POKER CHAT ROOM

Identifying a Poker Chat Room

 You can chat while playing poker in almost every online poker room. However, not all poker chats are created equal.  Some online poker chat rooms place strict restrictions on what you can and cannot say.  Some poker sites allow you to speak more freely but they tend to attract a less chatty crowd.  If you want to chat with other poker players, you might have to look around for a poker room that attracts more chatting and understand the poker game rules.  You may discover that different games and limits encourage more or less chatting.  You may also notice that once you've discovered a room with a lot of chatting, no one appears to be chatting with you.  The only way to change that situation is to be patient.  Wait for a conversation about something you're interested in before joining in.  People will eventually approach you.

Poker Chat Room Regulations

Each online poker site has a slightly different set of rules and a slightly different method of enforcing those rules.  Some websites simply prohibit you from sending any message containing a flagged word.  For example, if you use the word 'hell,' your message will be ignored.  The software can't tell the difference between you accidentally leaving a 'o' out of 'hello' and telling someone to go to hell.  Words that appear perfectly innocent to you may be flagged as bad words by the software and you may find that you cannot enter websites into the chat. The reason you can't put websites in the chat is that the poker sites are concerned about competitors stealing players.  It's fine to tell people about your personal blog but advertising other poker sites in a poker chat may result in you being kicked off the site entirely.

Why Chat in a Poker Room?

Some people don't see the point in chatting in a poker room, and if it doesn't interest you, you don't have to.  If you're testing out a new site, make sure that at least some of the players chat so you know you're not playing against site bots and know the poker game rules.  While site bots are unlikely to be found on any reputable licenced poker sites, the possibility exists, and you should take precautions to protect yourself.

 What to Avoid Saying in a Poker Chat

In a poker chat, you should not reveal any personal information about yourself. That is the most important part of the poker game rules.  That is, you should not disclose your home address, phone number or financial information.  Never give out your site password in a chat, or give out stratergy like say you have four of a kind in poker.

If someone claims to be from the site's administration, request that they contact you via email.  No poker site will ask you for personal information in the poker room chat!