Request for SoBeDude: Don't ruin the games

[The Bear]

Dude,

You're a 2+2'er, which means that you must be dedicated to improving your game. Yet somehow you've missed one of the most important ideas in poker: sometimes the fish win. You have to be able to handle that or you'll never be anything more than a mediocre player. SO STOP TALKING TRASH TO THEM AT THE TABLE!!!

Tell me, who would you rather play with? A bunch of 2+2er's who never incorrectly draw for gutshots, make appropriate semi-bluffs, and squeeze every possible extra bet out of you? -OR- Opponents with the attitude "that's why they call it gamblin'"?

This morning, you had the latter, but you made at least one of them play better by berating him for hitting a 4-outer!! A 4-outer!! That's not that bad a beat!!

In closing, I want to apologize for posting this in a public forum, but I don't know how to send private messages. Also, I think this is a lesson that you desperately need to learn and I'm hoping that other players chime in to help straighten you out. Good luck at the tables today.

[lil']

To send a private message, go to "my home." The private message menu is there.

[gonores]

I'm the first person to get after the harassers when I am playing online, but I also think you are making too big of a deal out of this. The common thought is that harassment drives out the fish, but I am beginning to think that this logic is faulty. The loose-passives are more and more beginning to accept trash-talk and either ignore it or turn it off. The LAGs are feed off the trashings and try even harder to induce the bad beats. I've played Party for two months and I think I have seen a fish leave from a berating exactly twice. Do I condone Scott's behavior? No. Is it affecting your PartyPoker EV? I doubt it. Is it worth calling him out on it? Definitely not.

By the way, I know for a fact that SobeDude (Scott) is not the only regular 2+2er who berates on occasion.

Doug

[The Bear]

All very legit thoughts, gonores. I agree with much of what you said. I agree that this was not the appropriate place to make the post, but I was trying to be constructive. Even if you're right, and criticizing fish has a negligible effect on EV, it is nonetheless a substantial leak in anyone's game. Since this forum is designed to plug leaks, I thought I should say something.

Also, it pains me to hear that multiple 2+2er's can't bite their tongues. If you just started playing poker, I understand that the temptation can be overwhelming. Years ago, I was guilty of this offense, but as soon as I began to take the game seriously, I stopped. Virtually everyone on this forum should have undergone this transformation already. No excuses.