Etiquette vs Foul Language
I love to play cards, learn, and be in a social setting agreeable to all. In The Poker Pub rules, it says the word etiquette and gives card playing no - no's. Our brain triggers the auto-response button of what etiquette is or what we understand it to be from learned practice growing up with surrounding adults who used etiquette. This isn't a new craze waiting to take off to be popular. We all have a good knowing that etiquette is well-mannered, socially giving to conversation with courtesy to all, and presenting themselves well in a not-so-positive situation.
In a large group of people, I have never really found a just cause to use foul language although, as all do, stress gets the best of us! Thanks to pressure/stress at a league game one night, I cracked/full-tilt, blowing up with F-Bombs as soon as I walked away from the poker table out the door watching it close behind me before exploding.
Foul language isn't my nature and, if I had never used foul language outside that night, I wouldn't owe a HUGE apology to someone for pointing out my embarrassing public display of bad judgement in frustration. The verbal finger pointed at me a few nights later because of my lack of etiquette away from the table by a witness who stated the fact I did use foul language struck me a tad wrong because of two reasons. 1. I truely didn't remember the outburst at the moment and 2. he continued to be persistant at a table in a different establishment where the game was in action. I nicely denied it a few times trying to keep the game moving. Yet, the witness strongly noted, it was me for each denial I gave him. My mind wasn't on his interest to exploit me for foul language that happened days prior. I wanted to play. Quickly, I jump to my defense one more time after stating nicely it wasn't me. I pointed my finger at him and flat told him he was a liar for saying it was me. I re-hashed the confrontation in my head later because the man really seemed to believe with strong confidence it was me. Then the night of bad judgement flashed in eyesight like a deer caught in headlights. It did happen and his description of my self-destructive melt-down was 100% right. Regardless of all my denial, he stood his ground and that's what made me want to know why he believed it with such factual thought. The man 100% did not deserve the lash-back of false accusation calling him a liar and for this - I'M SO SORRY!
The practice of foul language at a poker table presents itself as well as my example of a bad decision to use it that night. Etiquette would have given the best outcome from the start ensuring another poker game to operate smoothly without unfolding an indirect foul language dispute. The story serves its purpose, 'foul language is an unnecessary negative vibe where Poker is about the game, not offensive vocabulary. It is a breathing changing form waiting... begging for the next player to discover another trick and respecting the advantage of chips when the trick is mastered.
When I sit at a table with (young/old) adults F-Bombing every other word, I'm flabbergasted they don't feel it is innappropriate, discourteous, and selfish to inflicting repetative F-Bombing redundantly amongst a social group varying in social upbringing. F-Bombing isn't a skill or a strategy and there isn't a gain to use it. It simply discredits you as a player by stripping your earned respect from others by stripping the respect cards demand through every strong bet and every strategy/skill used to give someone a bad beat. The cards like to do the talking and make the action happen. A foul mouth is just a foul mouth wanting undeserved attention. Real poker will build knowledge to excel as stronger poker player or, possibly that dream caught on the right day.... to know you are a professional poker player.
Am I being a sensitive person to today's age or is it just proper etiquette to refrain from using offensive language in public regardless of the action happening in a bar? The fact is, poker sites and professional poker penalize the use of foul language. We are in a poker league attempting to achieve pokerstar status with tournaments linking to WSOP opportunities. Why is there foul language in the league?
We are sitting closely and respectfully allow each other to have their space as much as we possibly can in full games. Can we all just get along by giving poker the respect of clean language at the table? If we aspire to be a strong player or poker superstar, it would be good to practice into a professional poker metality and atmosphere as we all hope to attain that poker dream.
