We play a friendly .25/.50 cent game rotating PL Omaha and Hold Em. The following hand took place which got a heated conversation going. We would like to get some unbiased opinions on who is correct.

Player A is in the small blind. Player B is UTG+1 and calls as does a few others. It comes to Player A who makes it 4 dollars. A few callers. On the flop Player A leads out for 15. Player B folds and makes the following comment.

"How do we get to a 15 dollar bet on the flop in a .25/.50 cent blind game?"

The hand plays out and Player A is caught in a bluff. He then gets very upset at the question/comment made by Player B indicating that it had influence on how the hand was played. Player B was very animate that saying it was ridiculous to have a 15 dollar bet on a flop in this game had no influence at all.

Do you agree with Player A or Player B?

Both.

Still, i think player B should have kept his mouth shut.

So...player B thinks that a pot-sized bet is too big? He doesn't understand the "no-limit" concept? He should STFU regarding anything to do with the betting or the cards.

Players should not comment at all on the play of the hand while it is being played.

everytime I tell a player this they tell me there comment had no influence . . . everyoine already knew etc.

to this I say . . . then your comment was so obvious there was no reason to make it.

How do we get to a 15 dollar bet on the flop in a .25/.50 cent blind game

I took the question more on how do you get to a $15 raise in a Pot Limit game with 25 and 50 cents blinds.

Player B didn't influence the game with his comment. Sounds more like sour grapes on Players A behalf for getting his hand caught in the cookie jar.

While Player B shouldn't technically be talking about the hand that he's not in, the comment was so vague/pointless to the action as to not be blameworthy.

Besides, the answer was "Because 4 people called a $4 raise in a $2 pot"

Player B was in the wrong, but as with a lot of these questions, would player A have been so annoyed if his comment had got him action from a big hand?

Lottery Larry's response is pretty much what I think.

But also, if this is a friendly game, then player A is just being bitchy. I know if my friend said something like that to my bet, I would respond with "because we're all degenerate gamblers!" or something.

Really, most questions like these are easy to decide based on if the game is serious (no matter the stakes) or just some guys chumming it up.

I personally don't think that comment should affect any action, but you never know. Just remind the players to stay quiet during hands, and tell Player A to grow up.

I'd tell Player B to keep making comments if it's a friendly home game. The best part about my home game is people out of the hand questioning the size of someone's nuts when they're faced with a big bet. As long as you're not talking about your own hand (or a read on someone or something), I have no problem with people talking during the game. Who wants to sit in silence for hours?

Agree about the comment being vague-enough not to be a problem, if he said something along the lines of "that big overbet sure smells like a bluff" then I'd take issue with it. Like Fatbaby said, a "friendly, sociable" home game should include a fair amount of table talk, especially at those lower stakes. Hell our .25/.50 flop bets get much pretty sick at times, $15 to go is no biggie

i don't think player b did anything wrong. even if its a serious game questioning a bet size is a legit question, especially if its pot limit. even in no limit he could be fishing for information. in a friendly game its pretty much mandatory to talk trash with your friends.

<Insert standard disclaimer about the level of play and the expected level of opponent etiquette and player-razzing at home games here.>

If your home game is Serious Business(tm), then tell the "WaT?!? $15" guy politely to not comment on play in progress and say, "Lighten Up, Francis" to the upset guy.

If your home game is not Serious Business(tm), then tell whomever just folded to get you a beer while they're up.

It's really impossible to prove if it influenced action or not. That's not really the point

Proper etiquitte dictates players not talk about or comment on a hand thats in progress.

Personally I'm a stickler on this in my games. It's just not fair to any player involved to have a third party interjecting comments.

I'm really not looking for a fight with this, and I don't mean to pick on you (as many people have said the same thing), but this rule is so freakin' ridiculous in a home game. Poker is supposed to be fun. If you're (not you, just a generic person) weak enough that you're influenced by the peanut gallery, then you should stick to minesweeper. If you're playing against someone who's that weak, then take advantage of it and paint your next monster as a bluff.

I do think a lot of things can ruin a home game (people getting involved in stories and not noticing that it's time to bet, etc...), but to me, talking trash enhances the experience. Next thing you know, your friends will be coming over with hats, sunglassses, hoodies, ipods and air-traffic-control size headphones and stiffing you on the pizza.