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Etiquette & table talk

Before technique, the habits that keep everyone around you comfortable. Here's enough to not look out of place on your first visit.

1. Before you sit down

Dress: casual is fine. Heavy cologne and strong food smells are considered rude at the table.
Phone: face down or in your pocket once you sit. Staring at the screen during a hand is disallowed at most venues.
Chips: Japanese amusement venues lend you non-redeemable chips. You can't cash them out. Ask staff about blinds, antes, and buy-in before you sit.
Check-in: listen to the full rules brief and ID check. Any question you have — ask it now.

2. Act in turn

Folding, calling or sliding chips forward before your turn — "acting out of turn" — is one of the most disliked habits at a poker table. Wait until the dealer signals your action. Early folds are especially common with beginners, but they leak information to the players still deciding and distort the hand.

3. No string bets, no splashing

String bet: pushing chips forward in more than one motion. The first amount is usually treated as a call; the extra does not play. To raise, announce it verbally first, then slide the chips in a single motion.
Splashing the pot: throwing chips into the central pile. The dealer can't count them. Stack your bet neatly in front of you so everyone can verify the amount.

4. Announce your action clearly

Speaking before you move chips is the safest habit. A verbal declaration is binding on its own.

"Fold", "check", "call"
For raises, state the total: "raise to 60", not "plus 40". Total amounts are the standard.
"All-in" means committing every chip you have in front of you.

Say it once, clearly. Repeating the action or mumbling makes the dealer's job harder.

5. Talk during a hand

While you are still in the hand, don't discuss your cards or your read aloud. Save "I would have won if I'd stayed in" for after the pot is awarded.
One player per hand: you cannot consult a friend about a live decision. Coaching a hand in progress breaks the integrity of the game and is prohibited.
Don't flash a folded hand to show what you "had". That leaks information to the players still in the pot.

6. Chips and cards

Keep chips in tidy stacks, sorted by denomination, with the highest-value chips visible from across the table.
Protect your hole cards with a card guard (a chip works). When you peek, keep the cards flat on the felt and shielded with your hand.
Cards never leave the table. Looking at them in your lap is not allowed.

7. Showdown behaviour

After the river bets are matched, the last aggressor (the last person to bet or raise) is usually first to show. When unsure, keep your cards face-down and wait for the dealer to point. If you don't want to show, you can muck — slide your cards to the dealer unseen. After an uncalled river bet, showing your cards when nobody asked is generally discouraged: it gives information away for free.

8. House rules and respect

Each amusement venue has its own rules on food and drink, smoking, and how long you can stay seated. When in doubt, ask staff — they would rather answer than correct you mid-hand. Rude behaviour toward staff or other players is grounds for being asked to leave, regardless of how a hand went.