Vegas Poker

I know this is not the usual topic of posts on my blog, but as a longtime poker player who recently had a chance to play some Vegas poker, I found that my pre-trip research just didn't turn up the info I needed.  So for the good of the internet, here you go: "Vegas Poker Etiquette for a First Timer."

-  take your time folding: it's better to be a slow folder than to fold out of turn. And the guy on your right might be covering his cards, making it more difficult to see if he's folded. 

-  after you lose, leave. It's against the rules to hang around the table for too long if you're not playing.  The exception is that you can stay outside the playing area, which is typically cordoned off.

-  don't influence the actions of other players (tell them to call, to fold). It's against the rules. 

-  bring extra $$.  A $100 tournament might have a $25 fee on top. 

-  if you don't say "raise," it's normally assumed you're calling and need change. This is situational tho: if the bet is $600 and you put down $5500, especially in multiple chips, that's a pretty clear raise. 

-  put your high value chips in front.  This is a rule. 

- you can only play the $ that's on the table before a hand starts. So you can put a $100 bill out there and play it instead of chips, but you can't pull out your wallet mid hand and bet up those pocket aces. 

- there's usually a monitor someplace visible telling you the blinds, ante, round, time until the blinds are raised, and number of players left if it's a tournament.

- be friendly. If you're a nice guy and you make a faux pas, they'll go easy on you and tell you what you did wrong. If you're a jerk...

- don't string bet. If you dont know what that is, go look it up immediately.  

-  don't ever tell anyone your cards (or anything about your cards) until the hand is over.