Casino Poker Rules

There are numerous casino poker rules. From the amount of cards in the deck to the way a bet is placed, there are many ways to play poker in a casino. Poker first originated as mixture of classic card-ranking betting games from (arguably) Germany, Persia and too many ancestries to name. While the history of poker is still up to much debate, the poker rules of today are not.

1. The dealer button rotates from player to player to determine the order of play. The "dealer" goes first, followed by a clockwise rotation. Even in casinos where poker dealing is handled by a professional dealer, the "dealer button" still is passed around to determine turns.
2. Poker rules dictate a first-come-first-serve basis for seating. Normally, because of this rule, there is an extensive waiting list at some major casinos. It is possible to be on two completely separate waiting lists (different tables) and sometimes even possible to phone-in a reservation.
3. Cards can never be concealed from view. For safety precautions, this is regulated strictly at casinos. While poker can be a sneaky game, loss prevention does come first in public card rooms.
4. Even if a player miscalculates (or mistakes) his hand, the cards speak for themselves. No matter what comes out of your mouth, what matters is what comes out of your hand. This makes sense, seeing as speaking your hand is not always a requirement in some games of poker.
5. Cell phone use, profanity or foreign languages are never allowed. Due to both the distracting and illegal information-sharing of these practices, they are restricted. Profanity can distract other players and cell phones can distract other players and share information. Additionally, players can use foreign languages to share information in poker. Leave the cell at home when you hit up the casino!

Poker rules are often simple in casinos. Don't distract other players, play by the rules and definitely don't cheat. Of course, some more informal card rooms may let some things slide (or at least give you a warning), but it is always best to play it safe (literally) in poker.