Cell phones at the table

[KrazyKoo]

I don't play much live but I don't mind cell phones. Some people might miss some action because of it so it comes with positives. The negatives might overshadow the positives but it's just too hard to police so better to allow it

 

[ScooperNova]

You used to not even be allowed to have electronics out at the table. The rule should be you can't have your phone out if you have cards. If the action is on you and you have your phone out, your hand is dead.

 

[hexplore35]

No phone at the table,it's hard to focus on the game when the phone rings or vibrates

 

[odonob]

If they kept a time bank of 30 seconds at live tables it would I think cut down on phone and tablet gazing. Any player should only need 30 seconds to make up their mind. I would not be against a table ban on phones in live games. I find live games when you don’t know your opponent’s to be very boring and antisocial.

 

[pavel1111111]

Well, în this days, i Dont know what to sau... It could help you relax and do the corect moves or it could make you lose focus on the game that takes place right în front of you and you will be surprize of what players îs doing to you, making various moves în you and you just jeep making very big mistake 🤪

 

[Ingryd]

Yes, there should be a rule about not using cell phones anyway. If you need to leave the table, use either your bet will be automatic double or fold

 

[Luvart]

I think that mobile phones and electronic devices or gadgets should be banned during poker tournaments.

The reasons for this is:

- they slow down the action,
-it's doesn't seem good when a specific player has to constantly getting reminded that it is his turn to play,
-they can create collusion,
-it's not good for the game in general. In a poker table, people should play poker, not talking to their phone, watching sports, posting on their Fecabook, etc.

 

[rei signo]

In a cash game I think you could but there is the risk of your opponents at the table being in collusion against you. In live tournaments, I think that the cell phone could be in an accessible location so that when the player needs or is interested in using the cell phone, he can sit out and do whatever he wants with his cell phone in this momentary interest.

 

[thejuice1]

i see many people on their phones at the table on tv, and i dont like it at all. in my opinion, whether you are in the hand or not at the time, if you are sitting at the table, and pull out your phone for any reason, in a tournament, you should be given at minimum a one round of blinds penalty. and i would say if you do it again on the same day of tournament play, you should get a 2 rd of blinds penalty. its pretty simple... if you want to be on your phone, fine, just get up from the table, step away for 5 seconds 30 seconds or 5 minutes or whatever, and then come back and sit back down when you are done. in a cash game, its harder to decide on a penalty. i guess in a cash game scenario, if you were on your phone at the table even being out of a hand, i would say that you should have to pay every other player at the table the BB value for doing that. and if you did it again and again, it still just say pay that same penalty.

 

[Niykk]

I have never used a solver, never will. I don't touch my phone playing live poker. Having said that I have no problem people using their phones or tablets as long as they are not cheating. Unfortunately some are doing it all the time.

 

[10gerka]

for some it may be distracting, but for those who use it, it is a way to distract while you wait for hands to play.

 

[PRRP2010]

My watering would be.
"The use of cell phones is not permitted while the game is taking place.
Cell phones will only be released during match breaks."
The rule makes all players equal, and patience is part of the game strategy.

 

[Falzee]

Absolutely not......and anyone ignorant enough to use one should be removed from the table.

 

[Roobz75]

Personally, I don't mind phones at the table, so long as the player(s) are simultaneous and pay attention to the game, especially when it's their turn to act.
If you can't focus on more than one thing at a time, then put away your phone.
At my live leagues, most of the blokes there are watching the football on their phones whilst playing.
They do get a verbal nudge now and again, when they're holding up the game.

 

[kon44]

It's so annoying when you're at a live game and someone has to be constantly reminded action is on them because they have their nose stuck in their phone. Besides the fact that cheaters could use that to their advantage (collusion comes to mind) do you think there should be a uniform rule about when you can be on your phone at the table and if yes, what rule would yours be?

Nice to see a non-garbage topic pop up in my randomly chosen notifications lol.

It's a fair topic, I've come across organised collision/cheating through the use of phones. One such experience was a cash game were a group of 6 guys, 4 of which were at the table of the 9 handed 1/2 game. They were using a group WhatsApp to drop intel on as much as could be gained per hand, with the other 2 hovering around the other active players..... Pretty naughty but I caught em out. They had done the same thing in a tournament which is were I first clocked their association.

Anyways moving on and more directly to your post, I think and it's implicated at some venues that I play that if a player is in an Active Call, their hand is instantly dead, if they are tapping away and/or watching media then as long as they don't have to be promoted for their actions then it's ok. Obviously if they are making mistakes like betting out of turn, misreading action ie. Missing raises prior to their own and calling etc, then the regular rules and what not come into play as they are penalised for such things.

Logic goes a long way and it's my hope that venues use it lol.... There are many that don't alas, but as such they ain't places I will be found again in future simples......

Ohh... I can't be forgetting the most comical of phone uses I've come across and that is the use of the odds Calculator and/or GTO Software.... I've come across it a few times and love these guys as I've ripped em new ones haha... Grassing them up isn't in my best interests 🤪

 

[kon44]

Where I've played in New England the general rule seems to be that if you are in a hand you cannot be using your phone, and if you want to talk on it you need to get up from the table. It seems to work pretty smoothly, except for one morning tournament I was playing at Mohegan Sun a year or two ago.

There was a young man, probably in his early thirties, who was constantly on his phone. He was constantly warned by the dealer, and constantly he ignored it. Finally one of the floor people came over and got him to not use the phone while he was in a hand. Of course he wasn't about to quit there so he turned slightly to the side and put his feet up on the empty chair next to him his.

That caused another controversy between him, the dealer, and the floor people. It went on for about fifteen minutes until he finally relented and played sans phone with his feet flat on the floor. I thought that I might be seeing a recreation of a scene in the movie Casino but, at least on that day, it wasn't in the cards for him.

Haha, I take my shoes off when ever I feel like it and it's often in the casino lol. When you play for anything around 12 to 36hrs at a time your feet swell need alleviating.... I suppose if I ever tried to put em on the table id experience some push back.... I'm not ever going to try.

Great scene that, I'm actually off to watch that now lol 👌🏾

 

[Dmitriy_rus7]

I, like many here, believe that a person should take a break and leave the table to talk on the phone

 

[gabryyyel31]

it's hard nowadays to give up phones in everyday life, but for live poker I think it would be a bold but beneficial decision to ban the phone during the game. Besides the fact that they would no longer be able to cheat someone or use various tools to simplify certain decisions, the lack of phones during the game would increase the socialization between the players and I think this would be a beneficial thing for the game. Therefore, I am for ... I would vote to allow phones only during breaks.

 

[Suns of Beaches]

In my very opinion phones should be banned but only on higher stakes. On the lowest stakes they should be allowed since there is not a lot of money at risk and people mostly play them for entertainment.

 

[king11682]

I think that the use of the mobile phone can be harmful, as an object of distraction. It should be kept sort of in the background and silent. Otherwise, inappropriate use of this at the table could be disrespectful to your colleagues.

 

[gillbates21]

what rule would yours be?

i'd make a rule that phones can be left elsewhere in the room but away from the poker table. then stepping away to get your phone during a hand would mean instafold.

 

[machinm19]

Its safe to say we have all encountered this at some stage when playing and it is annoying having to wait extra for people. I have no problems with using phones its just when some people are not alert.

 

[aobrien8]

A full body search AND scan before playing Live should be mandatory.

And NO technical gadgets like phones should be allowed.

It's only a matter of time before some brain-computer interface (like neuralink) is invented and used to win at the poker table.

I think that’s going a bit over the top eh? I’m pretty sure Ron at the local 1/2 isn’t about to be neuralinked..

 

[barbados]

The rule should be simple and clear - at the gaming table, you should only have the tools for the game in your hands. These are chips and playing cards. If you receive a call and you want to answer it, please get up from the table and leave the game area. You can return to the game only after receiving the big blind with the mandatory additional minimum bet.

 

[Toruk Makto]

I don't think it's coherent to have something so informative on the table, this can cause controversy during the games...