poker etiquette

Hey guys, I know most of you are seasoned pros by now when it comes to poker etiquette and best practices, but I thought a small refresher never hurts.

First of all, I understand that the game of poker and the players involved can be frustrating at times. I’ve personally experienced a brutal slow roll from a smug player (barf). Having my quads tabled only to realize someone else also hit quads which trumped my hand (gross, right?). Here’s the thing, no matter how frustrating those experiences can be I always try to keep myself in check, keeping in mind the importance of table etiquette. I’ve even had to walk away for a quick break, this helps you stay level. With this being said, I wanted to go over a few important ground rules to practice proper table etiquette. These rules will allow us to so provide every player with the best online poker experience possible.

Keeping the game fair:

We know you get excited about the action unfolding at the poker table and we love it.  We need to make sure to keep the game fair and give everyone in the hand the proper respect of finishing it out. This means:

Collusion – No cheating guys and gals!

Collusion occurs when two or more players at a poker table attempt to gain an unfair advantage by sharing knowledge of their cards or other information. We prohibit collusion and use a variety of methods to prevent and detect play that appears questionable or suspicious. We enforce a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to cheating. If you witness cheating, please take a screen share and send it to customer support for review.

Fair Play – Let’s keep it fair

We reserve the right to terminate the account of any player in violation of these rules. We will take necessary action to address incidents requiring intervention.

In-Game Commentary – Unless you’re Daniel Negreanu, you probably won’t get away with this one!

Please refrain from using the chat feature to comment on hands, either concluded or in-progress. This includes, but is not limited to, providing strategy advice, sharing cards, or identifying potential bluffs. Let the players have the respect of finishing out their hand. Then you can add your advice if you feel it lends a positive experience.

Table Etiquette

Slow Play – Take your time responsibly!

All players should maintain a reasonable pace of play. Try to play at the same pace as other players at the table. You don’t have to rush, but show some courtesy and don’t hold up the game deliberately. Our games typically allow for 15 seconds to act when it’s your turn. Some “speed” games reduce the time to act, but regardless, if you’ve made your decision ahead of your turn, don’t delay intentionally! That’s step 1 in practicing proper table etiquette.

In-turn Checkboxes – Plan ahead…

The optional in-turn checkbox feature helps speed up gameplay.  Choose your action (e.g. check, fold, etc.) before you’re on the clock and the pre-selected decision automates on your turn, which helps keep the flow of online poker going. Did we mention it may get you to a win faster? ;)

Chat – “A wise man once said nothing”

We aim to create an enjoyable online poker experience for all players, and we may censor language we deem inappropriate at our discretion. Players may not use offensive, abusive, defamatory, insulting, harassing, inflammatory, sexually explicit, or derogatory language, or language that includes expressions of bigotry, racism, hatred or profanity. Using this language may result in a player having their chat privileges revoked. We take this very seriously and will not hesitate to enforce banning this privilege. We do not tolerate this type of abuse at the tables, in forums or on any of our social media platforms. If your chat falls under these terms your chat ability will be banned immediately. Also, your access to our social pages will be revoked indefinitely.

In addition, if you’re offended or annoyed with any player’s chat at the tables, here’s a few steps you can take:

  1. Mute a player’s chat – Click the “i” icon next to the offending player’s avatar and select “Mute player’s chat”.
  2. Report a player’s chat – Click the “Chat settings” link below the table and then click the “Report Chat Profanity” link. Enter the offending player’s screen name along with details of how they’ve violated our chat policy, and we’ll take it from here.

Hopefully this provides some clarity on the rules of keeping online poker fun and safe for all players. We stand by the rule: if you see something, say something. Let’s hold everyone accountable for their actions.

Lastly, you can always report suspicious activity or abusive chat to support@nyxsocialgaming.com.

Thanks for keeping poker fun!

Kristalina Steininger

NLOP Poker Room Manager