Amateurs often make costly procedural mistakes, or break rules out of inexperience. Below are some guidelines that will hopefully keep you out of trouble:<\/p>\n
String Bets<\/strong><\/p>\n A string bet<\/em> is when a player puts a portion of his bet or raise in the pot and then goes back to his stack for more without announcing his intention. For example, it\u2019s a player’s turn to bet and, intending to bet 1,000, he puts 600 in the pot without saying anything, then goes back to his stack for the other 400. This is a string bet and he would only be allowed to bet 600.<\/p>\n Another example: A player has bet 1,000 and his opponent wants to raise to 4,000. The opponent puts 2,500 in the pot without saying anything, then goes back for the other 1,500. Only the 1,500 raise that he put in the pot in his first motion will be allowed.<\/p>\n This is perhaps the most common rules violation committed by novice players. The spirit of this rule is that a player should make his intention crystal clear.<\/p>\n The reasoning for this is that if the player to act behind the string bettor doesn\u2019t know when the action is completed, the string bettor might gain some information from his opponent\u2019s actions, giving him unfair advantage.<\/p>\n The simple solution to avoid string betting is to get in the habit of always announcing your intention before you put any chips in the pot. For example, if you want to raise a bet to 5k total, say \u201cI\u2019ll make it 5,000\u201d before putting any<\/em> chips in the pot. Also, if the blinds are, say 250\/500, even if it\u2019s deep in the hand and a 500 bet would be silly, if you mean to bet 5,000 but throw in a 5k chips and say \u201c5,\u201d it could be limited to a 500 bet. Be very clear about your intentions.<\/p>\n Oversized Chip<\/strong><\/p>\n Another common occurrence and source of confusion is when a player puts a single chip in the pot that\u2019s larger than the action calls for. From the TDA (Tournament Director’s Association) rule book: \u201c<\/strong>Anytime when facing a bet (or blind), placing a single oversized chip in the pot is a call if a raise is not first verbally declared. To raise with a single oversized chip, a declaration must be made before the chip hits the table surface. If a raise is declared (but not an amount), the raise is the maximum allowable for that chip. When not facing a bet, as in post-flop when you\u2019re first to act or it\u2019s checked to you, placing an oversized chip in the pot without declaration is a bet of the maximum allowable for the chip.\u201d<\/p>\n This again emphasizes the importance of announcing your intention. There are many variations on the enforcement of this rule, but the bottom line is that you won\u2019t go wrong if you make your intention very clear.<\/p>\n Reading an Untabled Hand<\/strong><\/p>\n Everything that happens to any player at any table in a tournament affects every player, so you have a right to get involved if you see something that doesn\u2019t seem right. One instance where it\u2019s not correct to get involved is when a player is holding his cards in the air so you can see them, but he hasn\u2019t tabled<\/em>, or placed them face up on the felt. If you notice that he has a winning hand, do not <\/em>point it out to him unless he tables the hand. To do so would violate the \u201cone-player-to-a-hand<\/em>\u201d rule (and would get his opponent very mad at you).<\/p>\n Once the cards are tabled, any player has the right to point out a winner. Don\u2019t count on the dealer to read every hand perfectly. If you notice and intend to point out an overlooked tabled hand, do it while the cards are still face up and the pot hasn\u2019t been awarded. I can recall many instances where a hand has been overlooked and for some reason a player waited until several hands later before pointing out that the pot went to the wrong player. Then all hell breaks loose, the game gets held up, and there are lots of hard feelings.<\/p>\n One Player to a Hand<\/strong><\/p>\n No player should act in a way as to help another player in the play of a hand. (This doesn\u2019t include reading a tabled hand, as discussed above.) An example of violating the rule: A player make a big raise on 4th<\/sup> street and a player not in the hand says, \u201cwow, the last time he made a raise like that he had the nuts!\u201d The player making that statement would be subject to a penalty. A good rule to play by is to not say anything about a hand in progress unless you\u2019re involved. And if you\u2019re involved in a mutil-way hand, be careful what you say. Let\u2019s say a player makes a big bet into you and there\u2019s a player behind you still to act. You say, \u201cI\u2019m pretty sure you\u2019re bluffing, but I don\u2019t have anything to call you with.\u201d This could have an effect on how the next player acts and is unethical and could call for a penalty.<\/p>\n You\u2019re not allowed to talk specifically about your hand, or expose a card. This is known as the \u201cJamie Gold Rule\u201d, as Jamie used this chatty tactic to great effect when he won in 2006. Many pros don\u2019t like this rule, as they feel they can gain an edge over inexperienced opponents.<\/p>\n Verbal Declarations are Binding<\/strong><\/p>\n While announcing your intention is a good policy, you must always pay close attention to the action and be sure you know what\u2019s going on before acting. Once you make a declaration, you must follow through (in some situations you have the option of forfeiting the chips already in the pot and folding).<\/p>\n An example of this came in the ME in 2004. Doyle Brunson, at age 70, was again making a run at the ME title. I was having a great tournament that year, with six cashes and three final tables. I got KO\u2019d from the ME in 54th<\/sup> place (in a huge pot where I had KK vs. AK). As I was leaving the table, Tournament Director Matt Savage made an announcement detailing my WSOP performance and my demise. The crowd gave me a loud ovation.<\/p>\n As I was getting my applause, on another table, Doyle had gone all-in with a pair of tens and Bradley Berman (son of Hall-of-Famer Lyle Berman), not hearing Doyle\u2019s declaration because of the noise, announced \u201craise.\u201d The dealer told Bradley that he couldn\u2019t raise because Doyle had moved in ahead of him. When Bradley realized the situation he tried to take his chips back and fold his weak A-7, but the dealer informed him that since he announced \u201craise,\u201d he had to put his chips in. An ace flopped and Doyle was done, KO\u2019d by Bradley — and me! I\u2019m not sure whether or not the dealer announced Doyle\u2019s action, but if he had and Bradley had heard it, maybe Doyle would have gone on to win his third title and the world might never have heard of Greg Raymer.<\/p>\n Chips Cannot Be Taken Out of a Pot<\/strong><\/p>\n Once a player put chips in a pot, that\u2019s where they have to stay, unless it\u2019s an illegal raise. Let\u2019s say a player raises, the player behind him doesn\u2019t realize it, and puts in the chips for a call of the pre-raise bet. When informed that the pot was raised, the player has two options. He can either call the raise or forfeit the chips he already put in the pot and fold. Many times this is a result of the dealer failing to announce the action. It most commonly happens when the player on the left of the dealer is blocked by the dealer from seeing or hearing the action of the player on the dealer\u2019s right. It also happens when a player has put in an oversized chip and the action isn\u2019t made clear to the table. Even so, the player is responsible for following the action, so be careful before acting.<\/p>\n Acting Out of Turn<\/strong><\/p>\n Actions out of turn are binding. A player may occasionally make this mistake for a number of reasons. Once he does, if nothing happens before his actual turn to change the action, he must follow through.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s say a player announces \u201craise\u201d with players still to act in front of him. The only way he\u2019s not committed to raise is if another player raises before the action gets to him. If there\u2019s a raise, the player in question has the choice to fold, call, or re-raise. Acting out of turn repeatedly or intentionally can result in a penalty.<\/p>\n Folding out-of-turn can be a penalty. If you need to go to the bathroom, or take a phone call, don\u2019t fold until the action gets to you. Folding prematurely affects the action and is unfair to the other players.<\/p>\n What Constitutes a Raise?<\/strong><\/p>\n From the TDA rule book: \u201cA raise must be at least the size of the largest previous bet or raise of the current betting round. If a player puts in a raise of 50% or more of the previous bet but less than the minimum raise, he or she must make a full raise. The raise will be exactly the minimum raise allowed. In no-limit and pot limit, an all-in wager of less than a full raise does not reopen the betting to a player who has already acted.\u201d<\/p>\n There are lots of different scenarios where a player will put in more than the chips required for a call, but not enough for a full raise. The above rule is a catch-all that makes the decision easy.<\/p>\n A common situation in tournaments is when the level has gone up and a player makes a raise applicable to the previous level. For example, the blinds have just gone from 200-400 to 300-600. A player living in the past puts in 800, intending to raise. Since at the present level a full raise would be 600 more and the player has only put in 200 of the 600 raise, it would be ruled a call and the 200 would be pushed back. If the player had announced \u201craise,\u201d the raise would stand and he\u2019d put in the extra 400.<\/p>\n Keep Chips in View<\/strong><\/p>\n Players are required to keep all their chips in plain sight and to keep their biggest chips on top of their stacks or in front. This makes it easy for players to see how much their opponents have.<\/p>\n In 1982 Jack Straus won the title when he discovered a single 500 chip under a napkin after he had made a bet that his opponent had assumed put him all in. That incident coined the saying that a player isn\u2019t out of it if he still has \u201ca chip and a chair.\u201d Under today\u2019s rules, Jack would probably have been required to give the chip to the player who won the pot, he wouldn\u2019t have his picture on the wall, and we wouldn\u2019t have that cool saying.<\/p>\n Asking for a Count<\/strong><\/p>\n You\u2019re allowed to ask your opponents how much they have. They\u2019re allowed to not answer, in which case the dealer should count for you. You don\u2019t need to do anything more than arrange your chips so they are plainly visible to your opponent. Some opponents will ask for a count to gauge your reaction and hopefully pick up a tell.<\/p>\n Protect Your Hand<\/strong><\/p>\n You should always put something on your hole cards to protect them. Dealers have a tendency to accidently scoop up unprotected cards. I generally just use a chip or two. Some players have elaborate or interesting card protectors.<\/p>\n John Bonetti was a great tournament player and a good guy, but with a very gruff demeanor. My favorite Bonetti story took place in a NLH preliminary event about 25 years ago. John had a bad habit of leaving his cards about six inches in front of him without anything on top to protect them, essentially daring a dealer to take them. I was sitting to his right and watched this unfold.<\/p>\n John raised pre-flop, got called in one spot, then bet the flop. After his opponent called, the dealer scooped in the bets, along with John\u2019s cards! On fourth street, without a hand, John bet again and his opponent called. The dealer then put out the river card. John then looked down and realized his cards were gone. All hell broke loose. He immediately started viciously berating the dealer. (No penalties back then!) Jack McClelland came over and made a pretty bad ruling, giving him his fourth street bet back. But, it was hard to defy John Bonetti back in those days.<\/p>\n Just because you have something on your cards doesn\u2019t mean a dealer might not grab them. If this happens, you\u2019re probably out of luck, so keep them as safe as possible while still keeping them in view of your opponents.<\/p>\n Protect Other Players <\/strong><\/p>\n Discussing a hand in progress, whether you\u2019re involved or not, can be detrimental to the participants. Be careful about disclosing the contents of your hand. Many times players will make an obvious reaction that suggest the contents of a folded hand, such as when two or even three-of-a-kind flop and a player makes it obvious he folded one of that rank of cards. This can greatly affect the play of the hand. If two other players are involved in a hand and are talking to each other, no matter what they say, don\u2019t get involved. This happens a lot when TV cameras are around and players seek TV exposure. Also, if you\u2019re in a multi-way pot, resist the temptation to discuss anything about the hand in an attempt to gain information. It\u2019s unfair to your opponent.<\/p>\n Cell Phone Rule<\/strong><\/p>\n Cell phones and tablets are a part of modern life. Pros with a following often tweet or post from the table. The present rule on cell phones is that you must walk away from the table to take or make a call, and you can\u2019t look at your phone<\/p>\n English Only<\/strong><\/p>\n This rule is aimed at preventing players speaking a language unfamiliar to their opponents to engage in conversation during a hand. This includes people watching a game, and applies to players whether they have a hand or not.<\/p>\n Penalties<\/strong><\/p>\n Penalties in poker were first instituted by Jack McClelland in the mid-’90s as a means of controlling dealer abuse. Old-time players, for some reason I\u2019ve never been able to figure out, tended to blame the dealer when they lost a hand. And it seemed, with notable exceptions, that the bigger name the worse the offender.<\/p>\n This concept might seem foreign to modern Internet-weaned players who developed their poker skills in games where there was no dealer to blame for losses. (Of course, the random number generator has assumed that role, but it\u2019s an uassailable target.) For many years dealers had little recourse. Players seeing the big names abusing dealers often emulated their behavior until the situation became untenable and Jack was having a hard time finding dealers to work the tournament. The institution of penalties gave dealers some protection and eventually the abuse subsided.<\/p>\n Penalties range from being required to sit out a hand, or maybe a full round, to disqualification, usually at the discretion of the floorman.<\/p>\n Abusive Behavior<\/strong><\/p>\n Any abusive actions toward dealers, floor people or other players is cause for a penalty. This includes verbal attacks, throwing cards off the table or hard at the dealer in anger, and any other forced of unwarranted aggression. This a good rule that prevents the scene from becoming too earthy and colorful. There needs to be some understanding here, however.<\/p>\n Poker can be a mentally taxing and frustrating game, and each player needs to find his own way to blow off steam. An example I\u2019ll never forget happened years ago in a game with Puggy Pearson. Pug had a reputation for dealer abuse in his younger days, but had mellowed by this time. He took a particularly bad beat and I could see he was steaming. The dealer had his hand over the muck and Pug gently said to him \u201cSon, take your hand off the muck. I gotta have somewhere to throw these cards.\u201d And with that he tossed them into the muck with just enough effort to open his steam valve, but not hard enough to be dangerous.<\/p>\n Excessive Celebration <\/strong><\/p>\n New in 2008 was this attempt to cut back on theatrics, which had gotten out of hand as players performed in an attempt to garner TV time. I like this rule as I\u2019ve always felt celebrating in your defeated opponent\u2019s face was a classless move. There\u2019s a delicate balance between what is over-the-top and what makes good TV, which is all-important these days.<\/p>\n Intentionally Exposing Cards<\/strong><\/p>\n A player who exposes his cards with action pending may incur a penalty, but will not have a dead hand unless it\u2019s an extreme case. The penalty will begin at the end of the hand. In the old days showing a card was a ploy used to try to obtain information from your opponent\u2019s reaction. This practice was banned in the ’90s, so be aware!<\/p>\n Keeping Chips in View When You Move Tables<\/strong><\/p>\n This is very important for new players.<\/em> Putting chips in your pocket at any time, including when your table breaks and you are moved to a one, can result in forfeiture of the chips or disqualification. I hate this rule because it\u2019s almost always an unknowing amateur who breaks it. A while back at the Rio, a foreign player there for the first time (who probably didn\u2019t speak English, so he didn\u2019t know the rule) came to his new table and had chips in his pocket. He was disqualified from the ME! Not only was this very unfair, I can\u2019t imagine he ever came back, and he probably bad-mouthed the WSOP for years.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re playing the ME this year, remember to have fun and embrace the experience. Good cards and good luck!<\/p>\n It\u2019s Main Event (ME) time already! The ME is the pinnacle of poker, and thousands of players are flocking to the Rio. Many an amateur player\u2019s bucket list gets a check mark this time of year. The proliferation of amateurs plopping down 10k, many of whom have little chance to go deep, is what makes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":6379,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[2,685],"tags":[1634,365,1631,1636,1633,1628,1635,1630,656,1629,1626,695,1189,1625,1632,1627,200],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Facebook\"](\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/gambling-with-an-edge\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-media-feather\/synved-social\/image\/social\/regular\/96x96\/facebook.png\" "\\"Follow")
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