How to stop table talk, Tommy?

Here is a situation that came up tonight. a few players at the table decide to start spouting off their knowledge of the game and the fish were definitely taking notes.


In one case a player that shows his hand every time was repeatedly told by another player that he should never show his hand when he doesn't have to. for the rest of the session the fish never showed his hand. another fish who was sitting near by and shows her hand most to of the time drags down a pot half an hour later and is about to turn over her cards and then says "oh right, i shouldn't show if i don't have to".


In another case, the fish who colored up for green in the post below this one limps in UTG. Flop comes down A K 2. He leads but just calls when raised by the button. Turn is a K. He grumbles about this happening to him earlier in the week and shows his A2o (i figured that he realizes that he was counterfeited by a better ace). He checks, button bets, he calls. River is a 5, fish checks and calls.


button turns over ATo, fish proudly turns over A2 (he must have put the button on a king and was calling anyway). It is pointed out that the button has a better hand and then the button says, "you shouldn't be playing that crap from early position anyway". The fish looks at his stack which is about $500 less then when he came to the table from the must move and says to himself in a hushed tone "he's right, I can't like a 2 and bigger aces will beat me."


it just drives me nuts to see education at the tables. any ideas on how to stop this kind of thing from happening?


Rob

When it comes to these guys who spout off unsolicited advice at the table, the only reason they do it is for EGO. They'd rather give their opinion to a guy than take his money. What kind of knucklehead does that, runs his mouth at the expense of his own profit? Egomaniacs.


It seems to me the main way to deal with them is to talk to them away from the table (can't bruise their egos in front of others). Tell the guy he obviously really knows the game, and is a really good player, but why don't we keep this nice, soft game nice and soft? Make him feel like he's in a community of people in the know, so he feels less of a need to broadcast his knowledge.

"it just drives me nuts to see education at the tables. any ideas on how to stop this kind of thing from happening?"


Nope.

I often say "do you give private lessons too, I might be interested"?


KJS

You could debate the educator by saying things like:


"I've won lot's of REALLY BIG pots with A2o. Even when I don't get a pair of Aces, I almost always make a straight. You can win two ways with A2o."


You could loosen up the table by showing everyone a couple of your hands (but not too many) when you don't have too and say:


"I like to keep the table friendly. It's not that important to keep your cards a secret. We're all just here to have fun."


I've done this type of thing a couple times. It's important that you direct your comments to the educator and not the fish. The educator probably won't get hostile with you but will instead roll his eyes at your "stupidity" and try teaching you how to play. Don't say these things directly to the fish. The fish may suspect your intentionally giving him bad advice.


If one person is actively making the table tougher to beat by his table talk then you've got to counter him yourself.

Yeah my name in Lance (everyone says "hi Lance") I used to be a table professor but after playing with the same folks and watching my earn get smaller and smaller I figured since I wasn't getting worse they must have been getting better /images/smile.gif


Well I play in the fishiest game of my life now and I grieve with the loosers and cheer the winners (no matter what kind of bad beat I take). I have poker of many years (the only player in the game worth fearing) and he couldn't believe I stepped away from the podium and figured out that the worse they are the more we make.


Anyway to answer your question when we occasionaly get and visiting professor in the game I counter their advice with the old tried and trues such and " but that is a lucky hand for so and so" or "I wond a huge pot with that hand" or the best "it was sooooooted"

Unlike college at the table we can make sure the teacher never has the last word.


Lance

You can always politely ask whoever is bugging you to stop what they are doing. It usually works for me when people are a) talking loudly on the cell phone, b)talking loudly about politics and c)talking excessively about the "correct" play.


sometimes you get dirty looks but I guess you just have to stand up for yourself sometimes. They have a right, just as you do, to express and opinion. You should express yours.


I wouldn't worry too much about the table talk making other players more skilled.