Poker Articles

Rules to Trip the Unwary
By Michael Wiesenberg

Another rule subject to individual cardroom interpretation is:

Players are held to the following verbal declarations: "I pass," "I call," "I raise," "Take the pot."

This means, of course, that you should make no verbal declaration that you don't intend to follow through on. Many clubs that consider such declarations binding treat them as binding only in turn. If a player says "I raise" well before it is his turn, the other players ignore the statement and he is not held to it. Other clubs consider only chips placed in the pot to indicate action and do not hold players to anything they say. In these games, beware of the person who says one thing to gauge your reaction and then does not follow through. You can't have this particular angle shot at you if you always wait for the chips actually to be placed in the pot before acting.

In a limit game, you might bet $20, for instance, and a woman may say, "I'll raise." You might be so eager to call that you put the chips in the pot before she does. If she is bluffing, or thinks that you have her beat, she may try to renege and not put in the raise, or even the call. In many clubs, just saying it obligates her, but not in all. Even in a club in which verbal declarations are binding, if a large amount is involved, the person making but not following through on a verbal declaration may prefer being asked to leave or getting barred by the management to putting his or her chips in the pot. You may then have the pleasure of seeing the person thrown out, but not of getting the money.

To avoid getting stung, never call a bet until the other player's chips are in the pot. You'll get your money, and you will certainly avoid an unpleasant scene or argument. (The player could insist that her words "I'll raise" were just the start of a sentence she didn't get time to complete, which, in its entirety, would have been, "I'll raise if I make this hand. That's pretty farfetched, perhaps, but I'm always amazed at what angle shooters come up with.) Of course, if you know the other player to be honorable, particularly if you have observed the other always to follow through on verbal declarations, you can disregard the advice, but I've seen premature calls lead to tears often enough to make the warning.

In some clubs, a declaration even out of turn is somewhat binding. A player who says "I call" out of turn may not be permitted to raise when the action does get to him. Be careful! Always find out the rules in a new (to you) club.

In many clubs, the declaration "Take the pot" is binding, and so is any other indication of surrender. Tapping the table with your cards rather than showing the hand down (at showdown time, of course) is an indication of surrender that many cardrooms interpret strictly. Hitting the table with your cards (in a lowball or draw game, generally) is an ambiguous act that means, in different situations, "I pass," "No cards" (that is, indicating a pat hand), or "Take the pot; I can't win." Be aware of how the club you're playing in interprets the signal, and be careful with it. Don't idly tap the table with the cards while trying to make a decision; you may find the decision made for you and it might be the wrong one. I don't know how many times I've seen a new player in a lowball game, when asked by the dealer how many cards he wants, be tapping the table nervously, not aware of what he is doing, and have the dealer pass him by and start dealing replacements to the next player. An argument always ensues, with the newcomer saying, "Hey, you missed me," and the player behind insisting that the newcomer had "rapped pat." A floorman comes over and makes a decision, and it often is not in the newcomer's favor.

Don't say, "Take the pot," unless you really mean it. Don't even say, "You've got me," unless you actually give up, because many cardrooms interpret this as surrendering the pot.

And watch out for the guy that says, "You got me," as he calls your bet. At least half the time that is a needle*, and the player has a hand that rarely loses in that situation. If you call him on it, he might say something like, "Well, you're so tight, I was sure you had the nuts. I was just calling on account of the size of the pot, but I didn't think I'd win."

Right.

* From The Official Dictionary of Poker, available at fine bookstores everywhere: needle: 1. (v) Anger by means of verbal abuse, often by application of sarcasm. 2. (n) The act of so angering someone; usually preceded by give the. "You're gonna get punched in the nose if you keep giving him the needle."