DISCLAIMER – This article is general guidance and does not replace applicable Poker Terms of Service, rules, and requirements. For more details, please see the Terms of Service for New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.
What is etiquette and why does it matter in an online poker setting? Quite simply, etiquette shows a deep understanding of the game and a high level of respect for those around you. Keeping etiquette at the forefront of your decision-making helps promote a respectful and enjoyable experience for everyone.
Poker players all come from very different walks of life. Despite this, all of us share the same goal: To compete on a level playing field with other like-minded, respectful individuals. When bad etiquette is involved, the game can become unstable and unenjoyable for everyone involved.
Poor etiquette hinders the creation and sustainability of a strong poker ecosystem. This article can help clear up any confusion surrounding online poker etiquette and foster a healthy and enjoyable poker experience for everyone who sits down on the virtual felt at BetMGM.
Online Poker Etiquette: What Not To Do
Let’s go through some of the common examples of inappropriate poker game etiquette.
Table Jumping
When a player continually moves from table to table in order to find a more optimal situation, this is considered table jumping. When players do this, it can have a few negative effects on the poker room’s ecosystem, such as reduced stability and increased wait times for players wishing to join a game.
Repeatedly moving between tables or following particular players for this purpose may disrupt table stability and detract from the overall experience. Players are encouraged to select tables and participate in a manner consistent with applicable poker rules and respectful gameplay.
BetMGM advises that players who are intending to play poker remain seated at the same game to help foster more balanced and enjoyable gameplay for all players involved.
Excessively Short Sessions
While online poker, by design, allows for short windows of gameplay, this can become abusive when the sessions are excessively short. Unfortunately, this happens regularly in online poker. BetMGM understands that sometimes unexpected dilemmas occur that may pull a player away from a table, but when this becomes frequent and recurrent behavior, it’s an issue that may need to be addressed.
The best way to avoid this issue is to only sit down to play poker if your intention is to stay for a reasonable amount of time that will not affect the flow of gameplay, as well as remaining cognizant of avoiding hit-and-run gameplay scenarios.
Ratholing or Going South
When a player tries to leave a cash game with their profits and sit back down with their original buy-in or less, this is considered ratholing. This is poor form in poker, as it disallows your opponents an opportunity to play for the funds they lost – funds that should otherwise have remained in your stack.
In a live setting, the player would simply be asked to place these chips back onto the felt. Otherwise, they would be dealt out of the game. This is harder to monitor in an online poker setting. To combat this, BetMGM has implemented a setting that disables players from removing chips from a cash game session. Players must rejoin tables that they leave with the same amount, unless a 40-minute time period has passed.
Grimming
The act of “grimming” is when a player sits down for what is usually a short session and uses their position on the table and their requirement to post the blinds to their advantage. Typically, during heads-up or three-handed play, this can be accomplished by sitting out before your big blind requirement and not playing an even amount of big and small blinds as a pattern across many sessions, when compared to your opponents.
By only playing your small blind and button positions, a player can potentially improve their profitability, especially in higher stakes games. This unethical play should be avoided. While BetMGM has no control over opponents leaving the table – which can affect blinds posting discrepancies – it is advised to play an equal number of blinds to make for a more balanced and user-friendly poker environment.
Chat Abuse
When sitting down at a poker table, one of the last things anyone wants to deal with is a verbally abusive opponent who is using our chat feature for malicious purposes. Verbal abuse can be broken down as any behavior that is meant to control, demean, intimidate, or hurt someone.
There are different designations of chat abuse. They can be related to the game, such as criticizing someone’s gameplay or talking about the hand in progress. They can target someone’s identity, such as ethnic slurs or derogatory remarks. Finally, they can be threatening or vulgar in general, for example, name-calling, aggressive statements, and personal threats.
The issue of hostile and demeaning language also applies when a player contacts BetMGM Poker Customer Support. This department is available 24 hours, 7 days per week to address questions and concerns; verbal abuse toward BetMGM Customer Service staff will not be tolerated.
The issue of chat abuse can also stem from a player’s frustration at how the game is going, potentially taking out their irritation on other players. This is a great example of the natural crossover between poker etiquette and Responsible Gambling. While players must follow proper game etiquette, keeping poker bankroll and personal limits top of mind can help prevent a poor overall experience. Visit this article for more information on BetMGM Poker Responsible Gambling initiatives, resources, and tips to make your play safe and responsible.
Regardless of the nature of the abuse, these are all situations that make the atmosphere less comfortable for all of our patrons, and they should be reported to our game Integrity team.
Please find the associated site of the incident and location and send an inquiry to the corresponding platform:
Michigan
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Ontario, Canada
Poker is meant to be an enjoyable experience between mature individuals and abuse of the chat feature has no place at BetMGM.
Time Bank Abuse
In order to avoid timing-based etiquette issues, it is advised that players cease any activities that would be considered stalling, blatant time-bank abuse, and intentionally slow-rolling opponents. Players who are exhibiting proper poker etiquette tend to keep games moving, act in a reasonable amount of time per action, and avoid unnecessarily slow calling when closing the action with an obvious winning hand. When the above actions are considered, it makes for a more fluid game flow as well as a more positive and professional environment.
Practice Good Online Poker Etiquette at BetMGM Poker
BetMGM Poker’s ultimate goal is to maintain a respectful and professional poker culture at all times. As players, your approach to online poker etiquette should be focused on recognizing that every player deserves to be treated in a way that makes them feel welcome and comfortable. BetMGM endeavors to foster a positive poker community space, and that relies on every player to conduct themselves in a way that promotes long-lasting and enjoyable competitive gameplay.
