The Importance of Table Talk

Description: Table talk won’t make or break your poker game – you can do perfectly well even if you’re a silent player – but it does make it more fun.

Poker started out as a social game.  Something that was played by close friends to while away a few hours.  It’s only recently, with the advent of online poker, that the game has become something played by complete strangers.

In some cases, the thought that you aren’t likely to bump into the people you’re playing with ever again has reduced the civility of the game.  Fortunately, most online poker sites have a chat policy which requires that players are polite to each other, but the overall quality of the chat can vary from community to community.

In some of the better online poker rooms, players engage in a lot of banter.  Paying attention to this banter can actually be helpful as part of your poker strategy.  If you notice that a player’s attitude changes at some point in the game, this could be indicative of the quality of their hand.  Perhaps they’re nervous.  Or perhaps they’re trying to effect an air of uncertainty when they actually have a strong hand.

It’s not all practical though.  Table talk can be an important part of building up your reputation as a poker player.  If you’re always friendly, and make an effort to remember things about the people you play texas hold’em poker with, then you may find that people are more likely to join a table with you on it, improving the social experience of the game and building your reputation as a classy player.

Once you become a part of the community, you will find that experienced players are more likely to share advice with you, which will help you to improve your game.