Online poker players often feel like fish out of water the first time they get into a live poker game. They are not always sure of the stated rules of live play, let alone the unwritten rules.

If you’re wandering into a live poker game for the first time, there’s no need to worry. You’re playing the same game you’ve always played, just in a slightly different venue. Still, it’s good to know some of the understood etiquette of the game.

Private Vs. Public Games

If you are invited to a home game, it’s a very different situation than if you are playing in a public card room. In a home game, you should be on your best behavior to be sure you will be invited back, especially if you are a winning player. In a public room you should still behave yourself, but you may get a little more latitude.

In a public game, you are free to leave the table whenever you want, although if you pick up your chips, your seat will go to another player. In a private game, you should make it a point to stay a while, especially if you are integral to keeping the game going. If you have a big win, it is customary to give the opponents some chance to recoup their losses, rather than leave right away.

Chopping

In a public card room Texas hold’em game, if it is folded around to the small blind, he and the big blind may decide to “chop,” taking back their bets and starting a new hand. This is done to save time and so that the House does not benefit by taking a big percentage of a small pot.

The small blind may have to give up one chip in a chop. If you chop once, common etiquette demands you chop throughout the entire session, not only when it’s convenient for you.

Checking It Down

In some blind vs. blind situations, a player may want to “check it down” rather than chop. This happens in bad beat jackpot games when both players have a hand that may result in a bad beat jackpot.

Usually this means one player holds a pair and the other a big ace. Players simply check to the river and show down their hands.