When you are at a professional poker table, you need to make sure that you do not do anything stupid that can harm your reputation among other professional players. While the sharks will not care what you do like a fish, the other fishes will be very observant of how you perform. The best way to deal with such wannabe sharks is to avoid doing things that are considered impolite or unprofessional. Here are the things you must avoid doing during poker games.

Do not splash the pot

When you are playing at high stakes, everyone is observant about how much you are betting. At these moments, do not throw your chips into the already big pot. Place your bet forward and let the dealer announce how much you have bet, so everybody can count it.

Avoid string bets

Earlier players used to say, “I call, and raise…” whenever making bets. These are called string calls and are not accepted at professional poker tables today. Make your initial call with just one action, and be clear of your actual intention.

Do not blame others

It is a trait of a personality gambler to blame someone else for their own losses. Do not be that person at the table and accuse others unless you are 100% sure. If you think something wrong has happened, you should report to the floor manager instead of making a scene at the table.

Never slow-roll

Slow roll is a bad sport and one of the rudest moves that you can play in poker. If you think you are winning and still waste everyone’s time holding your hand, you will piss off so many people. It is not a clever move, and you may even get punched on the face for pulling off a trick like that.

Do not misrepresent your hand

Always remember that you are only responsible for what you say, and if your hand and what you say do not match, you will create a bad reputation at the table for yourself. If you say you have a specific card and you don’t, you are misrepresenting your cards which is terrible.

Do not over celebrate

Never over celebrate your wins, no matter how big they are. Being happy for your win is good, but over-celebrating it is bad for two reasons – the opponents who lost also deserve respect for playing the bets and letting your emotions out also makes you vulnerable to slow tilt. Slow tilt occurs when a player loses the ability to control emotions and constantly makes poor decisions.

Do not comment on folding

Players need to respect that other players are still playing. They should avoid talking about their hands after they have folded. This can also get reported to security, and you may be asked to leave the game if an opponent complains about you commenting. Do not tell people about your cards, do not make noises of disgust, and do not show your hand cards to anyone at the table or outside.