New to a game - etiquette?

[ethan]

I'm wondering what people's thoughts are on the following situation. This is a low-stakes game at my local coffeeshop...I've just moved to the neighborhood, and don't know anyone involved. I hope to become a regular at this game, and to make friends of the people watching/participating. I have no idea if the game follows the "cards speak" protocol, or if a player's required to declare his hand.

Flop: Q98r

Two players get all-in, one with AJ, one with AT.

Turn 2.

River J.

AJ reaches out and drags the pot, AT makes no objection.

Again, this is very, very low-stakes and the players aren't particularly good. I'd like not to ingratiate myself but at the same time they're giving a decent pot to the wrong person.

What do you do?

[nuclear500]

I would have immediatly stopped him, regardless of knowing anyone or not. I pride myself on being able to see exactly what the winning hand is almost immediatly. I make mistakes though, maybe they did. All he saw was he was way behind and when the jack hit, he stopped caring about the hand.

I hate one card straights and flushes like the plague, maybe they have a rule against them - but I still give the hand to the person who won if someone recognizes it and makes sure everyone is aware.

[submariner]

Have you started playing yet or just wathching? I would find out what all the rules are before I started playing, and definitely before I commented on any play.

You also need to find out what the common playing conventions are. If there is a rules handout that says cards speak, but in actual practice they all play that you must call your hand correctly or lose it, I think that is what you should go by.

It sounds like a friendly, low money game and you will be playing more for fun and social aspects than to make money.
If so, you need to take that into account when making any decisions about correcting other players' play, also.

[warewulf]

I think that anyone with any pride/honor at all, CARDS SPEAK. If someone has a flush and they call a straight, they should still get credit for the flush. All casinos I have been to, cards speak. Any game i'm in, cards speak. Any other way suggests that it's not a friendly game. Anyone that accepts a pot because the other guy called his hand wrong shouldn't be allowed to play Poker!

Warewulf

[ethan]

Hadn't played yet, I was just watching while waiting for my coffee. They definitely don't have rules posted, it's much more low-key than that. A good night is leaving up $15 after a few hours...the game pays for my coffee but not much else. I didn't want their first impression of me to be that I was going to be obnoxious and nitpicky.

I ended up mentioning it to one of the more loudmouthed regulars who was watching with me, and letting him do the nitpicking /images/graemlins/smile.gif Thanks for the input all.

--Ethan