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At some point, you will play in tournaments and you have to act formally. Most tournaments have etiquette rules that all players should follow. Thus, as early as now, you must already get to know what are these etiquette rules so you are always prepared.

Use of Offensive Language

Most tournaments are very strict when it comes to language being used by the players. They often warn players or even disqualify players using offensive language.

Specifically, in tournaments, use of the “F” word is not accepted. If you are heard using this word, you may get a penalty like dismissal or disqualification from the game. For a lighter penalty, you maybe required to take a time off from the game, say 10 minutes of not playing if it is just first offense. If the penalty is to be assessed per round, then you maybe required to take a time off for one round of blinds if it is just first offense.

Way back in 2007, the rule on offensive words was more loose. Player will only suffer from a penalty when he or she says an offensive word directly to another player included in the game.

Throwing Off Cards to Dealer

In most tournaments, you are not allowed to throw off cards to dealer. If in case you try to do so, you will get a penalty. It is believed that throwing off cards to dealer will cause the game some delays. Nonetheless, when you throw off cards to dealer, those cards would fly off the table and eventually should be replaced, thus causing delays to the game.

The penalty you will get will depend on the tournament game you are in. Penalty varies. Just to be sure you will not be hassled by any penalty, never throw off cards to dealer.

Hello,

I believe you once presented a modified set of hand groupings. I’m wondering if how do you recommend that these are played from different positions?

Thanks in advance!

Best regards,
Jansen
Jansen,

Hand values you can open the pot for change the later in position you become. In later position you can call with a wider range of hands. The earlier you are, the stronger the holdings should become.

Hi there!

I have K7 unsuited and flop is A – 7- 4. I normally wind up calling it but later I lose as it comes back to haunt me. Do you think I should call with a hand like such? Why?

By the way, with suited connectors do you think I should call preflop bet?

Many thanks,
Drew
Drew,

1. You should probably lay down this hand on this flop when it is bet to you in No Limit as there is an ace. If it is Limit, you can stay in due to the limited bets and the fact you have odds.
   
2. A-K, A-Q, A-J and maybe K-Q, K-J, and K-10 are the only suited connectors I am going to normally consider calling a raise preflop with against a single opponent.

Hi,

I guess I have a very simple question to ask. When and for what reason will you check?

I hope to hear from you soon.

Best regards,
January
January,

There are lots of reasons to check. You may want to check to induce a check-raise, you can check when you miss with your hand, you may want to check to induce a bet. You may check to slow play. You may check dark to throw your opponent off. You can check because your opponent’s hair is blue. The reasons depends on the hand conditions and is up to you.

Hi,

Before anything, thanks for your quick response last time.

Well, I’m here again to ask you something. At a short handed table, say at the the end of the tourney, how should my play change compared to regular one? I know for a fact that I have to loosen up however most of the time I end up playing aggressively. Any advice?

Thank you very much.

All the best,
Leo
Leo,

You should loosen up your hand requirements late. The easiest way to think about this is to take hands that you would play in later position and back up a position with them. Play late position hands even in middle position, middle position hands in early position, and widen your late position holdings up a bit. When you do flop a strong hand, then play the hand aggressively. Also push your big hand.

Hello,

I was in a regular No Limit recently. It was a game with 2 maniacs. Well, one of the two has the best numbers on every dimension. Other one has also more or less achieved the same thing if he was not drunk.

On the other side, the rest of us at the table played pretty tight and played only hands that were known for not being weak. But the maniacs then kept on calling, raising, and re-raising.

Now, do you know of any effective way to beat maniacs? I don’t understand why they seem to come out about even in every heads-up play. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

All the best,
Lance
Lance,

The best way to play a maniac is to play tight and bust them when you have strong hands and their luck runs out.

Usually they come out even because many players will not loosen up their requirements when they are heads up with a maniac. Many more hands are playable in heads-up play and the players that don’t understand this get punished.

Hello,

Earlier this evening I tried my luck but unluckily didn’t get any good cards at all. In case it happens again, do you have any suggestion, tips, or the like? Do you think bluffing more will work? How about preflop raising?

Hope to hear from you soon.

Thanks and more power!

Regards,
Chen
Chen,

You might want to try and open you hand ranges up in later position. Without knowing more about your game I cannot recommend bluffing. Raising preflop just for the sake of raising usually just leads to lost money. If you are going to raise, do so for a reason, such as a big hand or a tight game.

Hi,

Once I was burnt with 2 pair so I want to know if how one should actually play it. I was thinking maybe I played it incorrectly.

Well, say you get dealt 2 pair on the flop and slow playing is not a good idea as players can pick up sets, straights, much more that can beat you. What will you do then? How will you bet?

I’ll be glad to hear from you.

Thanks a ton.

Warmest regards,
Jin
Jin,

If I flop two pair without an apparent straight or flush draw on the board, I will tend to slow play it. If I am in a loose game or against calling stations, I will still bet as they will likely call me down or even raise. If there is a potential straight or flush draw, I will bet the hand to try and push players out.

Hi,

I’ve been playing Poker for more or less 4 months now, mainly I play No Limit. Just this morning I participated in a 2/4 game. I must admit I barely had enough to buy in then.

At some point, I remember I was dealt 83os in late position. I thought of playing it till the end however I considered the players present, they raise preflop most of the time. To make the long story short, flop came but didn’t grant me the top pair. Turn and river followed and were actually 8′s. Unfortunately I missed my 4 of a kind. Highest hand of the day was payed out $1000 and I was really mad and upset.

Do you think I made the right call? How about my buy in which was in minimum, am I just right about it?

Please I need your advice.

Thank you in advance.

Best regards,
Matthew
Matthew,

8-3 offsuit in late position is the same action as any other position, fold. If you can play it in the big blind to no raise, then play it. Otherwise fold. By the way, you didn’t have four of a king, you would have had trip 8’s.

Personally, if you only have enough money to make a minimum buy-in, you shouldn’t play. You don’t have enough money to stand any downswings early on. Come back another time when you have more money to commit. That’s my view.

Hello,

You once said that it’s hard to play with pocket queens and jacks. Well, I agree with you on that but I believe it’s even harder to play pocket 9s. Such hand has become overrated in Low Limit games. In heads up play it’s actually a good hand but not in Low Limit. Not to mention that it ranked as a top 20 and often top 15 starting hand.

When you flop a set during the 12% of the time you suppose to have a great chance of winning big however the problem is, I find it hard to let it go most especially when there’s only one overcard on the flop. On the better side, if the board comes with an Ace I can dump it easily as I know nobody folds an Ace in Low Limit, however when the board comes Q 7 2 or J 8 5, I find it hard to let it go again. Later part, I just end up losing although normally just a small one.

Now, do you think pocket 9s should be treated essentially the same as pocket 2-6? Basically if you don’t flop a set, check or fold the hand? Another thing, with 9s, does position matter significantly?

Hope to hear from you in no time.

Many thanks,
Andrew
Andrew,

Position matters with all hands. 9’s are a raising hand in late position. Personally, unless there are multiple overcards or I am against an opponent that I know flopped an overpair, I am going to probably call down to the river when only single bets are fired. Usually it is wrong to let go of a pair such as that when there is a lot of bets in the pot. Of course if there is only a bet or two in the pot, Ill probably let go of nines if there is even one overcard on the board since the pot isn’t laying the odds to call.