Poker Table Etiquette
Over the weekend social media was a-buzz with claims of Ryan Eriquezzo
having an apparent blowup after losing AA
for a 200BB pot at the PARX main event. Ryan was disqualified from
the tournament after crumpling up the cards and allegedly making
various negative remarks toward dealers and staff. But the biggest
factor behind the incident blowing up on social media was after
Eriquezzo decided to ask Matt Glantz (PARX Poker Room Ambassador)
via Twitter, regarding his stance on the matter. Ryan didn't seem to
argue that crumbling the cards was wrong, but rather, he wanted to
know if it was fair that he was disqualified for it. Here is how the
Twitter exchange went down: online poker 468x60 "Just had my stack
taken out ofcplay (sic) on PARX main event for crumbling my cards
after taking a 200/bb beat. Had 85k left. MattGlantz Glantz
responded: RyanEriquezzo ok. So u prob shouldn't disrespect the
venue or the people by crumbling the cards." RyanEriquezzo I am
being told u were DQ'd for crumpling the cards, throwing the cards,
& berating the floor & dealer." RyanEriquezzo the floor said
he would have prob only have given u a 2 orbit penalty if u didn't
threaten to "blow torch the place."" After which Eriquezzo replied:
MattGlantz never ever f***ing threatened anyone or anything"
Eriquezzo is definitely not the first poker player to ever crumple
or rip up their cards in frustration during a poker tournament, and
it's likely that he never would have been disqualified if he hadn't
added fuel to the fire by speaking to the dealer and the floor staff
in the manner he did. At the end of the day people are people, if
you treat them with disrespect they're going to exercise their power
in whatever way possible to make your life that much worse. The
situation can be likened to a police officer pulling you over for
speeding - you weren't supposed to be speeding in the first place,
so why would you berate the officer as he's writing you up for it?
It can only make things worse, and he's likely going to attempt to
give you a harsher penalty than you're already receiving. After
reviewing the PARX incident involving Ryan, it's clear that keeping
calm in unfortunate situations at the poker table has to be the most
+EV decision for the individual involved. What do you benefit from
having an outburst? It can only harm you in the long run. These
outbursts should be reserved for inexperienced player that are
merely there to gamble, and not for the professional who derives his
living from the cards. In the poker world, one of the biggest assets
a professional player has is his reputation, and how he is perceived
by other players. Which brings us to our next point... Staying calm
will help us to avoid receiving a penalty during a tournament, but
what negative effects may come about by not following proper table
etiquette in a cash game? If you have taken the time to visit this
site, I'm assuming you want to take poker somewhat seriously and are
striving to become a good player even if you are not one already. If
that is the case, it would be advisable to always stay calm at the
table - even if you believe your outburst will not affect your
fundamental game play - why? Most people play poker recreationally
to have fun and pass the time, especially older players. By having
an outburst at the table, you are creating an unpleasant atmosphere
for the players that are there for entertainment - these same
players are likely the ones that are going to contribute to your
rent payment. By berating a player for their poor play you are doing
two things; a) you are making them feel uncomfortable, and
encouraging them to leave the table, and b) if your outburst
includes pointing out their poor play - you are ultimately making
them a better player. Why would you want to berate a player for
their bad play? So they can think about it and make sure they play
better next time? This is foolish. If every good player kept their
comments to themselves after they took a bad beat, or after a
recreational player played poorly, the poker economy would be doing
a lot better. Some players even go as far as telling the
recreational player why they are playing so poorly - why? So you can
show the table that you're some sort of poker savant? You do not
have anything to prove - if you play great, other great players will
recognize it... keep the recreational players in the dark, please.
