4: Communication
Players may not talk on the phone while at the poker table. House rules apply to all other forms of electronic devices.
I would like to issue some of my observations on electronic communication and seek your thoughts and input too!
As I've seen it, TDs generally implement Rule 4 by adhering to some of the following:
1) making a policy announcement prior to the first hand
2) repeating the announcement as deemed necessary
3) issuing a warning to a first time offender who appears to be unaware of the offense
4) issuing a one orbit penalty to a repeat or blatant violation
5) NOT killing the hand, but issuing the penalty after the hand completes
6) requiring all verbal phone usage to occur away from the table, even if the player is not in the hand. Avoiding disturbance to other players is key here!
7) allowing text messaging to occur at the table when the player does not have a hand
allowing Internet usage to occur, again usually when not in a hand
9) allowing music, using headphones, in or out of the hand
10) in bigger events all electronic devices are removed when some threshold like the last two tables is reached
Does anyone have any issues or more to add to the above? In general, it appears that use of electronic devices may indeed add pleasure to the game, provided that it does not disturb the action, or that it does not violate the one player to a hand rule, or that it is not used as a means of collusion.
I believe it is then up to the TD to use reasonable discretion in distinguishing the line between pleasure, disturbance, and collusion!
One final note: In today's norm of communicating electronically, it would appear to be quite unfortunate to ban all electronic devices and then have a player fail to receive an important or emergency communication in a timely fashion.
Thanks for your thoughts!