Purity At The Poker Tables by Paul McGuire

Source = www.pokermagazine.com/
http://www.pokermagazine.com/Poker-Rules/roberts_rules_of_poker_purist.html


Purity At The Poker Tables
Paul McGuireThu, 11 Aug 2005

"The rules of poker were designed to minimize the number of people that had to be shot at the table." ...Purists for the game of poker don't seem to be wild about the changing boundaries and attitudes. Read on.

Am I a poker purist? I consider myself an old school kind of guy despite the fact that I’m a poster child for Generation X. When I first started playing poker in casinos, I was the youngest person at the table. I was in my early 20s and most of the fellows and gals I played with were retired. The game of choice back then was Seven Card Stud. The other players were all three times my age. I basically learned how to conduct myself in a poker room and a casino from their examples. The elders of poker have taught me well and over the last decade I have adopted their professional attitude at the table. Does that make me a poker purist by default?

What exactly is a poker purist? That’s a difficult term to define. Most purists are knowledgeable of poker etiquette, act in a respectful manner towards other players, and adhere to the general rules of poker. Robert Ciaffone published Robert’s Rules of Poker” which is the definitive guide for all poker games including tournaments. Most card rooms utilize "Robert’s Rules of Poker." If you are looking to start a home game or run a tournament, you need to have a list of his rules nearby to help settle disputes and rules clarifications.


Most poker purists are reluctant to worship a new player. They base a player’s skill over the long haul and are not quick to extol them based on a few tournament wins. Poker purists often prefer quiet and silent types of players like Dan Harrington and Johnny Chan compared to the loud and abrasive personalities of the latest TV poker stars like Jean Robert Bellande and Tony G. Most purists frown upon the attention that celebrity poker players draw while some of the best players in the world, like Chip Reese and Chau Giang, are overlooked due to lack of exposure.

Poker purists scoff at anyone who wears sunglasses to a poker table. They also are not keen on players listening to music or talking on cell phones. Lastly and more importantly, poker purists prefer the simple game of poker and never, under any circumstances, would they want to play a game with a “wild card.”

Most beginners and younger players are being exposed to poker through television. Some of the programs are pushing forth the “in-your-face” attitude that a lot of professional sports have undertaken. Most sports purists argue that a network like ESPN has ruined the entire sports culture by focusing on sensationalism and aberrant behavior. That means that new players are being brainwashed into thinking that acting like an idiot at the poker table is cool and socially acceptable. Sure, certain players are more volatile and that makes the programs more interesting. However, the antics of Phil Hellmuth or Mike “The Mouth” Matusow are bad enough for poker. Unfortunately for all those purists out there, poker programs and networks are exploiting those antics, which sends the wrong message to new players.

Phil Ivey and Howard Lederer are two of my favorite players. They are true professionals. They both have a calm demeanor at the table and no matter whether they win or lose a pot, they have the same expression on their faces. When Howard Lederer won a World Poker Tour Event, he treated it like it was another day at the office. He politely shook hands with his opponent. That’s why he’s a class act at the poker table. He could have been overly jubilant, but held back. After Phil Ivey won a bracelet at the World Series of Poker this past year, the photographers were doing everything they could to get him to smile and laugh, to show any sort of emotion during the post-victory press conference. Phil Ivey is another classy guy. He wasn’t chest bumping with railbirds when he won a pot, or berating other players for making bad calls. He shrugged off bad beats and quietly stacked up his chips after he won pots.

Whenever I play, I can tolerate a decent amount of smack talking and even accept a few breaches of poker etiquette. A friend of mine from New York City, Charles Star, is a stickler for poker etiquette. He is a stand-up comedian but playing with him in our regular home game is no laughing matter. He’s willing to accept mistakes from new players: However, he’s strict about the rules of poker. He frowns upon betting out of turn, splashing the pot, string bets, slow rolling, and discussing the hand while the hand is being played.

“'Poker etiquette' is a misnomer; it brings up visions of pinkies in the air and salad forks,” explains Charles. “The rules of poker were designed to minimize the number of people that had to be shot at the table. When a rule is broken, the game suffers. If the host doesn't want to punish recidivist behavior, I have no problem being the asshole -- though I prefer the term 'sergeant-at-arms.'”

Although I’m slightly more flexible than Charles, I have to side with him on every one of those instances. I can also tolerate mistakes from newbies in home games or casinos, but nothing is worse than seeing a veteran of the game breach etiquette out of laziness or in an attempt to angle shoot. I find that players who are betting out of turn or acting out of turn extremely annoying. They are not paying attention to the game. Sure, you can pick up on some tells, but most of the time, their behavior is disruptive.

My biggest peeve is players discussing the hand in progress. All of a sudden, everyone thinks he is an expert and color commentator. Recently, in a No Limit holdem game at the MGM in Las Vegas, I got into a situation with another player. I had K-K and raised preflop only to get six callers. I bet the pot on the all-rags flop and two other players remained; an old lady and a young guy. On the turn, I moved all in.

There were two flush cards out there, so I wanted to make anyone who was chasing a flush to pay. The old lady angrily folded and the young guy thought for a few minutes about the call. I sensed weakness and he was about to fold. However, the old lady was attempting to convince him to call my bet. I quickly snapped at her and said something to the dealer, who gave her a warning, “Only one player per hand. Do not discuss the hand in progress.”
I began to boil on the inside. If he called me and hit a river suckout all because of her goading, I was considering punching her. He eventually called, and I was livid. He was originally intent on folding yet called because the old lady talked him into it. I ended up winning a $700 pot because he missed his flush. As the pot was being pushed to me I told her, “What you did was not cool. You were out of line.”

I stood up and racked up my chips. She wanted me to stay so she could win her money back. I told her, “I don’t want to play with someone like you.”

I left in a bad mood. I should have been happy to win a monster pot, but I found myself angered that her words affected the outcome of the hand.

The most disturbing trend that I have seen at the poker tables has been the constant flow of abuse directed at other players. I’ve seen people cry and be ridiculed so badly that they had to get up from the table. Sure, there are times I want to yell at other players for making bad calls, but in the end you want them to keep doing that. I take a deep breath or get up and walk away from the table for a few minutes. More players should exhibit self-control.

In the end, more players should act a lot more like Howard Lederer and a lot less like Phil Hellmuth. Treat others like you would like to be treated. Have enough respect for the other players and for the rules of the game to adhere to basic poker etiquette. You can still have plenty of fun at the poker tables without being a jerk. And if you want to be an idiot while you play poker, then I suggest you stay at home and play online. I guess after some self-examination, I’m a poker purist after all.~~