Etiquette question here. Say you're in a hand and you've got a big, difficult decision - most commonly you're facing a very large bet or shove, and you go in the tank.

The player to your immediate left (who is not in the hand) decides this is a perfect time to initiate conversation with the dealer about all sorts of random crap, including fascinating questions about how the waitlist works, and it's incredibly difficult to think through the spot because of this Adderall head endlessly yammering in your ear.

Obviously in live poker there are all kinds of distractions that you just have to deal with, but would I be out of line to politely ask this guy to zip it for a minute while I make this decision?

Unless he's talking to you then yeah you'd be out of line.

If you're tanking and I start chatting with the dealer and you ask me to zip it the next word out of my mouth is going to be "Clock"

Nope, it would not be out of line for you to ask. Many people lack the awareness of how distracting they are, and some (though few) appreciate you making them aware. He's not in the wrong for merely talking if that's what you mean though.

Same, but because if you've heard me talk you know there's no way he's not using it as an excuse to tank longer or as a cry for people to watch him tank. I can't tell if OP is means an obnoxious person or someone who just dares to talk while he tanks.

How much was the bet/all-in and at what stakes?

You need to be able to block those things out, there isn't anything you can do about it and the answer is no, it is not out of line or unethical by any means.

I don't think you'd be out of line to ask him to hang on for a sec while you think, particularly if he's loud or talking across you, but if you came out with a "zip it" attitude about it, I would probably not give you a lot of leeway. (If you politely ask to zip it, I would probably say sure no problem.)

No one begrudges you the right to think through a tough decision, but it's a poker room, not a church. No one wants to sit quietly while watching you do nothing but think for minutes on end.

This is a common situation in live pokers. I will admit I was guilty of that on a couple of occasions too, but most generally speaking I do think it is horrible etiquette at best to be loud and distractive when someone at the table has a big decision. Yes, asking nicely to stop it is one option, wont work with some people though.

These two posts gave me whiplash. What side are you on here?

OP - You are in a public place with a lot of people. Get over yourself.

I think this is OKif you are between the talker and the dealer. I.e. if you're in the 10 seat, and the talker is in the 9 seat talking to the dealer through you, it's OK to ask him to give you a minute. If the seats are reversed, or the talker is speaking to the dealer from anywhere else at the table, you have to live with it.

I think this is a matter of judgment and how you ask. Generally, I don't think a table needs to be silent while a player is making a big decision. Having said that, while normal conversations can continue, sometimes, the banter can get very loud and distracting, and I think it would be ok to ask for a moment to think.

I can only remember one time when I did this. It was large pot on the turn and the bet was substantial. I was trying to re-create the action and do all the math associated with determining pot size, pot odds, and implied odds. While I was trying to do this, a player next to me started to engage in a pretty boisterous and raucous conversation with the player across from me. I was honestly having trouble thinking with all the cross-talk, and I just asked the dealer politely if he could quiet things down for a just a minute while I figured things out. No one objected or made a big deal about it.

The bottom line is that I think the circumstances and how you make your request matter a lot.

personally I don't think others should have to stop interacting with others not in the hand.. if they're not committing on the hand. and if I'm the one tanking, I'm so in my head I'm not concerned with outside chatter.. this all with the assumption that the other players are not obnoxiously loud.

I had almost the reverse situation happen to me. local room, know all the dealers to the point that the comfort level of any topic is very high. There was a hand going on that I was not apart of, fairly big pot but nothing "omg" big. All of the action was completed and awaiting one guys action to call on the river. the guy was tanking for a bit and the table was just waiting on this guy to act. No big deal, just standard tanking process. Well during this time I asked the dealer to call over a parimutuel and the dealer kind of freaked on me.. he was like "dude!?! and motioned to the pot/action" I was like "what? ok, sorry" but I was a little perplexed as I didn't see the harm.. wasn't anything further that the dealer needed to do and the guy tanked for another minute or two.

u have no rights to have it be quiet. block it out.

Someone talking loudly / being distracting is one of the best things for you when facing a large river bet.

Just saying.

He is not out of line to simply ask an obnoxiously loud person to quiet down. He is out of line to expect people not to talk.

Only have had a few times where this happened. Actually, in my experience, many or most folks just shut up for a while when some obvious major decision needs to be made. I know I do. I have seen a few folks ask for quiet politely and usually they get a break. Now rude folks can make the situation worse , but I think that is rare enough. So I don't think it is out of line to politely ask for a minute or two. Now if you are tanking for a long time or doing it frequently , folks are going to get restless and not be as ready to give you much slack.

Just close your eyes and ears. If you cant concentrate, the talking is not the problem.


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I would say one man's obnoxious is another man's good time.

I seem to recall several old HSP episodes where Gabe pointed out that people were yacking it up while someone had a huge decision to make. I believe he said they were out of line. I mean it all depends on the specifics, but you should know enough to zip it when someone is faced with a huge decision

There's a world of difference between a one-table room and a public cardroom.

If I recall that episode, it was Helmuth who had the action, and the other players were talking about him (though not about the hand).

On HSP, they talk all the time during action, otherwise it would be a very boring show.

I think this wraps it up nicely. No, it is not a breach of etiquette for someone to talk during a big decision. Nor is it a breach of etiquette to politely ask if you could have a moment of quiet to think about this. if you act grumpy and put out because someone was talking during your hand, then you are out of line.

One of my favorite floor calls I ever took.

Seat 10 is all in, action on seat 1. I am summoned for a clock call. Seat 10 is leaning behind the dealer screaming at seat 1 the whole time.

I inform him that the clock will reset everytime he speaks. About 20 seconds later, he smart mouths (not profane, just being a dick) the 1 seat. I reset the clock. By the look on his face, I'm pretty surprised he didn't come across the table at me.

Whenever you are next to a player in a pot you should be conscious of your talk distracting them, especially if you are talking 'across' them in any way

Totally fine to ask people at the table to quiet down if its impacting your decision. Also helps the game move faster.

Hopefully the floor is competent enough to not put him on a clock until after you zip it. He is entitled to a reasonable amount of time to make his decision prior to a clock being granted. It is not reasonable for someone next to him to be talking in his ear while he makes this decision.

No way I start the clock there. They are entitled to time to consider their action prior to a clock being granted (in most common rule sets).