why do emotional players piss me off?

[snakehead]

I'm not talking about the maniac who constantly bets and raises just for the sake of gambling. I'm talking about certain players who make plays just because they are wrapped up emotionally in the game.

usually what happens is a player is overcome by his emotions, and raises. you can see it in his face. he wants desperatley to win this hand. the raise isn't warranted, and in fact, is a bad play. but it stands a chance of costing me money if the wrong player catches the right card. I'm on a hand that I can't let go.

so since he made a bad play, why does it bug me? is it because I think he's burning my chips? or maybe it just bothers me that other players can't control their emotions. I can't put my finger on it, but I hate playing with these types.

[AcesUp]

...the raise isn't warranted, and in fact, is a bad play.

If that's truly the case (that the emotional player at the table is making a bad play), then by definition his action will have a -EV on his bankroll. Again by definition, this means a +EV to the rest of the table as a whole.

So, while you are correct that there is "a chance of costing [you] money if the wrong player catches the right card," there is more chance (in the long run) that it will make you extra money when no-one catches the "right card."

You should be happy about these players making these mistakes. Instead of focusing on the bad-beats you will occasionally receive, instead you should focus on the incremental extra winnings you receive most of the time.

[baggins]

put the pressure on. unless you're talking about someone raising a bet, leaving it 2cold to the rest of the table, and you're on a flush/straight draw (or maybe you already got there). its not necessarily that you don't have the odds to call here, but that the raise drives out some of your customers, reducing your EV as well.

[Ray Zee]

if you look to the future you will see his poor results going towards you. if you look to the past you may include those bad beats. so look what in store for him in the future not past results. keeping your own head straight is as important as playing the hands well.

[Al Schoonmaker]

You're asking the wrong question. The important question is not why they piss you off, but how do you handle your own emotions? If you respond emotionally to their emotions, you lose out on opportunities to take advantage of their foolishness. You may also make mistakes with other, more sensible, players when the fools aren't even in the pot.

Your critical task is to gain control over your own emotions.

Until you gain that control, you can't play your best.

Regards,

Al

[Jedi Poker]

I think what really has been bothering you is that you have so far been unable to control your own emotions during those few occasions when you have felt that such players were burning your chips. This is what's really bothering you, isn't it snakehead?
I can't help but wonder to myself what would happen if from this point on you are able to respond to these types of players with the kind of emotions that you would rather respond with. Just wondering.

[DeezNuts]

These players piss you off because you know they are making an incorrect play, but their raising causes you to play less hands, because they are playing their hands more aggressively, and he "might" just have a big hand this time. And then you finally see a half decent hand like AJo and play it for 2 bets pre-flop in a 5-way pot with bad position, even though you know it's marginal at best, and you stay in the hand a little too long, cursing yourself all the way. He doesn't win the pot, but you blew 2-3 big bets when you know you shouldn't have. After losing a few big bets this way, that's when you really start to loosen up and play like crap.

Or you may just despise them in general(my choice).

DN

[FishyWhale]

Because you´ve got him beat, but know that someone else might have you beat i.e. 3rd best is costing 2nd best money.

[snakehead]

I like both of your answers.

[snakehead]

you're starting to piss me off too.

[Jedi Poker]

I apologize for sounding sarcastic, snakehead. What I'm really trying to say is that no one can piss us off without our permission. It's not the a-hole's idiotic actions and behaviors that triggers in ourselves the response called "getting pissed". What really gets us pissed are the meanings we attach to the a-hole's actions, not the a-holes actions themselves. Again, I'm sorry for having been sarcastic.

[Tommy Angelo]

"so since he made a bad play"

Judge not lest ye be judged. And subsequently flustered.

[snakehead]

I play stud, too. I'm used to being judged.