The Casino Etiquette Guide

🃏At the poker table

The fundamentals that keep a live game fast and fair:

• Act in turn. Wait for the action to reach you. Acting early — even folding — leaks information and can swing the hand.
• One motion for bets. Put your full bet out in a single move, or say the amount first (“raise to 40”). Reaching back to your stack for more after releasing chips is a string bet, and it won't be allowed.
• Announce big actions. Saying “raise” or “all in” before you move chips protects you and removes any doubt.
• Don't splash the pot. Stack your chips in front of you, not flung into the middle — the dealer has to count them.
• Protect your hand. A chip on top of your cards keeps them from being mucked by accident.
• Keep cards visible and on the table. One hand, above the felt, always. Cards never leave the table.
• Muck cleanly. When you fold, slide your cards face-down toward the dealer.

💵Tipping: who, when, how much

In American card rooms, tipping is part of the game — not an afterthought.

• The dealer. Toss a chip ($1–$5, scaled to the stakes and the pot) when you win a hand. Bigger pots, bigger tip — but a buck a pot is the baseline. Stiffing all night gets noticed.
• Cocktail servers. The drinks are “free,” but you tip $1–$2 each, every round. Tip well early and the service gets noticeably better.
• Tournament dealers. Tournaments usually fold a dealer gratuity into the buy-in, so you tip when you cash or run deep rather than pot by pot.
• Floor and brush. A tip when someone seats you quickly or sweats a ruling your way is a kind touch, not a requirement.

🎰On the casino floor

Beyond the poker room, table-games etiquette is its own thing:

• Hands off the cards in a face-up shoe game. Use hand signals — not words — for hit and stand, so the cameras can read your decision.
• Put cash on the felt rather than handing it over; dealers aren't allowed to take it from your hand. Let them push your winnings to you — don't reach into the layout.
• Tip here too: a bet for the dealer (“a hand for the dealer”) or a toke when you color up is standard.
• Phones away. Step off the table to take a call, never photograph other players, and no phones in a live poker hand.
• Mind the space. Don't rail over a stranger's shoulder uninvited, and keep unsolicited strategy advice to yourself.

Good etiquette isn't about being stuffy. It's about keeping the game fast, fair, and fun for everyone at the table — including you.

🚫The unwritten don’ts

A quick hit-list of things that mark you as a problem at the table:

• Don't berate other players for how they played a hand — loose players are why the game is good.
• Don't give lessons at the table, especially right after winning a pot.
• Don't talk about your hand while it's live, or narrate a hand still in progress.
• Don't argue a ruling with the dealer mid-hand — politely ask for the floor instead.
• Don't celebrate a bad beat you just put on someone. Win graciously, lose quietly.
• Don't be the player who's always on their phone when the action reaches them.

🆕First-timer’s cheat sheet

Walking into a poker room for the very first time:

• Get on the list. Tell the front desk (the “brush”) what game and stakes you want; they'll add your name and call you when a seat opens.
• Bring cash. Buy chips at the table or the cage, and ask the minimum and maximum buy-in for your game.
• Posting in. When you sit, you can usually post a blind to play right away or wait for the big blind to reach you — just ask the dealer.
• Don't sweat looking new. Dealers and regulars handle first-timers all day. A friendly “I'm new — can you walk me through it?” gets you nothing but help.
• Watch a round. Tempo and small customs vary room to room; observe one orbit before you fire.