Every live card room has their own specific rules of etiquette. These rules may vary from room to room, but they will usually have a fundamental set of rules common to them all. The online poker rooms are not too different, but a lot of these rules are not actively enforced, and it is expected that each of the players adhere to them to help the games run as smoothly as possible. Here are a few of the most common rules of online poker etiquette:

1) Don’t use offensive language in the chat box.
The chat box is made available to all players so that there can be a little lighthearted discussion about the game in hand and possibly other off-topic discussion. The chat box is not there so that you can berate the other players at the table, so try and refrain from doing so, especially after taking a bad beat. Keep the game friendly, and avoid making vicious and offensive comments about certain plays or players at the table. If you are not careful, you may find that your ability to use the chat box is suspended by the poker room.

2) Don’t discuss folded hands
Whenever a hand is taking place, you should not discuss the cards that you have folded in the chat box, despite if you are in the hand or not. The players at the table should only use their own ability to determine whether or not they should call or fold, and you should influence their decision by telling people what cards may or may not be live. You wouldn’t appreciate it if an opponent made a miraculous call against you because of what was said in the chat box, so keep your hand to yourself at all times.

3) Don’t excessively delay your actions
When playing online poker, you are allocated a certain amount of time within which you should make your action. This amount of time is often quite generous, so that you are able to work out what to do in particularly tough situations. For other situations where your action is simple, you should not try and waste time by delaying your action. There is nothing wrong with using your time wisely to make more educated decisions, but if you are constantly taking a lot of time to act when you are faced with a simple decision, the other players at the table are likely to become frustrated. So try and keep the game running as smoothly as possible, and act promptly if you can.