Casino Poker Rules

The 10 Commandments of Casino Poker

Get casino-ready here

If you’ve been playing poker for a while but only at home, then you may not be ready to join your first casino game yet. Don’t worry, though, because we’ve prepared a short list of casino poker dos and don’ts to help you get started.

Check it out below:

Commandment #1: Thou shall observe the table stakes

Unlike the poker games you play with your buddies at home where you can pretty much bet as much money (or even items when you run out of cash) as you want, live games held in an actual casino’s poker room typically come with table stakes that limit the total amount of money you can bet to the number of chips you have.

Once you go all-in (i.e., put all of your chips into the pot), you’ll only qualify for whatever amount is in the pot at that time. All succeeding additional bets will be put in a separate side pot, which you will not qualify for even if you end up winning the hand.

Commandment #2: Thou shall wait thy turn

Do not make your move until the player to your right completes theirs. Acting out of turn could prompt other active players to switch to a more advantageous strategy or force them into a disadvantageous position.

Commandment #3: Thou shall not string bet

String betting is the act of placing your bet and raise one after the other. The only time you can do this is when you verbally announce of your intent to raise before making your move.

Commandment #4: Thou shall keep track of the bet amounts

A player that doesn’t do so could easily disrupt the flow of the game by having to constantly ask.

Commandment #5: Thou shall not throw thy chips in

Just put your bet front of you instead. Let the dealer take care of putting it into the pot after they’ve verified that you bet the correct amount.

Commandment #6: Thou shall protect thy cards

In casino games, the responsibility of protecting each card falls on the players. It’s each player’s job to not only keep their hand hidden from everyone else prior to the showdown, but also to make sure that their cards don’t get mixed in with those of other players, which could result in a hand being declared dead.

Commandment #7: Thou shall let the dealer declare the winner

Don’t prematurely throw your cards in just because another player has declared that they have a better hand than yours. Wait until the dealer has made the call, just in case the apparent winner has accidentally (or purposely) misread their hand.

Commandment #8: Thou shall keep thy emotions in check

Anything you do – whether verbal or physical – that the dealer deems offensive, threatening or inappropriate could merit some sort of penalty, or, in extreme cases, even ejection from the game.

Commandment #9: Thou shall play fewer hands

Unlike a raffle where the more entries you put in, the more chances you have of winning, poker actually rewards players who play fewer hands.

Think about it. The more weak hands you play, the more money you lose. What you should do, instead, is to only play whenever promising starting hands pop up and just fold whenever they don’t.

Here’s a quick guide to the best starting hands in Texas Holdem in case you need a little guidance.

Commandment #10: Thou shall not play exhausted

While you’d be hard-pressed to find actual poker rules that explicitly prohibit players from playing for hours on end, it’s still a good idea to quit once you start feeling tired because that’s when you begin to lose focus and make mistakes – which isn’t something you want to happen while playing with and for money.

Bonus Commandment: Thou shall keep practicing

Even though knowing all of the things we’ve covered so far would definitely help you get better at casino poker, it still wouldn’t beat good old-fashioned practice when it comes to improving your skills. The good news, however, is that there’s an ultra-convenient way of getting all the practice you need: online real money poker at SafeClub.com.

The platform is not only perfectly safe and fair, it also helps its members get better at the game through free poker tips and tools. But that’s not even the best part. SafeClub also lets its members keep 100% of their winnings 100% of the time – no questions asked!

Sign up for a SafeClub account today and start enjoying real money poker action anytime, anywhere!