Having a full understanding of poker etiquette and unwritten rules will improve the game for everyone involved at the table and could help you win more often. In this article we’ll take a look at some dos and don’ts that you should stick to in order to avoid upsetting the other players at your table.
When you deal a hand to your opponents, make sure you’re dealing them the same number of cards. Whether you’re playing a full game or a heads-up hand, this will ensure that there aren’t any discrepancies in the size of your hands and that each player is treated fairly.
In some games, the players may establish a special fund called a “kitty.” A kitty is usually built up by taking one low-denomination chip from each pot in which there is more than one raise. Any chips remaining in the kitty when the game ends are then divided equally among all players who remain in the game. This helps cover costs such as new decks of cards or food and drinks.
In poker, it’s important to keep the chips visible to your opponents so they can count them. Keeping your chips in view will also prevent them from being hidden or buried under other chips (this is called “ghosting”). It’s not against the rules to ghost, but it is against the spirit of poker. If you have a large stack of poker chips that are hard to see, then you should move those closer to the middle of the table so they’re easier to count.