Cops and Robbers, Checks and Balances, Rules and Angle Shooting

 In all games around the world, there are rules. Why? Because there are angles, also known as cheats. Poker is no exception to this; it may be the best example of why there are so many rules. We will cover the responsibilities of a poker dealer another time, but possibly the largest is to ensure all rules are followed and no one influences action that they are not directly involved in. Again, that's for another time.

 Anytime a player asks me what I think the most important rule in poker is, I give them this answer every time.

 Do not influence action. In my opinion, heads up (only 2 players left in the hand) should be handled differently than any other possible situation on the table. I have played at casinos that do not let players talk while heads up, I have played at casinos that do let players talk heads up. However, that's not the point of this article. If 3 or more players are in a hand, no one, not even a player in the hand, should be influencing action by saying anything.

As an example, the board has 4 club cards. Player one bets. Player two says "Yep, he's got the flush" and folds. So now player three also folds. Player two is wrong here. It is player threes responsibility to notice the clubs are on the board. "Well player three was probably folding anyway". That isn't the point here. The point is that player two potentially cost (or saved, based on the situation) player one some chips. Everyone wants to look cool like Daniel Negreanu, but don't do it if there are multiple players in the pot.

Good Luck Most of You!

Kelly