[benfranklin]

From Robert's Rules of Poker (Ciaffone):

[ QUOTE ]
POKER ETIQUETTE

The following actions are improper, and grounds for warning, suspending, or barring a violator:

Deliberately acting out of turn.

Deliberately splashing chips into the pot.

Agreeing to check a hand out when a third player is all-in.

Reading a hand for another player at the showdown before it has been placed faceup on the table.

Telling anyone to turn a hand faceup at the showdown.

Revealing the contents of a live hand in a multihanded pot before the betting is complete. Revealing the contents of a folded hand before the betting is complete. Do not divulge the contents of a hand during a deal even to someone not in the pot, so you do not leave any possibility of the information being transmitted to an active player.

Needlessly stalling the action of a game.

Deliberately discarding hands away from the muck. Cards should be released in a low line of flight, at a moderate rate of speed (not at the dealer's hands or chip-rack).

Stacking chips in a manner that interferes with dealing or viewing cards.

Making statements or taking action that could unfairly influence the course of play, whether or not the offender is involved in the pot.

Using a cell phone at the table.

[/ QUOTE ]

Two sections might apply:

1. "Revealing the contents of a live hand in a multihanded pot before the betting is complete." My understanding is that this is usually interpreted to mean that you cannot show your hand or truthfully state what it is. If you lie about your cards, you are not violating this rule. Saying you can beat a queen, if you can, could be interpreted as a nit violation.

2. "Making statements or taking action that could unfairly influence the course of play, whether or not the offender is involved in the pot." The key word here is "unfairly". Again, an issue of interpretation. Poker is a game of trying to influence the course of play. IMHO, saying anything is fair game and you believe anything said at the table at your own risk.

Personally, I figure that anything said at a card table is better than 50-50 to be BS. But unless I know better, I also figure that the odds are that there is at least one nit at the table, so it's best to not talk about hands.