Is it bad poker home etiquette to leave after just two or three hours? Just didn't see any obligation to play all night. Especially if you're up some money. Players at the home game seemed bitter. At the casino it wasn't a problem leaving after a hour or two

Yeah it's generally bad. Now if you were leaving regardless because you some other obligation, it's understandable. But if you're leaving because you're ahead and want to lock up a win, stick to casinos. Home games are more socially motivated.

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Remember I am speaking of a home game in my house. No rake, no fees, no nothing. You are my friend and my guest.

In general, I do not care one way or the other if someone leaves early. Come when you can, leave when you want to. A little notice would be handy but not required. Things do happen.

I even have sympathy for a true hit-n-run from a player who rarely wins and can't be counted upon to keep a stack the rare times they get lucky. In fact, this is good for the game. Everyone needs to go home a winner sometimes - if that means rack up at ten and go home, well OK!

If I have limited seats and turned other people away so you can have your seat, then I hope you are playing for the duration if possible. That isn't a problem for me but it could be for other hosts.

Basically be good for the game. This shouldn't be hard to figure out. If it makes the other players grumpy then you likely should avoid doing it

Sure they look at it as a hit and run. But I looked around and there was 7 players there. Not like the game would stop if I leave. I found many players just want to play a few hours and not all night long.

Based on your OP and your response to Strange (and your non-response to mccoy), it seems clear to me you only want to hear that you are right. So keep doing what you want with no regard to any other dynamics...for as long as you keep getting invited anyway.

Dude they need players to go to home games. Didn't realize I need to respond to every comment. Nah it's a forum and get all types of answers. Doesn't matter if it's opposite of what I want to hear. Knew it might be bad leaving a home poker game early

Yes it's bad etiquette. It's even worse if you take the seat of someone who would play all night. Generally if the same player does it repeatedly it means they lose their invite to a game. In my game people that left early would be relegated to the bottom of the invite list.

Yes i agree. Don't mind being on the bottom of the invite list. I'm not taking anyone's seat though. The game didn't have 7 people.

So the game had 6 or fewer people, you won and were up some amount, and then left. You are wondering if this is bad?

So you leave and take at least 20% of the money in play with you, probably more. Of course their gonna be bitter.

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Yes, it's bad etiquette to leave early. There are exceptions, like having lost 3 or more buy-ins already. Leaving specifically because you are up is particularly bad etiquette for a home game. Leaving them shorter handed also particularly bad.

Not many people like the casino players who hit and run (or more likely walk/wander around before picking up). But as soon as a new player sits, they tend to get over it.

Home games tend to be a social thing, so if you participate but you need to leave for some reason, just say that before you sit. Other way, people won't like you leave right after win some money.

Its bad to leave a home game early. Look at it this way, most home games don't have a constant flow of players all night like a casino would. Say a Home game starts with 9 players, they depend on them staying the night to keep the game going. You gotta assume a few players have a bad night, lose and end up leaving before the normal end time. So now the game is down to 7 players. So if 1 or 2 of the players up money decide to leave, its just killed the game. The rest of the players came for a night of playing cards at a full table, now its down to 5 and a lot of the money is off the table.

Really now, at a home game, plan to stay the night. If you really have to leave early, ( work early the next day), then announce it when the game starts.

I've played at a home game where you have to stay the night unless you lose $200 first, then you can leave.

lol oh yeah? How'd you like that?

First off, I assume this is a social, non-raked game.

It is rarely frowned upon when you leave a loser...however, if you lose after say one buy-in, you may be way down on the invite list...essentially, you're an emergency fill in.

If you consistently leave early when you're up, you won't be invited back...you'll be viewed as someone who is more interested in the $$$ than the social aspect.

In my experience, if you need to leave early you tell the game beforehand (ideally when you RSVP). At every game I've ever played in, there is a minimum that you are expected to buy in for (say three buyins)...after that, one can leave at anytime.

I liked it, I knew I was going to a game that would last the night. Didn't have to worry about someone leaving early once they were up. We all knew there would be a lot of cash on the table. The game was invite only and you were explained the terms when you got the invite, you had to agree to them. You were expected to stay until midnight, the game went on longer but you could leave anytime after 12

I've always let players leave when ever they wanted. My house Rules stares:

21. Leaving/Joining the Game. Winners may leave the game at anytime. So can losers. Please cash out between hands. Please give 10 minutes notice of your intent to leave so that the House can sit a waiting player. New players to the game may wait for the Big Blind to begin playing or may play right away by posting a Big Blind.


In 26 years I've never had an issue with players leaving early. I can only remember a couple doing so.

We've always had a "one hour" rule, where you must announce an hour before you plan to leave. Has worked well, although I'm considering trying out a new player's home game rule of "you must play X hours to cash out ahead".

When I hosted a home game (back when the dinosaurs roamed the planet) it was "come whenever you want, leave whenever you want".

Why?

I didn't have many "extra" players. Having any other requirements about coming or going would likely have sufficiently offended one or more of the attendees that they would not come back. YMMV, if your group is OK with restrictions like that, your crew was more pliable than mine.

Very rarely I had too many attendees, so we had a rule for that. My table sat eight. When player nine arrived, this was the rule. Anyone can add to their stack right now. Last call. If you bust out, Player nine gets to sit down. Nobody else can add to their stack as long as there is at least one player waiting.

Everyone thought that was fair enough. One night I have twelve who wanted to play. No problem.

I ask that people give 30 minutes notice. The problem is that then people can call 30 minutes and stay or leave whenever they want after 30 minutes, but it has not really caused problems.

i play in a home game/underground spot in the city in manhattan and brooklyn, both are $1/3 they frown upon it if you leave early especially if your up.. i really wish they had casinos in NYC...

That underground spot is probably ran by the mafia, right?