Many of us picked up our love of casino games like Roulette, Craps or Video Poker from a close friend or family member. Someone close taught you how to play your favorite game or gave you a winning tip that works every time. You’re grateful and you may even return the favor with a tip or strategy session, but you avoid those you know at the table.

What gives?
Some people think that playing with friends gives them an edge over their opponents while others believe friends are a distraction that reduce your odds of winning. So who’s right?

Keep reading to find out!

Distraction
There are some instances in which playing casino games with your friends can become an unnecessary distraction. If your friend knows even your digital tells then they are an obvious distraction because you’re focused more on eliminating your tells than reading your other opponents.

Then there are those friends who never shut up. These friends bombard your chat box so much that you don’t have time to make notes on your opponents, read them or focus on the best bet to place. You have two options with these friends: disable your chat and take the option out of their hands or set a rule that no chatting while you’re opponents.

Harmless Fun
Playing with friends can also be a really good time, depending on the situation. Obviously if you’re working your way up to play poker or blackjack professionally then you probably don’t bet in the same circles as many of your friends.

But for most of us a little round table of poker or Casino War can be a fun yet competitive way to catch up with friends anywhere in the world. Not all of us sit down with the goal of raking in the cash, although that would be nice. If you’re not a super serious casino gamer then you probably enjoy having friendly chats with your pals while you play.

The key is to know when it’s appropriate and when to key your chatter to yourself.

Little Of Both
As with most of us the answer of playing with friends is sometimes a distraction and sometimes it’s just harmless fun. The key to keeping it cordial and putting your foot down is to just be honest with anyone you know at the table.

If you never chat at the tables then disable your chat option and eliminate the possibility. Barring that, just tell your pal that now isn’t the time to talk at the table so they know. By that same token if you run into someone you know and you feel like shooting the breeze, casino courtesy dictates that you first ask if they want to chat before launching into your latest bad beat.

By nature casino gamers are very friendly and outgoing people, when the time is right. When they stakes aren’t high and play isn’t tense you can usually find most gamers telling a story about running into a celebrity or a really big win. Just read your friends like you read your opponents to know when the time is right.