Manners or Maneuvers on Disconnects???

Hand starts and a player with the big blind disconnects, Do you raise him fast as you can to get the blind, Do you wait as long as possible and continue as a normal hand, Do you all fold and let the BB take back his chips?

Excellent question. I've not had this come up before in while playing, so I haven't ever had to think about it. I'm curious as to what other folks do. I think I'd just play it normally, as If I did not know he was disconnected. Everyone folding so he can have his chips really isn't fair to the SB, as he has half a bet in as it is. I would not expect him to fold so the BB can his chips back, as he would be getting his chips plus the half bet from the SB.


~H

I would just play normally. If I had a good raising hand, I'd raise; if not, I wouldn't bet it. You didn't say what site you were playing, but on Full Tilt there is a Disconnect Time Bank that gives everyone 90 seconds to get back online. So raising without a hand would be the wrong move if the BB reconnects in that time, which usually is plenty of time to reconnect, and has a hand.

yeah, this matter crosses some ethical lines, but normally i just play the hand as i would, it just sucks to disconnect basically

Depends on my position and how many players are at the table.

If the BB is sitting out, I'm the SB and everyone folds to me (or it's heads up) then it's a snap minraise. Seriously, there is absolutely no reason to waste time here, take the blind and move on. FWIW, I expect the exact same if I'm the one that's been disconnected.

At a full table where there's multiple players at the table I'll be more concerned with the other players than I will be with the sitout.

I don't care. If I've got position on people sitting out, I'm going to take their blinds. I'm not sitting at a poker table to make friends, or be polite. That's what CC is for!


If you're sitting out and I have position on you, better believe I'm gonna raise and take your blinds. I love it in the middle of a long tourney when there's 2 or even sometimes 3 people sitting out or not paying attention. Free chips, free chips, free chips.

Sorry if this sounds somewhat ruthless, but I'm not sitting at my computer for free... if I'm at the table, the more chips I collect, the better.

you have to watch out for the ones who have ed been disconnected and playing a real money game they will do that to keep there money.

And not real money game i would say yes do it, but in ring games he still gets it back and do you get to keep what you won

Oh watch out for the sit outs most are waiting to get KK or AA and push allin yep found out the hard way

Sometimes I play the country-freeroll at FT and we start playing with half the table not there.
No way I fold towards a BB who`s sitting out. I`ll collect the chips and keep playing.

i would play the hand normally....odds are he is going to reconnect anyway so you should play assuming that he DOES reconnect

Most sites have "all in protection" and all sites have time allowences for just this situation. It is not your job to babysit another player. Play just as you would if the bb had folded.

If anybody disconnects I'm doing everything I can to take advantage of the situation. If I'm the button or SB I'm raising as fast as I can if I think I can take the pot.

Basically, it's a steal with extra equity because he may not be able to call even if he has a good hand.

I don't consider it unfair, and expect anybody playing against me to do the same thing.

Disconnects punish the entire table, as they slow the game down. You can see fewer hands while blinds keep going up and up. That's a handicap for the entire table.
That is, if you can see half as many hands as other players, that cuts the decisions you have to make in half. If anybody has been stuck at a table with a couple chronic disconnectors you know how frustrating it can be.

If his disconnect protection is over, I will re-raise as fast as I possible can to steal the blinds, it may be unfair, but I know people would do it to me as well.

And this is poker.. Its a ruthless game.

Yeah I think in the low limits it is so common to just see they disconnect and just bet to take their money. Unless its a reg that you have a ton of history with and respect, you could always just check the hand down. But of course most people are just stealing so its easy to do that and no one will care at the low stakes.

take the chips. thats the only reason why we are there in the first place.