Let's say I want to go to a Casino and sit down at a poker table with some of my friends.

1) Do they let you do this or do they assume you must be in collusion and ask you to split up?

2) Let's say they do allow you to do this. How do you play against your friends? You don't really want to take their money. Do you just agree not to bluff each other? Where's the ethical line between avoiding hurting your friends and colluding.

Agreed with rhound that I have never had any problems with sitting at the same table.

As for playing with them, I play the same exact way as if they were someone else except maybe i'm not as cutthroat on the river if I know i'm winning. I've played limit and NL and you can ask kenny, he got no special treatment . Normally, since I play really tight and most of my friends play tight too, we don't get in many pots at the same time, its not a problem often. We see a few flops together but rarely continue after the flop.

I played hundreds of hands with my friends and really can only remember about 6 or so that we REALLY were going at each other raising. Other than that, they are normal hands and we just played like we would if it was just a stranger.

My standpoint is different. I've played with a friend at my table numerous times. I've actually asked to be moved a few times.

Agreeing ahead of time not to bluff each other, while it's the right thing to do with your friends, is collusion. Collusion is agreeing to act a certain way before a situation arises.

Typically my friends avoid me at a table like the plague, whether it's a home game with a few strrangers or at the Taj.

I show no mercy!!

As long as the big winner buys the first round that night!

I've played at Turning Stone at the same table as my friend numerous times. There was one time we were at a table with two twins and they would do the check down thing when a pot got heads up between them. After I took a nice pot off my friend he said "Fuck man, why can't we do that check down shit!" I actually probably play more aggressively against him.

Funny that this topic came up when it did. My buddy Mitch and I played at the Village club the other day. We usualy sit next to each other. I am quite a bit ahead of him in poker skills, though he is a decent player. So he folded a hand on the turn and showed it to me. I was explaining to him why I didnt like the way he played his hand. This oen guy gets up and starts throwing a tantrum that its one player per hand and I shouldnt be talking about hands. I actaully thought this was funny the hand was over so the one player per hand thing is BS. He called the floor over and bitched for a little while, I told the floor that I'd be happy to change seats if she wanted. She said it was not neccisary but that I couldnt talk about a hand while cards were in play. I told her that I was that the hand was over. She agreed that what I did was ok, and left. Kind of a funny way to put someone on tilt.

Really, I have never heard of that rule, though as you said every casino is different. So do they not let you discuss hand play at all?? This might be kind of cool when someone pulls a Phil Hellmuth and gives someone a lecture about how bad they played their hand. I can see it now JohnQ Jackass how can you call that with 6 outs. Do you even know what you are doing. "Pardon me sir no discussing of hand play." John Q Jackass blows a gasket and is on perma tilt.