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By Keith Ecker
Just as there are sins to be committed in life, there are egregious sins to be committed in the world of Texas Hold’em. Failing to avoid these faux pauxs of poker will not send you to eternal poker damnation. Rather, they will most likely cause you to lose the respect of your opponents and burn a hellish hole in your wallet.
First: Thou shalt not play out of turn.
Always, always, always play in turn. Of course this does not apply to you online poker junkies. But for those that set foot into a casino, pay attention to the game before you. If you play out of turn, you will annoy other players. Annoying your opponent might be a good tactic to put them on tilt, but to do it with such imbecilic tactics is inexcusable. Also, not only will you piss off the other players, you will most likely upset the dealer. Ruffling the dealer is never a good thing. Because he or she is in charge of the flow of the game as well as whether or not the pit boss comes over to handle “the idiot” who keeps playing out of turn, it is best to do everything possible to stay on his or her good side. Also, playing out of turn shows a lack of experience. Poker is all about abiding by the unspoken rules, and, if you break them, be sure to prepare yourself for a lashing from a much more experienced player at the table.
Second: Thou shalt not fold when thou can check.
Maybe you already know this rule, and, if you do, you know exactly what I am saying. Nothing screams weakness like folding when you can check. No matter how awful your pocket cards may be, if you have the option of staying in the game without forking over more chips, by all means check. You never know how a flop might turn out. That 7-2 offsuit could turn into a money machine if the right cards hit on the flop. To fold prematurely is yet again another sign of weakness and inexperience that will be sure to have your opponents eyeing you up and down. It also can ruin your potential to unexpectedly win a hefty hand with paltry cards.
Third: Thou shalt not place a string bet.
When you bet at a Hold’em table, make sure you say the amount of your bet loud and clear, preferably before you even move chips out in front of your stack. By not announcing your bet and solely relying on the visual of placing chips into the pot, you are opening yourself up to being called on a string bet. A string bet is an illegal move in poker where a player puts only a partial amount of chips out rather than the entire bet. It is common to see a player place a call amount of chips out and announce, “Call,” before saying, “And I raise you…” By the rules, if you say, “Call,” and put out the correct amount of chips to call, then you have called the bet, even if you have the intention of also raising. Such a move can cost you bigger winnings if you know you have a killer hand and wished to raise. As stated, always announce your raise loud a clear so that the dealer knows your intentions.
Fourth: Thou shalt not splash the pot.
It feels good to throw a stack of chips into the pot and announce, “Raise.” You feel like a big man who most certainly intimidates your opponents with the relaxed attitude you have about throwing your money away. Well, you can also consider yourself a jerk. What you have just done is known as splashing the pot. This is when a player nonchalantly throws his money into the pot without first putting it out in front of him for the dealer to count and verify. Sneaky players will splash the pot in order to cheat, announcing a bet that is actually more than the amount they threw into the pot. Dumb players will splash the pot because by definition they are dumb. Doing this will annoy your opponents as well as the dealer. Doing it repeatedly could get you thrown out of the casino.
Five: Thou shalt not get plastered at the table.
We all love to have fun when playing poker. But it is wise to remember that you are in it for the money whether you like it or not. And the best way to ensure that you don’t bet your life’s savings on that unlikely 4-8 suited is to keep a level head. How do you keep a level head? By not getting drunk at the poker table. Of course it is tempting with all of the waitresses cascading through the poker room and offering spirits at cheap or even no cost. But would you invest into stocks while plowed on gin and tonics? For your sake, I hope not. The same goes with poker. It is okay to drink a little bit, but to become a stumbling W.C. Fields is another matter. Other players will secretly, or not so secretly, loathe you, dealers will become annoyed, your skill level will drop inversely with your blood alcohol level, and you will most likely wake up the next morning wondering where all the money went. In short, be wise with alcohol when playing poker.
Six: Thou shalt conceal thy cards until the end of the hand.
Whether you fold pre-flop or take it to the river, be sure to keep your cards hidden from all other players until the hand is over. This seems obvious. If other players know your cards, then you are at a disadvantage. But all too often, inexperienced players will use tactics to check their cards that flash what they have to adjacent players like neon billboards. The proper way to check what you have is to ever so carefully lift your cards up from the table just enough to see the corners. The numerical value and suit of each card is always printed in the corner, which means that is all you need to see of your card. This rule also applies to after you fold. Be sure to keep what you had in your hand a secret. Telling other players might hurt or help them. Either way, they don’t want your input. Clam up and keep an eye on how your opponents finish the hand. It might help you out if you find yourself heads up against one of them.
Seven: Unless thou has enough money to burn, thou shalt not chase the river.
Unless you’re the Trump, do not chase the river. I don’t care what you have in your hand. If it is crap after the turn, odds are it will be crap after the river. Of course there are extenuating circumstances and each scenario must be looked at on a case-by-case basis. But in general, do not keep betting just to see what fifth street is going to look like. The odds are, an opponent has already kicked your hand’s butt long before that last card is ever put down. Chasing the river can be costly to you. But on the bright side, it will earn you friends at the table – the kind of friends that collect from your mistakes.
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