Nothing.

For normal people.

The person who wants to win at any cost will go into a poker game and will sit so close to you, they try to gander peeks at your cards, ramble on aimlessly to distract you from the game and often will come this close to misdealing the cards (flipping) when it is their turn without actually misdealing. While none of that behavior is illegal, it is unethical and noone who is a true poker player WANTS to play with someone like that.

A fine line.

Hey, I was just asking a question. To be honest, had any of the other players done the same thing - I wouldn't have even wondered about it.

I just don't want to see 50 players tied up on waivers at the end of the week because of you..... [/b][/quote]Well, your poker analogy is interesting, as I am, as you know, a serious poker player.

I consider trying to look at another's card to be totally unethical. However, I don't play in "home" games, only in casinos, and when I'm sitting next to some drunk who's flashing his cards all over the table, I see nothing wrong with looking, particularly since other players may be seeing them also.

"Aimless rambling" is never a part of a casino game while the hand is being played. If there is a player who is just going on and on, the dealer usually asks him politely to shut up.

Also, since casino games always have a dealer provided by the house, misdeals are not a factor. But I would consider someone who comes close to deliberately misdealing to be cheating, just as I would someone who always intentionally shortchanges the pot.

Let me ask you this: Is it unethical, or does it border on cheating in your opinion, to watch the other players closely for "tells" - signs or subconscious signals about the strength of their hand?

If someone has a mannerism that is always evident in a seven card stud game when they buy the 7th card that they are looking for, or in the way they handle their chips when they are bluffing, and I pick up on that mannerism and am able to take advatage of it, am I doing anything wrong or unethical?

I would think not. And how different is that from the player who intentionally babbles on during play to try and distract the other players? It's part of the psychological warfare that is part of poker.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but I would say that if Yahoo was worried about 50 players being tied up on waivers, they should have a rule that limits the number of transactions a player can make each week or something.