Poker Ethics: What would you do (part 3 of 3) Table Talk

For the most part, poker is self-policing game; yes there are dealers and floor people in Brick & Mortar card-rooms and you have some safeguards online, but for the most part it is up to each individual player to protect not only themselves, but also the integrity of the game.

In this series I will take a look at three common scenarios where ethics come into play at the poker tables. The final topic I will cover in this series has to do with table talk, and what is proper to say at the poker tables, and what crosses the line.

When I speak of crossing the line I’m not talking about being insulting -although you should avoid doing that as well. What I’m referring to is crossing the ethics line by divulging information about your hand in situations where it could greatly benefit one of the other players at the table.

Here is a real basic example of what I’m referring to: Suppose you’re playing in a $10/$20 Limit Holdem game and have A6. The action in front of you is a raise, and a re-raise, so you have an easy fold and muck your cards. Unfortunately the flop comes down 6-6-6! Now in this situation you need to be very careful of what you say and don’t say, or even any gestures you might make.

• Whispering to your opponent
• An “are you kidding me”
• Slapping the table in disgust

All of these gestures or movements are just as telling as announcing “I folded the case 6!”

In situations where you have folded your cards you need to be very careful about what you say at the table; remember there are still players trying to win the pot! How would you feel if you were running a bluff on a 44J board and someone else at the table says something like, “I fold when I should call, and call when I should I fold.” What do you think has just happened to the success rate of your bluff?

The best way to handle these situations is to stay quiet and inanimate, after all if you can’t wait the minute or two until the hand is over to lament your terrible luck maybe poker just isn’t the right game for you in the first place!

If you run into a player who makes it perfectly clear when he has folded a hand that hit the flop just remind them that they are giving away a lot of information that the other players at the table shouldn’t be privy to, and therefore influencing the outcome of the hand.