How do people just not get it?

[WarDekar]

I don't know the exact hands these took place on, but I'll try and explainw hat I mean. Twice today down to 4, I'm the big stack in both. I've been pushing around the blinds a ton, raising with almost any 2 cards as long as I think I can steal it. Been working great for me in those tourneys. In one tourney I raised a guy all in with a pretty bad hand, he called and won the hand and said some sarcastic remark about it. I'm like whatever, then 2 hands later I'm BB and he's UTG goes all-in for less than a min-raise. I naturally call, it's the only thing I CAN do in this situation. He shows AKo up against my 24s and when I proceed to win the hand he just goes off on me. Do people just not understand tournament strategy?

Then in a tourney I just played, I had over 4,000 with 4 left, pushing people around like no other, one time I get caught raising with 67o and naturally I have to call the guy all-in because the pot odds by that point are ridiculous. I forget what he had, but he ended up winning with high card.

The first tournament I won, 2nd won I did end up going out 4th after a long battle. My question is, how can people just flat out not understand what's going on? Just because a hand is worse doesn't make a call or raise worse. I just don't get it with these people, and the sad thing is they probably think they're soooo good at poker because they know that AKo vs. 24s is a 3:2 favorite...but how can they not understand that when I'm calling 300 win win 1350 that that's clearly a good call?

[ColdestCall]

Think about it this way:
Really bad poker players = more profit for you.
More profit for you is good.
Tell them how good they are at every opportunity.
Try to play with them as often as possible.

There is nothing I like more than people telling me how bad I am in situations like you described. I usually reply something like "Yeah, I got really lucky there, dont know why I called." The fact is, if everyone knew what was going on, there wouldn't be much point in playing these things because we'd just be shoving money around in a circle and giving Pokerstars our rolls a little bit at a time. Be thankful for the fish, feed them, and they will feed you.

[pooh74]

well do us all favor and don't explain it to them when they go off on you...Ive been tempted before and one time I actually did (it makes me angry when im right about something and Im being called an idiot, the temptation is so great to justify one's actions and put them in their place...but taking their money is better). The other player was too dense to understand anyway but as a rule, don't try and school them.

[WarDekar]

I understand that, but usually when I think of a fish I think of someone that is just plain bad. These guys were good enough in the early levels to get to short handed, but they just had no concept of tournament play. They'd probably make pretty decent ring players (online, anyway) but yet they play tournaments the way they were and probably end up losing because of it - why do people like to lose?

Anytime I see someone fold to an all-in when they have less than a bet to call (or even more than a bet to call sometimes) I cringe. Everytime I min-raise and steal the pot, I cringe and smile at the same time. My personal favorite is the call a bunch of stuff preflop and then fold it on the flop when the pot is huge and someone makes a comparatively small bet...just lovely!

[soko]

Not everybody is as experienced as you. Alot of people are still in the mindset that the best hand preflop should be the best hand postflop

Do people just not understand tournament strategy?

Yeah... That's the point of playing low limit online.

[2planka]

[ QUOTE ]
well do us all favor and don't explain it to them when they go off on you...

[/ QUOTE ]

I usually say something dumb like "drat, hit the wrong button" or "had a feeling about low cards" or something like that.

If they proceed to berate you, just say "sry dude... I'm pretty embarrassed about it" and they'll usually pipe down.

If all else fails just type "CHAT IS OFF."

[ QUOTE ]
Ive been tempted before and one time I actually did (it makes me angry when im right about something and Im being called an idiot, the temptation is so great to justify one's actions and put them in their place...but taking their money is better). The other player was too dense to understand anyway but as a rule, don't try and school them.

[/ QUOTE ]

Anger management aside, this is sound advice. No one likes a professor at the table. Let the clueless players steam away.

[Allinlife]

don't kick the acqurium

[WarDekar]

I definitely agree, I always just chuckle to myself and think about how lucky I am these players exist, but today just struck me as odd that people in short handed can be that dumb so often. I absolutely HATE it when someone at the table tries to explain legitimate advice, and hate it even more when there's some schmuck that does it every time he gets beat.

I'm just amazed more and more every day at how people are so bad, and why they don't have any desire to get any better.

[soko]

Getting bothered over how others act is a weakness. You are whining just as much as they are, they are whining because they suck at poker you are whining because you have too much ego.

[Vetstadium]

Just don't tell them about this site, I think I read almost every post in the single table tourn while playing 4 SNG's. I love to say when I make a blind steal all in with about same stacks and getting picked off "Oh you caught me". We all have heard it the other day I was called a F ing moron for a steal attempt with 68 vs an AK then had to call the all in to flop the str8. JUST LIKE STATED DON'T TEACH THEM. Pretty please thanks /images/graemlins/cool.gif

[texasrattlers]

Yeah, that's my favorite thing to chat when I get called stealing w/ crap or call w/ crap for pot odds: "had a feeling". I am hoping about three or four note boxes are being filled for my nick w/ "clueless" or some other comment. I actually said this once after accidentally calling a 3-way all-in early w/ 47os and winning!!!

But, WarDekar, were you born w/ perfect instinctual tournament strategy? If you are like me, you were probably pissed when some big stack knocked out your AK w/ 45os when you first started playing. It wasn't until I started reading 2+2 that I realized that stealing w/ crap and calling w/ crap is sometimes the correct play. And it's just a fact that only a small percentage of players will have the motivation and perseverance to at some point learn why it is the correct play.