A couple of weeks ago I was playing in a midlimit Omaha eight-or-better
game. It was a good action game and everyone was having a good time
when a very typical five-way pot came up, and it ended up being a fairly
large pot. When the river card was dealt, the first three players checked
and the next player bet; I was last to act and called. I had A-A-4-J, which
gave me the nut low, and a pair of aces for high. The next three players,
who had checked, all threw their hands away. This left just the bettor and
myself. The bettor exclaimed, “You win!” I thought to myself, “Great,” and
proudly announced and showed a pair of aces and the nut low. My
opponent, seemingly a nice young man with whom I had never played
before, paused and then said, “Oh, I’ve got two pair.” So, instead of
winning the whole pot, I ended up with half the pot. That in itself was no
surprise, nor was it a disappointment; in fact, I was fairly certain that one
pair was not going to win the high. I guess I could have said nothing and
let it pass, but instead I calmly said, “You really shouldn’t say that ( ‘You
win’); you should just call your hand or lay it down.” The player
immediately said he was sorry and that he just figured I must have called
with something better than his two pair. It seemed to bother a couple of
the players at the table more than it did me, but soon the episode was
forgotten and the game continued with everyone getting along just fine.
A few days later I ran into the same young man, and again he apologized
to me. I assured him it was no big deal and thanked him for the apology.
He then went on to say that he was a relative newcomer, and because of
that, he sometimes said the wrong thing. He said he just didn’t know, at
times, what was proper etiquette and what was not.
He explained that he loved playing poker and wanted to get along in the
games without being rude or out of line. He asked if I could write a
column for all new, inexperienced players, explaining what was proper
and improper.
So, for this nice young man’s benefit, let me provide a few thoughts on
what I think all new players should know. It also might be a reminder to
all of us about being considerate, and saying what is appropriate and not
saying what is inappropriate.
First, when you bet and get called, call your hand or lay it faceup in front
of you, or do both. It is discourteous to do anything other than that. Do
not say things like, “Your flush is good,” “Do you have a straight?” “One
pair,” ”I got nothing,” “I missed,” or “Nice call.” If you want to play those
little games, get together with some friends and start a low-limit home
game in which you can say all the things they say in all those old movies
in which they are playing poker. You know the ones — those in which the
bad guy says, “Aces full,” laughs, and reaches for the pot, and then the
hero stares at him for a minute and says, “Good, but not good enough. I
got four deuces.” You definitely don’t want to say things like that if you
are going to play in a public poker room; all those cutesy statements don’
t fly there. Be courteous enough to show or call your hand when you’re
called. It‘s a little embarrassing when you are caught bluffing with
something like a 9 or 10 high in a hold’em game, but as painful as that
might be, it is proper to call or show your hand, or dump it.
There is another area of “do nots” that I want to mention to
inexperienced players. Sometimes these players hesitate too long when
they get called, allowing, and even encouraging, the other player or
players to show their hands down first, and then announcing in an
apologetic way, “Oh, I can beat that; I thought you had better than that.”
If you get called, don’t stall. Call your hand even if you think you are
probably beat. Sadly enough, though, I have to be honest and add that
even some experienced players can give you that hesitation move. I call it
a “semi-slow roll.”
Finally, when someone bets and you call, as soon as you see that your
hand is the best hand, be as timely as you can in showing your hand or
saying, “No good,” or “I can beat that.” If you intentionally stall and lead
the other player to believe his hand is good, you are doing what is called
a “full-blown slow roll.” All of us have experienced brain-lock at one time
or another, and did not realize we had the best hand, thereby
unintentionally slow-rolling an opponent. When this unfortunate thing
happens, a heartfelt apology should be given. It will usually be accepted
and appreciated. Believe me, most experienced players can differentiate
between an intentional and unintentional slow roll.
As unimportant as these things might appear, I’ll bet that most of the old-
timers who have stayed with me through this entire column will agree
that we have seen more arguments and quarrels at the poker table over
the situations I’ve listed here than all other indiscretions put together.
So, here’s a word to the wise: If you’re new to poker, learn to do or not
to do the things I’ve mentioned and you’ll be considered a courteous
player, and courteous players make for better, and more friendly and
enjoyable, games.
For what it’s worth …
game. It was a good action game and everyone was having a good time
when a very typical five-way pot came up, and it ended up being a fairly
large pot. When the river card was dealt, the first three players checked
and the next player bet; I was last to act and called. I had A-A-4-J, which
gave me the nut low, and a pair of aces for high. The next three players,
who had checked, all threw their hands away. This left just the bettor and
myself. The bettor exclaimed, “You win!” I thought to myself, “Great,” and
proudly announced and showed a pair of aces and the nut low. My
opponent, seemingly a nice young man with whom I had never played
before, paused and then said, “Oh, I’ve got two pair.” So, instead of
winning the whole pot, I ended up with half the pot. That in itself was no
surprise, nor was it a disappointment; in fact, I was fairly certain that one
pair was not going to win the high. I guess I could have said nothing and
let it pass, but instead I calmly said, “You really shouldn’t say that ( ‘You
win’); you should just call your hand or lay it down.” The player
immediately said he was sorry and that he just figured I must have called
with something better than his two pair. It seemed to bother a couple of
the players at the table more than it did me, but soon the episode was
forgotten and the game continued with everyone getting along just fine.
A few days later I ran into the same young man, and again he apologized
to me. I assured him it was no big deal and thanked him for the apology.
He then went on to say that he was a relative newcomer, and because of
that, he sometimes said the wrong thing. He said he just didn’t know, at
times, what was proper etiquette and what was not.
He explained that he loved playing poker and wanted to get along in the
games without being rude or out of line. He asked if I could write a
column for all new, inexperienced players, explaining what was proper
and improper.
So, for this nice young man’s benefit, let me provide a few thoughts on
what I think all new players should know. It also might be a reminder to
all of us about being considerate, and saying what is appropriate and not
saying what is inappropriate.
First, when you bet and get called, call your hand or lay it faceup in front
of you, or do both. It is discourteous to do anything other than that. Do
not say things like, “Your flush is good,” “Do you have a straight?” “One
pair,” ”I got nothing,” “I missed,” or “Nice call.” If you want to play those
little games, get together with some friends and start a low-limit home
game in which you can say all the things they say in all those old movies
in which they are playing poker. You know the ones — those in which the
bad guy says, “Aces full,” laughs, and reaches for the pot, and then the
hero stares at him for a minute and says, “Good, but not good enough. I
got four deuces.” You definitely don’t want to say things like that if you
are going to play in a public poker room; all those cutesy statements don’
t fly there. Be courteous enough to show or call your hand when you’re
called. It‘s a little embarrassing when you are caught bluffing with
something like a 9 or 10 high in a hold’em game, but as painful as that
might be, it is proper to call or show your hand, or dump it.
There is another area of “do nots” that I want to mention to
inexperienced players. Sometimes these players hesitate too long when
they get called, allowing, and even encouraging, the other player or
players to show their hands down first, and then announcing in an
apologetic way, “Oh, I can beat that; I thought you had better than that.”
If you get called, don’t stall. Call your hand even if you think you are
probably beat. Sadly enough, though, I have to be honest and add that
even some experienced players can give you that hesitation move. I call it
a “semi-slow roll.”
Finally, when someone bets and you call, as soon as you see that your
hand is the best hand, be as timely as you can in showing your hand or
saying, “No good,” or “I can beat that.” If you intentionally stall and lead
the other player to believe his hand is good, you are doing what is called
a “full-blown slow roll.” All of us have experienced brain-lock at one time
or another, and did not realize we had the best hand, thereby
unintentionally slow-rolling an opponent. When this unfortunate thing
happens, a heartfelt apology should be given. It will usually be accepted
and appreciated. Believe me, most experienced players can differentiate
between an intentional and unintentional slow roll.
As unimportant as these things might appear, I’ll bet that most of the old-
timers who have stayed with me through this entire column will agree
that we have seen more arguments and quarrels at the poker table over
the situations I’ve listed here than all other indiscretions put together.
So, here’s a word to the wise: If you’re new to poker, learn to do or not
to do the things I’ve mentioned and you’ll be considered a courteous
player, and courteous players make for better, and more friendly and
enjoyable, games.
For what it’s worth …
Things to Say and Not to Say
By Vince Burgio
By Vince Burgio
