While poker certainly does have its fair share of disgruntled and easily angered players, it is a game that requires proper etiquette. If you want to play online, you need to not only follow the rules of the website, but you must also treat other players with respect. Everybody involved must abide by the same basic rules and tenets of courtesy.
The most obvious form of etiquette you must abide when playing online poker is not to type in any offensive or foul language. While some chat moderators are less strict than others are, you should still be careful when typing. Even if you are not swearing towards another player, you could still get into trouble. If another player is rude towards you, do not argue back. Hopefully, the chat moderator will deal with and/or ban them, and if not, then you should look for another poker room.
If you fold, you should not try offering advice to other players who are still in the game. Even if you only mean to help them, it is still very annoying and even somewhat rude. Refrain from making any suggestions or offering your opinion when nobody asks for it. This is also bad because it is unfair to other players when you try offering advice to someone else---so do not ever do it!
Another similar type of bad behavior that is frowned upon at online poker is trying to help another player cheat, or asking him or her to help you cheat. This means that you cannot send someone a PM about your cards, and if someone sends you one, you should ignore it. Even after you fold, you should not tell one player what cards you have but none of the rest. You should either tell everyone or no one at all what cards you have after folding.
Perhaps the most obvious etiquette by which you must abide is to NOT be a sore loser! It is okay to get a little angry from time to time---especially if you feel as if you have been cheated. If this is the case, DO NOT whine about it in the chat room. Do not become angry with the chat host; instead, take a screen shot and contact customer support. If the site has live support, then leave the game window open and wait for somebody to respond.
Lastly, just as you should not be a sore loser, you should also not be a bragger. It is okay to cheer a bit if you win, but do not keep going on and on about to the point where the other players become aggravated. While you are at it, never do any of the following: bully or make fun of weaker players, smart off stronger players out of spite, or do anything that could be considered annoying.
Follow all of these rules of etiquette the next time you play online poker and you will have a wonderful playing experience. By treating others with respect and behaving yourself, you will make things more pleasant for them AND you. This is because you will not provoke them into arguing with you or reporting you, thus getting you banned.
