Poker etiquette strongly suggests that players do not slow roll, but it is not an outright rule. You won’t be thrown out of a game or casino for doing so, but it will certainly ruin your reputation and lose you some friends at the table. It also goes against the spirit of good sportsmanship.

A slow roll is when a player makes a long pause before calling an all-in bet with the best hand. This move can be used to mislead opponents into thinking they have a better hand than they do, or to make them feel like they’re in a tough decision. It’s usually a sign of bad attitude, and you should avoid it if you want to be a good poker player.

There are many reasons why a player would slow roll in poker, but most of them are not good. For example, a player may be doing it to try and get more attention for himself at the table, especially when playing in a televised tournament. This can be annoying for other players and may even result in them making a scene or rage quitting the game.

Another reason why a player might slow roll is to amplify their own loss and make it more dramatic. This can be a big mistake, especially when the hand is important or large. Losing a large pot is never fun, and adding to the pain by making a slow roll will only make you look bad.

If you’re a professional poker player, it’s important to learn to lose with grace and to win with grace. A slow roll will only cause you problems in the future, so it’s not something you should be trying to do in high-stakes games or at a major tournament.

One of the worst examples of a slow roll took place in a major television event between Mike Matusow and Shaun Deeb. Matusow was holding pocket jacks and faced a call from Deeb with ace-high. The slow roll made Matusow think that he was up against a better hand, and he ended up losing the game. The board eventually ran out Q-9-T-T, and the river delivered a six to serve up some poker justice. This is a perfect example of why it’s so important to learn to lose with grace and win with grace. Slow rolling hurts no one more than the person who does it, and it’s an unclassy, unethical part of poker that the rest of the table will frown upon.