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by Dennis Hong
Last time, I went over a few tips on casino poker etiquette. Well, the world of Internet poker has its own list of do's and don'ts, too. So this time around, I'm going to discuss etiquette as it pertains specifically to internet poker.
Play quickly
When you're sitting at home in front of your computer, it's easy to get distracted. Maybe you're watching the football game on TV, maybe you're surfing the internet, maybe you're playing more than one game at once. Who knows? And who cares? The players at your virtual table just want to play poker. And it's rude to everyone else if your distractions slow down the game. If you want to multi-task while playing Internet poker, that's your prerogative. Please just make sure you don't hold everyone else up because you haven't been paying attention to the hand or because you're trying to decide whether or not to call on your other table.
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Click on "Auto-post" antes or blinds
This goes along with the "Play quickly" tip. The only reason not to have the "auto-post" option checked is if you plan on leaving. If you know that you're going to be playing the next hand, though, click on the option to speed up the game. And if you happen to be one of those people who likes to multi-task, auto-posting will leave you more time for your non-poker distractions, therefore making both you and your opponents happy. Hey, this may very well be the only poker situation ever where everyone wins, so take advantage of it! And on the flip side....
If you're going to leave, leave
Don't just sit out for twenty minutes, or until you get kicked off by the site. Most sites will indeed pick you up off the table after you've sat out a set number of hands or minutes, but that could still add up to quite a bit of time. If you have to leave the game for whatever reason, and you don't know if you're going to be back any time soon, just leave the table. That way, you won't have to feel rushed to get back to your game, and you also won't be taking up a seat that someone else could be playing in.
Don't play if your internet connection is slow or unreliable
Perhaps you're thinking to yourself right now, "isn't this a little harsh? Do you really think it's fair that someone should stop playing just because they have a slow connection?" Well, my answer is a resounding YES. You see, if your connection is slow or unreliable, you're not only going to annoy everyone at your table. You're also going to end up hurting yourself. Most Internet poker sites offer two all-in disconnect protections per day, meaning that if you get disconnected while involved in a hand, you'll go all-in and still have a chance to win the pot. But you're only allowed to do this twice. Once you're out of all-in protections, your hand will be folded if you get disconnected, even if it would've ended up being the winning hand. So, if you have a shaky internet connection, is this a risk that you want to take? Are you that desperate to play poker? Take my advice: if you're going to play online, spend the extra money and get yourself a reliable internet connection. You'll save yourself endless frustration... and money, too!
Don't chat about the hand during the hand itself
In a live cardroom, most people are aware that it is both illegal and immoral to talk about the hand as it's being played out. Even if you're not involved, your words could drastically alter the play of the hand. In the Internet poker world, though, there always seems to be a know-it-all who loves to announce what he thinks a certain player has, or what he thinks a certain player is trying to do. If you choose to be one of these know-it-alls, more than likely, you'll just be embarking on the road to getting your chat privileges suspended. Besides, if you really are the know-it-all that you claim to be, prove it with your play, not your yapping.
Don't fold out of turn
Please refer to my previous etiquette article for an explanation of why folding out of turn may not only hurt you, but other players as well. Internet poker sites do allow you to fold out of turn, but they also prompt you to make sure that you do really want to fold. Therefore, not only are you exercising poor etiquette when you fold out of turn, you're also subjecting yourself to the hassle of having to click "Fold," then "Yes, I'm sure I want to fold." It sure seems like a whole lot more work than just clicking "Check." Besides, you can easily pre-click the "Check/Fold" option, wherein you will automatically check if the hand is checked to you, but fold if anyone bets on that betting round. Many sites even offer a "Fold to any bet" option, which is active through every subsequent betting round. Therefore, you don't have to click "Check/fold" again if everyone happens to check. Why not just use either of these two features? You'll be playing fair, you won't be hurting yourself, and really, it's just more convenient.
If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it
It never ceases to amaze me how much trash talking goes on at the virtual tables. Comments that would likely get someone severely beaten up in the parking lot outside a casino have become quite commonplace at online poker sites. I call it the "big ball syndrome," and it's probably the same reason that flame wars erupt in online discussion forums: when you don't have to talk to someone in person, when you don't have to face the physical consequences of your words, it's easy to grow "big balls" (pardon my language) and become a tough guy all of a sudden. To these people, all I can say is, "grow up."
I've also heard people tell me that they use trash talk to gain an edge against their opponents. They insult and belittle their opponents, in the hopes of getting them riled up and putting them on tilt. Well, bully tactics may work against the weak players. But if you try them against a player with any experience at all, you'll just end up getting laughed at. All of a sudden, you'll be the one your opponents peg as someone who's riled up and on tilt. All of a sudden, you'll be the one on the receiving end of the trash talking. Put it simply, trash talking only invites more trash talking. And often times, the one who starts it is the one who ultimately ends up playing poorly. It's your choice who you want to be.
So there you have it. Even in the virtual world of internet poker, you can exercise good etiquette or bad etiquette. Hopefully then, these tips will allow us all to maintain a fun online gaming atmosphere. See you at the virtual tables!
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