8 Things Not to Do at the Poker Table

Will Shillibier
Managing Editor
3 min read
888poker's Vivian Saliba is here with some advice on what NOT to do at the poker tables

Last year, at the 888poker LIVE Festival London we saw Romania's Adrian Constantin win £100,000 and package for the 2020 World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas, courtesy of event sponsor 888poker.

PokerNews were of course in attendance, and while we were there Tiffany Michelle managed to catch up with a number of 888poker pros including the lovely Vivian Saliba. Last year Saliba finished fourth in the $888 Crazy Eights at the 2019 WSOP, and was full of helpful advice for poker players just starting out, including this list of 8 things you should not do at the poker table!

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1. Don't Slowroll

Many poker players have called for an end to slowrolling in poker, with Daniel Negreanu even going so far as to call it "sociopathic"after an incident at the 2019 World Series of Poker. Saliba is just another player adding her voice to the cause!

2. Don't Eat With Your Hands and Grab Your Cards

Call it cleanliness, call it manners. There's nothing worse than seeing someone dig into a burger, nachos or whatever casino snack they've purchased, and then reach for chips to count out a raise. If you're going to eat while you're at a poker tournament, do it at the break - or stick to using utensils!



3. Don't Act Like a Robot

When you're focusing so hard on making correct decisions consistently at the poker table, you can often find yourself going on autopilot in certain spots. That can be a huge leak for certian players, so try to avoid acting like a robot at the table.

4. Don't Be Antisocial

Another type of robot you can be at the table, is an antisocial one. It's long been a stereotype associated with online poker players who just sit there and click buttons, and don't have to worry about the poker at the life felt. Try to engratiate yourself at the poker tables, not necessarily to make friends, but at least to try and have fun while you're playing!

Vivian Saliba

5. Don't Be Rude to the Dealers

Another way to be courteous at the poker tables is to be friendly to the dealers. As you play more poker around the world, you may run into them on a regular basis so the last thing you want to do is make them dislike you!

6. Don't Play Beyond Your Bankroll

Play responsibly. Take bankroll management seriously and don't play beyond your means. That doesn't mean you're not allow to take shots at certain tournaments, especially tournaments with large guarantees or ones where you may have an age, but longterm it doesn't make sense for you to play beyond your bankroll.

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7. Don't Act Cocky

One of the best thing about poker is that it's a great leveller. So it doesn't pay to get cocky after scooping a couple of early pots. That luck and indeed that cockiness might come round to bite you in the end.

8. Don't Bluff Vivian Saliba!

Vivian Saliba

Vivian Saliba's last piece of advice was exactly this - don't bluff her! Don't believe that she said it? Check out the video for yourself!

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Will Shillibier
Managing Editor

Based in the United Kingdom, Will started working for PokerNews as a freelance live reporter in 2015 and joined the full-time staff in 2019. He now works as Managing Editor. He graduated from the University of Kent in 2017 with a B.A. in German. He also holds an NCTJ Diploma in Sports Journalism.

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