and treys.

So, where, you may ask, is the problem? The player who spoke up was merely trying to correct an error. The problem is that he did too little too late, and by speaking up when he did, all he accomplished was create a war-zone reaction. The player who may or may not have had the better high hand hadn't seen the so-called winner, nor had the player who had accepted the pot. The pot had been pushed and the next deal was already in progress. It was too late to do anything. Think about it, what possible decision could a floorperson have made in this spot? The chips already were stacked and the next shuffle had begun. There was no way to retrieve the hands and reconstruct what had happened. The opportunity to speak up has a statute of limitations, although it's not written down or even really tangible. All this player had done was cause a mess.

Unfortunately, the player who thought he had been wronged went on a tirade that ultimately broke up the game and disrupted the three games around it. And what purpose did it serve? After all, this alleged winner hadn't even seen that he had aces and sixes, and he had been looking at his hand the entire time! Why did the other player speak up when he did? Maybe his intentions were honorable, and maybe they weren't. In any event, due to the time that had passed, there was nothing to be gained from bringing up the possible error at that late time. Only hard feelings could be created, and there was no possible upside.

If you see that a mistake has occurred, you must weigh the benefits of speaking up vs. those of remaining silent. Sometimes you have to let some errors slide if bringing them up may cause more harm than good – food for thought. Class dismissed.

Please write to me with your poker related questions or comments.