This is kind of an observation I've noticed in my live 1/2 play over the past few sessions I've been playing: Players not involved in a hand will make comments to me while I'm in a hand or to others around the table when I'm in the hand. These comments aren't related to cards they folded or cards I might hold or villians might hold but rather comments on my table image or bet size.

A few examples:

- A while ago I'm in a hand with turned top two pair with no flush draw and a gutshot straight draw possible for others. 3 loose players are in the hand, I shove about 1.5x pot for an all in, two of the players tank and fold, guy next me look around and goes "oh man wow you still have another player to get through!" and then this player who had been tanking looks up, tanks a little more and calls...and ends up winning.

- More recently I'm in a hand and a loose aggressive player sees me counting chips to maybe act as it's my turn and goes "ah I see the thinking gears are turning over there..." before I can act.

- Another example was a time where I made a bet error (based on odds) and another player raises my bet, instead of shoving I call and villian catches his hand. Before the villian raises another player mumbles right next to him to another person "man what a dumb raise other player (me) made, he has to shove there with that hand!)

- One way back when i first started playing live, I have a flush on a turn board where villian was happily calling pot sized bets...river comes 4 to a flush also with a straight on turn. He checks, I bet , he smiles and go "you know I have the flush right?" His friend next to me starts telling him he's dumb and that would a guy like me (tight image, very few hands played) really bet if he was beat here and telling him he doesnt have jack ****. The guy looks at me and asks if it's true and I just go well I mean I have at least a straight or a flush your friend says, he re-raises, I go all in, he calls. I win. He had the straight. I had the flush. In this case his friend probably screwed him over with his talk, but still.

And there's plenty more. Now I get there's lots of table talk and even players showing others their cards during a tough decision (which is dumb because if the person you show reacts at all, the villian in the hand might see that and change their next move) but what about this kind of table talk?

I feel like it can influence other players' thought processes. Is this just silly to worry about, or should I be concerned or more proactive when players start talking about my bets or table image when I'm faced with a big decision or have made a big play and am waiting for villian to act?

3 and 4 are bad 1 and 2 are harmless, especially 2.
don't be so thin skinned.

Precisely why there is a rule stating one player to a hand (OPTAH).

1 and 2 are nothing, just common table talk that doesn't affect anything. 3 doesn't affect the action, it was probably just an overweight MAWG who gets pleasure from poop talking the younger, more in-shape player at the table. 4 is the only one that could influence the action, but it worked in your favor so chalk it up to positive variance.

If you really have an issue with someone doing it repeatedly, confront them on it. If it still continues, tell the floor. And with everything in poker, try to make the best of every situation that comes up so you have an edge.

4 is the only one that would bother me. Not much one can do about however.

Most of the things people say are wrong anyway. I just dont worry about it but it happens a lot less the higher stakes you play.

As with the others, I think 4 was pretty bad regardless of hand results.

1) Table talk should never come from a player not in the the hand 'during' the hand.
2) Table talk is typically only allowed Heads-Up, if even then. Even if a player is already all-in and the 'chatter' is about the side pot it can affect action and is frowned upon.
3) 'Advice' or discussion between hands is allowed, but sometimes out of line for sure ... but I always look at it as free information into their thinking.

Casinos that allow a 'home game' feel to the game can rattle the non-regs for sure.

I'm assuming you know that trying to address this yourself directly with the opponent can get sticky. Talk to the Floor to get the 'general' feeling for the room and then handle it with the Dealer during the hand. GL

In theory, no one should say anything about a multiway hand in progress. I personally also think no one should say anything even if heads up, but many rooms allow the people in the hand to talk when heads up.

In practice, it's very difficult to control table talk. So my personal opinion is it isn't worth it to expend the effort necessary to actually control it. But if there's a poker room out there that is able to control it, I'd happily give them my business when I'm in town.

The type of player that is going to comment on how to play against me is almost exclusively the type of player that I want my opponent giving "advice".

In my experience, the better managed the poker room, the less likely the table talk as dealers have been told to act on it.

I also find strong dealers will shut it down right away while weaker ones will either not understand what’s going on (language barrier) or be so passive they just ignore it.

While most people know better and keep their mouths shut, most “table talk” is relatively harmless.

I did see a brutal one a few weeks ago where both players in a $200 pot were drawing to a flush that never got there. Player A turns over 8 high suited and the other player in seat one isn’t paying attention, he didn’t hit so he mucks his hand; whereby one of the other players says loudly and directly to him “you can’t beat 8 high?” Seat 1 grabs his cards which are over the line face down just as the dealer is about to sweep them. He turns them over and wins. That table talk cost the first guy a $200 pot.


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I saw one similar to this where both players missed draws and the the first player confidently flipped up his hand not saying anything and the other player looking at his cards had them held high enough I could see from two seats away that his A10 was good enough to win the pot of just under $150.

I didn't say anything, but the younger guy between us put his hand out and said very loudly "table that hand it's a winner".

I don't know what the dealer should have done, but I was OK with him scolding the guy and sternly telling him to stay out of it if he isn't in the hand.

The only problem with the dealer handling it the way he did was it opened the door for nearly everyone at the table to pile on and the table dynamic got a little uncomfortable for a while.

After pushing the pot and starting to prep the next hand: "Hey, just so you know, what you did is a really big no-no and will probably get a lot of people upset at you. It's up to a player to read his own hand until it's tabled, and then I expect you to correct me if I'm pushing the pot the wrong way at that point. It's one of those REEAAAAALLLY touchy things so you definitely don't want to do that again." Then I add the bit about not asking players if they have any clubs on a 4flush board etc.

Thank you for doing that. I (and I'm sure many other players) appreciate it.

I agree with your reasoning on which ones are bad and which are harmless. Although I wasn't implying I was being thin skinned; simply asking what others thought about this kind of speech at the table.

You mean I can't share my hand with my side of the table, my gf behind me, and my two buddies next to me on the rail?!

What exactly is a MAWG? Ironically the guy in 3 was a young guy and I think was the same guy in the "gears turning comment" and this was like 3 months apart. I don't know if he remembered me and was just poking at me or he just does this to various players.

I agree with the edge part, you see people get so easily tilted and noting that can be great later in the session. I think the only time I would say something is if it's really unrelated to the game and downright rude (like Hashtag King insulting Deeb's girlfriend way over the line kind of way) or if two players are discussing what to do in an action pending against me in the hand while sharing the hand with each other.


At least in my case it helped me, although I'd be pissed if my friend did that to me when in a hand.

So basically I got to move up to where they respect my raises? lol

I'll see myself out.


I agree. 4 was def a line crosser in terms of impacting the outcome. I mean it benefitted me but it felt like a cheap win for me because I know I wouldn't want my friend screwing me over in a hand by telling me what I have and how I should bet or fold. I agree, I rarely directly confront a player over an issue and if I do it's usually kind of a table consensus thing where there's a mild disagreement. I've seen some dealers sternly tell a player to basically shut up when talking about a hand during the hand and others kind of jokingly shhh them.

My local room is pretty good mix of regs, occassionals, and random recs. The regs all seem to be on a first name basis with lots of the floor and dealer staff so I think overall they do a good job of controlling table talk. That said, I do think sometimes tables briefly pile on a player if they make a mistake and the regs might get a less stern warning than a rec or occassional player which might foster this sense of some regs thinking they're the table police or have earned their right to talk whenever they want. Not usually rude or over the line but I can see how it's hard to keep regs happy while also keeping the game running smoothly and without too much chatter.


Good point.

That's an odd situation. I once accidentally folded a hand during action but the dealer ruled that since there was no bet ahead of my turn to act my hand was still live. Guy next to me went off, floor was called, 10 min later they ruled my hand live, I ended up winning anyways but felt like a dick because I made a mistake by not paying attention but rules declared it was still a live hand since no bet ahead of me and my cards did not touch the muck. I talked to the guy who went off after and apologized for not paying attention and we were cool which I appreciated even though it cost him like $150 pot.

But in your example, I don't see how this could be ruled in favor of the guy who folded and then retrieved his cards. Unless they both checked down the river? But even then. I can see if he tabled his hand and said he lost and was corrected with his cards in plain view of everyone but did the opponent bet the river with 8 high ? If so other guy's hand is not retrievable I would think?

I think this is why you should table your hand if you get to showdown and are unsure whose the winner. But if A10 guy was facing a raise decision and is going to fold, it's not the nosy player's place to tell him he should call thats like sharing a hand. Plus if you table your hand you then allow both the dealer and the table to see the showdown outcome...many times I've seen pots start to go the wrong way until someone speaks up...and if the hands are tabled I think that's fair and legal.


Well said. If I'm ever unsure of where I'm at on showdown and all bets are finished, I table my hand. I've had players call out their "winning hand" only to have table and dealer see that their hand is not in fact the winning hand.

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