How to deal with players who spit in the pot (toxic)?

There are people who provoke live. Can you complain? What is acceptable table etiquette?

Spitting in the pot? I would most definitely call the floor if that happened and I saw it! Sick!

Some people will do anything to annoy people.

That behavior is never acceptable. Stay calm and report it to the floor or tournament director, they’ll handle it. Always keep the game respectful.

Did you see that happen?

"I stay focused and don't let toxic behavior drag me into their game. If someone starts spitting in the pot metaphorically-trash talk, angle shooting, insults-I either ignore them or politely warn that I'll call the floor if it continues. Protect your mindset first. A tilted opponent is great... but don't let them tilt you."

Good morning,
of course, such behavior should be reported immediately. A game like Poker became great because auf respect. Next, just be thankful that there are still people with poor self-control. They don't understand what Poker really is about and just bringing their money to casinos and some online providers.

Four Dogs said:

Did you see that happen?

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Good question, I never did see it myself. Wonder if someone saw it happening at the table and how many teeth the spitter lost.

I never say a player spitting in the pot. That's weird.

gabriel31 said:

There are people who provoke live. Can you complain? What is acceptable table etiquette?

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Maaan, provocative players are a real test of your psychological and emotional side, eh? They're usually weaker players who can't rely on their skills, so they try to use these low-level tactics to break your concentration. In online games, you see these... well, let's just avoid the adjectives and keep it respectful for the forum mods and other users... let's just say these folks do everything they can for attention. They trash talk, insult, try to start conversations, show their hands after they fold—you name it.
In online poker rooms, the main weapon is the chat box. And I think unless you're on some High Stakes TV show, chatting at a poker table can be a genuinely dangerous habit: you lose focus, and your opponents can pick up information that they'll use against you later. The list of reasons goes on.
The ideal is to be focused only on yourself—and that's not selfish, it's concentration. You should sit down at the table already knowing that so-and-so is gonna be talking and trying to get under your skin. And your reaction should be the same as always, your face should be the same as always. You just switch into analytical mode and, as cliché as it might sound, put on the "poker face": no expressions, no emotions, no reactions. Because that's exactly what that weak, provocative player wants—to get a rise out of you so you lose control of your game and start making mistakes you wouldn't normally make.
Calm, focus, attention, self-control—these are all principles of a healthy poker mindset. They're the tools we need to have; we need to show up to the table armed and ready to be ice-cold. The less you talk at the table, the less attention you give them, and the more you focus on your own game—breathing deep, staying calm, ignoring the insults whether they're gestures, words, or whatever—the better your performance will be. When you don't react to the provocation, that's when your opponents actually start to get scared of you.
Just look your opponents right in the eye, no anger or resentment, just with a passive, frosty calm. Make your movements slow, don't throw your chips in on impulse. Always remember why you decided to sit down at a poker table in the first place: you're there to take chips from other players. The table isn't a happy hour with your friends and enemies; you're not there to socialize. Your goal is to be ruthless when it comes to your winrate and profit. And that ruthlessness comes from a peace of mind—the ability to stay calm in the storm, to not flinch, not react, and just do what you've trained to do well: play poker.

gabriel31 said:

There are people who provoke live. Can you complain? What is acceptable table etiquette?

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I suppose it depends on the language used by the dealer and whether "All-in" means it literally. I think the best action if this happened at a table I was on would result in me saying "Pigs tables are out the back, in the sty bud, off you go".

I guess that would result in a lot of laughter from the other players at the table, or would result in the player getting up and leaving, either with or without my foot up his ass.

Marcwantstowin said:

I suppose it depends on the language used by the dealer and whether "All-in" means it literally. I think the best action if this happened at a table I was on would result in me saying "Pigs tables are out the back, in the sty bud, off you go".

I guess that would result in a lot of laughter from the other players at the table, or would result in the player getting up and leaving, either with or without my foot up his ass.

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Hopefully that wouldn’t result in you getting punched!

gabriel31 said:

There are people who provoke live. Can you complain? What is acceptable table etiquette?

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I've never seen anyone Spitting in the pot (maybe it's just an expression and/or bad English translation- I do some 'weird' posts too because English isn't my main language and I don't usually use a translation site), but I've seen bad behavior at the tables lots of time mainly because of players that had too many drinks(maybe some other stuff too, nowadays there are lots of 'options' for people to get intoxicated), bad losers or just bad people... and I always advise my friends to stay calm if they find themselves in this unfortunate situation, ask the dealer to call the floor and just let the staff/ security deal with it... your job is to stay focused and try to play close to your A game and not deal with other players problems/behavior... so, I don't think asking for the floor is complaining and about acceptable table etiquette- nobody asks too much, you can talk as much as you want, just respect the other players, the dealer and staff... never act before it's your turn, protect your hand, don't talk about the hand in progress...

Did somewhat literally spit on the playing chips or the table? In that case I would call the floor and expect the player to be removed from the game. It sounds weird though, so maybe this is a translation issue and a more general etiquette question about toxic table talk and behaviour? In that case I recommend watching the free vidoes on Youtube from CrushlivePoker. Most of them are hand history calls, but there are also some non-hand calls, that go into some of the wierd things, that can happen in live poker, and how one should react.

If this happened at my local casino I would fear for the guys health. I have seen the doormen there hand out some over the top “justice” a few times. I would not mess with the place or them, in fact I’m everyone’s best mate there, I tip well and even when I get drunk I’m respectful and aware of what will happen if I cross the line.

I’m really good at maths and I have worked out that one of the doormen guys could defeat 4 of me alone.

Don’t let toxic players throw you off your game. Keep your focus — their lack of control is their weakness, not yours. Respond with professionalism: calm, firm, and detached.

This group of players have no business at the table. I don't pay them any attention.

If you feel provoked or notice unethical behavior, you have the right to complain. The standard procedure is to call the dealer or the tournament director (floor manager) and report the situation.

I read it as splitting the pot, LOL. Cannot imagine this happening. If it were to happen in a live game I think the dealer would call the floor manager for you and he/she would be escorded out.

There’s a special kind of player at every table — the ones who don’t just play poker, they provoke life itself.
They raise not for value, not as a bluff, but just to see your reaction. They stare right into your soul like they’re trying to read your childhood memories.

I don’t mind emotions — without them, poker would be accounting with chips.
But when someone comments on every move, laughs at every showdown, and starts giving “lessons” after scooping a small pot…
You just want to ask: buddy, are you here to play cards or stress-test everyone’s patience? 😅

For me, table etiquette is simple:

Don’t disturb others during a hand.
Don’t discuss the cards until the action’s done.
Don’t celebrate someone else’s bad beat.
And if you just cracked a monster hand — smile quietly and move on.

Poker isn’t a battle of egos, it’s an art of patience.
Still, without a few “table philosophers,” the night might be a bit too calm.

How do you deal with table talkers? Do you engage, ignore, or just put on your poker face and wait for them to gift you their stack? 😉

Stay calm, Don’t engage emotionally. Toxic players often want a reaction.

Take breaks if needed.If the environment feels too hostile, step away to reset.

I would imagine that “spitting in the pot” is just an expression…not a single player at the table would stand for that literally. As far as trash talk, it doesn’t bother me…I have yet to face someone like Will Kassouf, but once, this guy about 6’5”, 300 lbs actually threatened me physically…bullies are always cowards…he must have been intimidated by my white hair and 5’2” stature…I called him and he ended up folding.

Some table talk is normal, but provocation isn’t.
OK: light banter, friendly chat, talking after the hand.
Not OK: insults, repeated needling, angle-shooting, or commenting on live hands.
If someone crosses the line, don’t engage—call the floor. Poker is about decisions, not tilting others. Respect the table and the game. 🃏

If I'm understanding "spitting in the pot" to mean "cuspir fichas" or just shoving a bunch of chips in when they have bad hands, definitely don't complain. There's no misconduct involved in a bad player playing badly. You might get frustrated if you feel like you have to fold good hands because you wouldn't normally call a big shove with the cards you have, but don't like them tilt you. Use it to your advantage.

If a player is dumping a ton of chips every other hand, mathematically they are making really bad bets. Use it to your advantage. You can loosen up a little against them and call their wild bluffs especially when you have the nuts. It's just about patience and timing. Don't call with 86o or other little crap, but maybe a AQo or JJ that normally isn't strong against 20BB is worth seeing through.

Now variance says that every once in a while you might get trapped and they might actually have the cards to back it up and you take a big loss, but it's worth calling them instead of letting them bully the table. If you play smart, eventually they will learn their lesson and stop spewing or they'll go broke.

Now if we are talking about actual salvia, I'm surprised you even have to ask. No dealer I know would tolerate that sort of disgusting behavior and would have them out the door before the spit hit the table.