Angle shoot
If swearing under your breath is at one end of the etiquette scale, angle shooting is smack bang at the other. Angle shooting might not be, strictly speaking, against the rules, but it’s not ethical or in the spirit of the game. If you want to be hated at the table and across internet forums the world over, do what Ivan Freitez did at the 2011 EPT Grand Final. Unfortunately, karma doesn’t always function properly – after this awful behaviour, he went on to win the tournament and €1.5m.
Celebrate!
‘Celebrate good times, come on!’, might be okay for Kool & The Gang, but sing this after winning a big pot and you’re likely to be as popular as Black Lace. Think excessive celebration at the poker table and you get Hevad Khan, who st pumped, bumped and screamed his way through the 2007 Main Event. It led to the WSOP passing a rule which is still in force today. A st pump is acceptable. Running round the table waving your hands above your head and screaming ‘Bulldozer!’ isn’t.
Slowroll
Slowrolling someone is never okay, even in a fun, beery game, as Shaun Deeb found out on Poker Night in America. The atmosphere might have been relaxed but it took a distinctly frosty turn after Deeb opped quads in a hand with Mike Matusow. Matusow had Jacks and moved in on the turn, which led to Deeb hamming it up, asking for a count and winking at the other players. When he called and ipped, Matusow did the same, threatening to punch Deeb in the mouth if he ever did it again.
You C*** !
Swearing might be obligatory at your home game, but it won’t be as welcome at your local casino. The WSOP introduced its ‘f-bomb rule’ in 2005 which led to Mike Matusow getting a 40-minute penalty for repeat offences. They’ve relaxed the rule now but you’ll still get a penalty for swearing at someone. Use your common sense and you should be fine – it’s an emotional game after all. Don’t use the c-word though. No one likes that – as Larry David found out at his home game.
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