Cash Game Cash Game Rules (rules that every cash game should follow?) (1 Viewer)

@davethesave
The blinds are the losing spot in poker. You’re forced to put money with what usually is a crappy hand. Also, If you forget the rake for a moment, poker is a zero-sum game : the EV lost by someone has to be won by someone else. In the case of MS, BTN loses some of his EV and puts the blind players in a worse spot (now the blinds are out of position preflop too) So the big winners are all the other positions.
 
A rule that I use to apply in my home games since I'm playing poker (applicable for both cash and tournament) :

"when a player is all-in and one single opponent has to take a decision to call or not, he can show his hold cards face-up to see his opponent reaction but to not consider his hole cards mucked, he must announce that although his cards are returned, they are not mucked".

I don't know if it's silly or not, I happens max. once during the night, but it's always a fun moment when it happens.
 
I have a (maybe dumb question. Do you have to show when you raise fold in a multi-player hand? Someone asked to see my hand and I was told I had to show. Is that correct?
No! You certainly do not have to show.
 
A rule that I use to apply in my home games since I'm playing poker (applicable for both cash and tournament) :

"when a player is all-in and one single opponent has to take a decision to call or not, he can show his hold cards face-up to see his opponent reaction but to not consider his hole cards mucked, he must announce that although his cards are returned, they are not mucked".

I don't know if it's silly or not, I happens max. once during the night, but it's always a fun moment when it happens.
We do this in my game too, cash game only though.
 
A rule that I use to apply in my home games since I'm playing poker (applicable for both cash and tournament) :

"when a player is all-in and one single opponent has to take a decision to call or not, he can show his hold cards face-up to see his opponent reaction but to not consider his hole cards mucked, he must announce that although his cards are returned, they are not mucked".

I don't know if it's silly or not, I happens max. once during the night, but it's always a fun moment when it happens.

I like that rule, I have never understood why one would want to remove that element of poker. IMO it's not angle shooting to show your cards (or talk about your cards) with the intention of getting a reaction, although I know that some people claim it is. As long as there are no more actions (either do to an all-in or due to the fact that you're on the river and only contemplating call/fold, not raise).

What I don't understand about your rule is why the player must announce it? Showing your cards is not the same thing as folding. You fold either by saying "fold" or by discarding your cards.

Also, I personally also allow it in non-all-in situations if it's the last action as per above.
 
What I don't understand about your rule is why the player must announce it? Showing your cards is not the same thing as folding. You fold either by saying "fold" or by discarding your cards.

Because someone who is not used to that rule might think the player fold and then react afterwards and based on that, it might gives an indication to the potential caller.
 
"when a player is all-in and one single opponent has to take a decision to call or not, he can show his hold cards face-up to see his opponent reaction but to not consider his hole cards mucked, he must announce that although his cards are returned, they are not mucked".
Are you saying a player folded his hand, the cards were mucked, and then he wants the hand returned?
 
Are you saying a player folded his hand, the cards were mucked, and then he wants the hand returned?

No, let's say the player shows his cards without announcing.
Then the player allin think the other guy mucks and show some emotion. Then the player with the decision to call knows what to do.
 
A rule that I use to apply in my home games since I'm playing poker (applicable for both cash and tournament) :

"when a player is all-in and one single opponent has to take a decision to call or not, he can show his hold cards face-up to see his opponent reaction but to not consider his hole cards mucked, he must announce that although his cards are returned, they are not mucked".

Personally, I don't like this rule (even for cash games) for a couple of good reasons; even though it is somewhat common in some areas.
  • It opens the door wide-open to possible collusion, making it way too easy for another person to signal to the showing player what his correct action should be. The accomplice might be a stronger player, or a more experienced player, or be better acquainted with the opponent's tendencies. It could even be a spectator, and not another player seated at the table.
  • Even if no intentional collusion is present, the move opens up avenues for the player to get information to which he is not entitled. Although it is done supposedly to 'get a read' on the opponent, it also allows the player to see and analyze the reactions of everybody else who also sees the exposed hand. It essentially violates the 'one-person-to-a-hand rule', by letting the player use information gleaned from others -- even inadvertently -- to assist in his decision.

It's just a bad practice, where the gain is non-existent while the potential drawbacks are real.
 
No “going south”. No money comes off the table till you leave the game.

Hit and run, while technically allowed, is considered poor form, and multiple violations could result in the ban hammer.
 
A rule that I use to apply in my home games since I'm playing poker (applicable for both cash and tournament) :

"when a player is all-in and one single opponent has to take a decision to call or not, he can show his hold cards face-up to see his opponent reaction but to not consider his hole cards mucked, he must announce that although his cards are returned, they are not mucked".

The wording seems unnecessarily convoluted. Did you want to restrict this option to only someone who is last to act facing an all-in? How about "a player who accidentally or intentionally exposes his cards with action pending will NOT have a dead hand"?
 
The wording seems unnecessarily convoluted. Did you want to restrict this option to only someone who is last to act facing an all-in? How about "a player who accidentally or intentionally exposes his cards with action pending will NOT have a dead hand"?

We only allow it for allin situations.
 
No “going south”. No money comes off the table till you leave the game.

Hit and run, while technically allowed, is considered poor form, and multiple violations could result in the ban hammer.
Is “hit and run” scoring a big pot then tapping out. I never played in a cash game and am thinking of hosting one with my buddies. How do you combat this. I feel this would be a real possibility with a couple of my buddies. Any incentives to keep people playing?
 
Is “hit and run” scoring a big pot then tapping out. I never played in a cash game and am thinking of hosting one with my buddies. How do you combat this. I feel this would be a real possibility with a couple of my buddies. Any incentives to keep people playing?
Yep, that’s a hit and run. Put together some “house rules”, have them and be prepared to give good reasons for the rules.

However, if I had a player who regularly loses big, I likely wouldn’t hassle him if he bolts early on the rare occasion he hits it big.
 
Yep, that’s a hit and run. Put together some “house rules”, have them and be prepared to give good reasons for the rules.

However, if I had a player who regularly loses big, I likely wouldn’t hassle him if he bolts early on the rare occasion he hits it big.
What would be a good house rule to combat this? Have to go around the table one time? Idk I’m pretty new to the poker game. I’ve played in the past with friends but pretty loosely. Never in a casino. I’m too intimidated because I don’t know etiquette or official rules of poker. This site is helping tremendously!
 
Casinos don't have a hit and run rule; you can leave whenever you want. A home game is more of a friendly social gathering, so it's more polite to let your friends know ahead of time you won't stay until the end of the night.

Here's my house rule example:
  • a player planning to leave early must announce his intention to the other players a reasonable time prior to his departure.
 
Even with rules, if someone wants to hit and run they can just fold for half an hour (or whatever the stipulation is). I think it's more important to make sure you have players who are there to play poker and have a good time and not there just to make money. A hit and run is basically saying "your money is more important than your company", and I wouldn't invite back a player like that.
 
I have a (maybe dumb question. Do you have to show when you raise fold in a multi-player hand? Someone asked to see my hand and I was told I had to show. Is that correct?
I would bury my cards in the muck and tell them to "go fish". Screw that guy.

As far as "must show" goes, this rule is there to prevent collusion. So I would be very wary of having this the norm in your game. Basically, if someone is asking to see a folded hand, they are saying "I think you are cheating and I want to see your hand as proof". Now of course, most players don't know this is the case, they are just curious about what that player is folding and calling with. But others will not be so nice when they see it as being accused of cheating. Just a thought on how you will deal with this in your game.
 
As above we play home games to be with each other. Often players will self declare right at the beginning of the night, ie "Hey all, working early tomorrow, leaving around ... "

A home game shouldn't need a rule for this.
 
As far as dealing with straddles, I think the best rule is to allow 1 straddle per round. It allows the gamblers to feel like they get to gamble without letting the game turn into flips.
 
As far as "must show" goes, this rule is there to prevent collusion. So I would be very wary of having this the norm in your game. Basically, if someone is asking to see a folded hand, they are saying "I think you are cheating and I want to see your hand as proof". Now of course, most players don't know this is the case, they are just curious about what that player is folding and calling with. But others will not be so nice when they see it as being accused of cheating. Just a thought on how you will deal with this in your game.

I agree wholeheartedly and I actually have pretty stiff wording against using this rule in my ruleset.

http://frclub.mygamesonline.org/RuleAndStakeDetail.html

I would guess for every one time this rule is actually used to combat collusion, it is abused 100 times to just benefit a player seeking information. Under my changes to Section 3 - Rule 5: "The host will deny use of this rule if used solely for the purpose of gaining information. This rule exists as a check against collusion during the game and the host would prefer hearing any concerns privately beforehand instead of having to use this rule. "

As far as dealing with straddles, I think the best rule is to allow 1 straddle per round. It allows the gamblers to feel like they get to gamble without letting the game turn into flips.

I agree with this as well and have the same rule.
 
I agree wholeheartedly and I actually have pretty stiff wording against using this rule in my ruleset.

http://frclub.mygamesonline.org/RuleAndStakeDetail.html

I would guess for every one time this rule is actually used to combat collusion, it is abused 100 times to just benefit a player seeking information. Under my changes to Section 3 - Rule 5: "The host will deny use of this rule if used solely for the purpose of gaining information. This rule exists as a check against collusion during the game and the host would prefer hearing any concerns privately beforehand instead of having to use this rule. "



I agree with this as well and have the same rule.
nice.
 
What would be a good house rule to combat this? Have to go around the table one time? Idk I’m pretty new to the poker game. I’ve played in the past with friends but pretty loosely. Never in a casino. I’m too intimidated because I don’t know etiquette or official rules of poker. This site is helping tremendously!
I don't know if you can make it a rule, as people can come and go as they please. And like @Mr Winberg said, if they want to fold for a specified period of time, they can. But it's more of a home game culture thing. A single HNR wouldn't get somebody banned, but I would have a conversation with the player about it.

Also, if you can sit at an established game at a casino or well-run home game., it would be a good way to learn good protocols, like shuffling and dealing, betting, the one-chip rule, making change, chatter at the table, etc.
 
I don't know if you can make it a rule, as people can come and go as they please. And like @Mr Winberg said, if they want to fold for a specified period of time, they can. But it's more of a home game culture thing. A single HNR wouldn't get somebody banned, but I would have a conversation with the player about it.

Also, if you can sit at an established game at a casino or well-run home game., it would be a good way to learn good protocols, like shuffling and dealing, betting, the one-chip rule, making change, chatter at the table, etc.
Yeah, we all went to high school together back in the day so we play pretty loose with each other. I was thinking something like no more beer for you once you tap out. Because I don’t think they would just leave. But higher stakes? Could be a different story.

I would like to go to the casino, but again just to intimidated. If there’s a good thread on here about “good protocols, like shuffling and dealing, betting, the one-chip rule, making change, chatter at the table, etc.” let me know! Thanks for the advice. Learning a lot on here. What’s the one chip rule?
 
Yeah, we all went to high school together back in the day so we play pretty loose with each other. I was thinking something like no more beer for you once you tap out. Because I don’t think they would just leave. But higher stakes? Could be a different story.

I would like to go to the casino, but again just to intimidated. If there’s a good thread on here about “good protocols, like shuffling and dealing, betting, the one-chip rule, making change, chatter at the table, etc.” let me know! Thanks for the advice. Learning a lot on here. What’s the one chip rule?
All that info can be found on PCF. Do a lot of reading, and if you have a specific question, just ask. Plenty of helpful people on the forum.

As an example: the one-chip rule is basically, if a player silently puts out a single overvalued chip, it’s a call. So someone bets $2, but you don’t have any 1’s, you can quietly put out a $5 chip, and it’s a call.


Another protocol: never make change out of the pot before all the betting is complete. Leave your chip in front of you till all the betting is complete, then change can be made.
 
RE: Straddles: I haven’t played there in a while and I don’t think they are back open, but as I recall MGM Springfield (MA) allowed straddles from any position in NLHE. I have not encountered this elsewhere, but surely it isn’t the only one.

P.S. I never straddle unless I’m in a new private game where a return invite is unlikely if I don’t go along at least sometimes, and I want to return. It’s pretty much always -EV except if there is someone at/something about the table which makes it worthwhile. Like, if there is someone who will always try to steal your straddle with a huge raise but folds too easily to a reraise or call/flop raise. Still iffy IMHO.
 

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