1st Rule Of Poker

I have been playing poker for a while. Somewhere along the way it seems like the rule one player per hand has become relaxed. The little comments about flops, the jokes about how you missed the flop or even one telling another player they can chop. If you are not in a hand you should not talk about the hand in any way. Its not only not polite to interrupt, but its against the rules. I don’t know if its just narcissism that makes players say something. Maybe its just the fact that they are not involved and want the attention back on them. I really don’t know why people joke on the river, call, call. Please stop. It hurts players in the hand and hurts the game itself. I have been accused of being a hard ass and not willing to have any fun. Fine I can take that. But why cant people just make jokes about something else, why pick a topic that is in poor taste, or at the expense of players still in the hand.

The rules are stated very simple, No player should talk about the hand in progress unless you are one of the two players heads up. That does not mean others in the hand can talk, just them. If you are not in the hand, or if there is more then one player, you should say NOTHING about the hand. If someone string bets, its not your job to call it. Let the dealer call the game.

One player per hand means that even if you see that the person next to you has a flush, unless they turn their hand over you are not allowed to tell them. Actually you should never say anything, it’s the dealers job to call the hand. People may argue that he had the winning hand, he should win the pot. That’s not true. In poker a player must make reads and determine on their own if they have the best hand. Now here comes the real hard part. If you do see someone fold a winner, don’t tell them after the hand is over. Unless you are just trying to rub it in, or prove that you are smarter then them, let it go.

Anyway, if you are not involved, don’t get involved.

I know different places have different rules, but if everyone followed these rules there would be a lot less arguments.