Is it written in stone?

After you have evaluated someone's play during a session (or two) do you file away this info as gospel or reevaluate? Musn't you consider whether they play well during each session? Or note if their playing style or tendencies have changed?


My primary reason for asking is this: Several posters in the (shudder) Internet Gambling forum have posted that they "fear" making public their nicnames at internet poker sites, or at the very least see no compelling reason to their benefit to do so. The latter reason I understand but what about the former? Their collective fear seems to be that someone will play differently (ie: better) against them if they either;


A) Are known to post on this forum

B) Are known to have read (Heaven forbid) poker books

C) May be a "name" poker player


In summary what are your opinions on this behavior? Is it sound or somewhat irrational? Does it have some basis in fact or might they play worse if "exposed". Would people be able to play better against you just because they believe you may be a better player?


Jimbo

i laugh when i see people bothered because someone mentions their name in a cardroom. some get all bent out of shape. it's rare, but it happens. cracks...me...up

the funnier thing is, they usually are maybe marginal players anyway.


OOOO thats a big sign....your a great player because they know you...look out for him, the dealer said his name....BULL!!! haha


ive seen floor talk alot to ther regular donators too. maybe listen to more what they say for info, but if its just salutations, who cares...


i talk to many floorpeople in my cardroom all the time, and have been singled out as 'working' by other players on the table. it hasnt changed anything. some may be a little timid, but some will play to see if they can beat you. 1 guy in particular loved to try and bluff into me. alot. and it was obvious. problem was the guy behind me kept calling my raises so i had to abandon the play a little and play str8.


alot of wasted energy goes into needlessly 'hiding' who you are. since this isnt BJ, noone can kick you out, screw em. im sure well knowns like S&M, brier, or others dont have that much a problem getting action. not to mention in slightly bigger rooms where the player turnover at your table is greater, it's more ridiculous. smaller rooms, if you play alot, theyll know you anyway.


there was a thread about playing in your regular room vs. a totally different room with unknowns...i think with unknowns, it can be a matter of how fast you can read the table texture, players and adjust to it. a better player will adjust quicker, and if its quicker than the table, in general, adjusts to you, the better. your 1 step ahead...


if you are having trouble getting action because of 'who' you are, learn how to change gears. maybe thats it. the 'hiders' only want to play 1 way so theyll do anything to keep it that way. a 2nd gear makes it so much easier and without the cat and mouse. which was fun in BJ, btw.


i reevaluate known players everytime i sit down. i know the other players tendencies, but he may be having a different day and is playing a little away from his normal game. usually its not that far off, but its worth a minor adjustment. 1 regular weak tight the other day seemed to be betting his pairs. he usually wouldnt bet unless he had a great hand. like say top pair with A high kicker at minimal. threw me off a little at first actually...


there is a thing of being too image oriented. to me, image is more in how you play the cards. THATS where you confirm you preplay read.


not sure if this is what you wuz askin...


just some idee'ers


b


btw...just because they read a pokerbook, doesnt mean they know how to apply it /images/wink.gif

I agree with bernie.I started posting using"The Man With The Ax",But I found myself making alot of errors,So I said If I use my real name I gotta be more responsible 4 what I post.Again I agree with bernie known players may or may not be playing thier best play the player.Not the Name.

It is reasonable because there are lots of wackos in that fourm who many people would rather not have talking to them at the tables, etc. Think about people who post under their internet names such as thehawk67. People then post that they are morons, etc (which in thehawk's case is certainly not true. Why would anyone bother to open themselves up to scrutiny like that when there is no benefit. Also, for people who play heads up it may kill some of their action. I am not saying it would have a huge effect or that people should not post their names (I have posted mine, but I don't make a habit out of it). I do understand, however, when people don't want to be bothered.

Although I'm not claiming to be the world's greatest player, I've actually dealt with this issue myself. I used to keep my identity a complete secret, fearing that bad things would result if everyone knew who I was. However, I met a couple other players at this one cardroom who were 2+2ers, and finally revealed who I was to them. Didn't make a bit of difference. These two good players already recognized that I was also a good player, regardless of whether they put a name with a face. The rest of the players are pretty much clueless either way, so it doesn't matter.


Nowadays I don't care if I'm recognized by other players. Anyone who recognizes me as "Dave in Cali" is probably a forumite, and if they come up to me and introduce themselves, well, now I know that they are also a forumite. Anyone who is not a forumite is not going to know who I am anyway, so it doesn't matter. Since that one picture of me got published in a thread (the one where I'm playing in my bathrobe), no fewer than nine people have introduced themselves to me. They come up and say "Heh! You're Dave in Cali!" And I'm like "Dude!" and they're like "Dude!" I've met some people whom I've interacted with on these forums for years, and it's great to finally put a name with a face. We all know I love attention anyway, so why bother to keep my identity a secret?


The one thing I should stress here is that I don't go around advertising my forum handle to the general public. Despite my high praise for this site, I'd just assume as few players as possible spend their time here.


Dave in Cali

I appreciate the feedback and feel the same as the majority does here.


Best wishes,


Jimbo