Say the wrong thing at a poker table and you'll face immediate penalties—warnings, missed hands, or ejection from the game. But even legal speech can be expensive, revealing information worth thousands to observant opponents. Most players don't understand the difference between what's prohibited by rules and what's prohibited by good strategy.

I've seen players ejected for discussing hands in play, penalized for cursing at dealers, and banned for collusion talk. I've also watched perfectly legal conversations cost players their entire stacks through revealed information. The line between illegal and expensive is thinner than most realize.

Casino floors enforce strict verbal rules to maintain game integrity. Home games might be looser, but the fundamental prohibitions remain. Meanwhile, every word you speak—legal or not—potentially helps opponents beat you.

Here's exactly what you cannot say at a poker table (with real penalties), plus what you shouldn't say (unless you enjoy losing money).

Prohibited: Discussing Hands in Play

The cardinal rule of poker: never discuss a hand while it's still active. This is universally prohibited and will get you penalized immediately in any legitimate game.

"I folded ace-king" while others are still playing? That's a penalty. Players still in the hand now know those cards are dead, affecting their decision-making. You've influenced action you're not part of. In tournaments, this gets you a multi-orbit penalty. In cash games, you might be forced to sit out or leave.

Even indirect comments are prohibited. "I would have had the straight" or "Glad I folded" tells the table about dead cards and board texture. Saying "Wow!" when the flop comes ace-ace-king suggests you folded an ace. These comments affect the hand's integrity and draw penalties.

Speculating about others' hands during play is equally forbidden. "He's got aces for sure" or "She's on a flush draw" while action continues is prohibited interference. Even if you're right, you're influencing action through verbal reads rather than letting players make their own decisions.

The one-player-to-a-hand rule extends to verbal help. You cannot advise a player during a hand, even if asked. "What should I do?" must be met with "I can't tell you" or silence. Coaching during active hands is cheating, full stop.

Prohibited: Collusion and Soft-Play Discussion

Any discussion suggesting collusion or soft-play is immediately actionable. This isn't just poor etiquette—it's cheating that gets you banned.

"Check it down?" when a third player is all-in suggests collusion to eliminate them. This is explicitly prohibited in tournaments and will result in penalties for both players involved in the discussion. The hand must play normally regardless of circumstances.

"Go easy on me" or "Don't bluff me" to specific opponents implies a relationship affecting play. Even joking about soft-play can result in warnings or penalties because it suggests improper agreements between players.

Discussing sharing prize money or swapping percentages during play is prohibited. These conversations must happen away from the table, never during active play. Even discussing previous backing arrangements during hands can be penalized as it might influence current action.

Signaling partners through verbal codes is obviously prohibited but happens more than you'd think. "Nice day outside" might mean nothing, or it might be code for hand strength. Suspicious verbal patterns between players will trigger investigation and potential ejection.

Prohibited: Abusive Language and Threats

Verbal abuse toward dealers, players, or staff results in immediate penalties ranging from warnings to permanent bans.

Cursing at dealers over bad beats isn't just classless—it's prohibited. "F*** you, dealer" will get you ejected from most rooms. Even indirect abuse like "Dealers always screw me" can draw warnings. Dealers don't control cards; abusing them is both prohibited and pointless.

Personal attacks on players cross the line from needle to abuse. "You're an idiot" might get a warning. "You're a worthless piece of garbage" gets you ejected. Attacks based on race, gender, sexuality, or other protected categories result in immediate bans from most establishments.

Threats of violence, even joking ones, are taken seriously. "I'll see you in the parking lot" or "You're lucky we're in a casino" will get you removed by security. Poker rooms have zero tolerance for physical threat implications.

Sexual harassment through verbal comments is prohibited and often results in permanent bans. Comments about appearance, propositions, or sexual jokes directed at anyone are forbidden. This includes dealers, servers, and other players.

Prohibited: Declaring Actions Prematurely

Announcing your action before your turn is prohibited and can result in that action becoming binding or other penalties.

"I'm all-in no matter what" before action reaches you might be held binding. At minimum, it unfairly influences players acting before you. They know you're not folding, affecting their decisions. This is prohibited verbal action out of turn.

"Call" or "Fold" before your turn faces similar rules. Many rooms will hold you to premature verbal declarations. Others will penalize you for repeatedly acting out of turn verbally. Either way, it disrupts proper game flow.

Declaring future actions is also problematic. "If you bet, I'm raising" tells opponents your intentions, affecting their decisions. This forward-looking declaration might be ruled binding or draw penalties for influencing action.

Strategically Terrible: Revealing Information

Now for legal speech that's strategically expensive. These won't get you penalized but will cost you money.

"I haven't had a hand in hours" tells observant opponents you're frustrated and likely to play looser. They'll attack you more, knowing you're desperate to play pots. Legal statement, expensive information.

"I never bluff" or "I always have it" creates exploitable images. Opponents will adjust perfectly to these self-declared strategies. You're literally telling them how to beat you.

"Nice hand" after showing a bluff reveals that you were bluffing. Now they know you're capable of bluffing in that spot. Next time, they might call. You've educated them for free about your capabilities.

Discussing your thought process after hands teaches opponents how you think. "I put you on ace-king" or "I thought you were bluffing" reveals your hand-reading process. Smart opponents will note these patterns and exploit them later.

Strategically Terrible: Emotional Revelations

"I'm stuck" or "I'm up huge" affects how opponents play against you. Stuck players are seen as desperate, likely to gamble. Winners are seen as loose, playing with house money. Both images are exploitable.

"This is above my bankroll" or "Big game for me" signals you're playing scared money. Opponents will apply maximum pressure knowing you can't handle the variance. You've announced your weakness.

"I'm so tilted" or "That last hand killed me" is basically saying "Please exploit my emotional state." The table will target you knowing you're not thinking clearly. Never announce tilt—just leave if you're affected.

Bad beat stories reveal both emotional fragility and specific hand-playing patterns. That story about losing with aces tells everyone how you play aces. The emotion in telling it marks you as tiltable.

Strategically Terrible: Teaching Opponents

Explaining why someone played badly is the most expensive legal conversation. You're literally coaching your competition.

"You only had four outs there" teaches an opponent about outs who might not have understood the concept. They were calling randomly and losing long-term. Now they'll calculate odds. You've improved their game for free.

"That's not a profitable call" introduces concepts of expected value to recreational players. They were gambling by feel. Now they're thinking about profitability. Congratulations, you've created a tougher opponent.

Discussing GTO concepts, balance, or ranges educates the entire table. Keep strategy discussions away from the poker table. Every piece of strategic information you share makes the game tougher.

Gray Areas: Context Dependent

Some speech falls into gray areas depending on context and house rules.

Stating your hand strength ("I have the nuts" or "I'm bluffing") during heads-up play is sometimes allowed as speech play, sometimes prohibited as unfair influence. Know your room's specific rules.

Table talk to induce tells is generally legal but can cross lines. Asking "Will you show if I fold?" is usually fine. Constantly badgering opponents might draw warnings for disrupting the game.

Celebrating wins too enthusiastically isn't prohibited but might draw warnings if it's deemed excessive or taunting. A fist pump is fine. Dancing around the table mocking opponents will get you warned.

Foreign language conversations at English-only tables often require English-only rules during hands. Speaking other languages between hands might be allowed, but during hands it suggests potential collusion.

Online Chat: Permanent Evidence

Online poker chat creates permanent records of violations and mistakes.

Prohibited online chat includes the same violations as live: discussing hands in play, suggesting collusion, and abuse. But online, there's evidence. Screenshots of your violations can result in account bans and frozen funds.

Berating fish in chat is strategically suicidal. That recreational player you just called an idiot? They're leaving forever, taking their money with them. You've killed your own game for emotional satisfaction.

Even legal chat can be expensive. Discussing strategy, revealing thought processes, or showing emotional reactions gives regulars permanent notes on your play. Every word typed is potentially valuable information saved forever.

Professional Standards for Serious Games

Professional players understand verbal discipline. They speak only when necessary and never reveal unnecessary information.

Necessary communication is minimal: "Raise to 75." "All-in." "Call." State actions clearly without commentary. Extra words are unnecessary and potentially revealing or prohibited.

When disputes arise, professionals state facts, not emotions. "Player exposed cards prematurely" not "This idiot keeps showing his hand." Factual statements resolve issues. Emotional ones create problems.

For home games, establish verbal rules upfront. Make it clear that discussing hands in play is prohibited. Decide whether speech play is allowed. Set standards for appropriate language. Enforce consistently.

The Bottom Line

Prohibited speech at poker tables protects game integrity. Discussing hands in play, suggesting collusion, and verbal abuse will get you penalized or banned. These rules exist for good reason and are universally enforced.

But legal speech can be just as expensive through revealed information. Every unnecessary word potentially helps opponents beat you. Emotional revelations, strategic discussions, and information leaks cost money even though they're perfectly legal.

Master both aspects: know what you cannot say (rules) and what you should not say (strategy). The most profitable players treat words like chips—protecting them carefully and spending them only when necessary.

Your opponents want to know what you're thinking, feeling, and holding. The rules prevent you from telling them certain things. Good strategy prevents you from telling them everything else.

Create an environment focused on serious poker with proper game equipment and clear communication standards that protect both game integrity and strategic information.