Online Poker Chat Etiquette

Observing Opponents, Online Poker
November 21 2008

The chat box can be a very important tool for the online poker player. Some players may simply look at it as a way to speak with their opponents about the game, or anything else that crosses their mind. But it can also be used to pick up hints about your opponents, or just become a nuisance when an annoying, abusive player lands at your table.

Most chat at the poker table is fine. Discussing how a hand was just played or commending an opponent on a well-played hand is very common. But for every good chatter there are usually a couple of bad ones – players who berate or insult other players over their play or go nuts whenever they suffer a bad beat or get bluffed. Don’t be one of those players. Not only does it make you a jerk, but it also lets other players know you could be on tilt and you’re ready to lose a lot of chips. You can either block the abusive loudmouths or do as some players do and look for them because they tend to be overly aggressive and dump chips a lot.

For the uninitiated, some common chat box abbreviations include:

BB – big blind
SB – small blind
nh – nice hand
vnh – very nice hand
ty – thank you
lol – laughing out loud
lmao – laughing my ass off

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