A harsh but honest message to all 2+2'ers

[2planka]

Lawrence,

You are not the thought police, but I suspect you're a troll. If you don't like what you're reading here, then don't read this site. Period. Sorry to put it so indelicately, but you have to grow a thick hide when you play poker, and the same is true for posting ANYTHING on ANY internet forum. If you step out of line, the minions will smack you around.

We have a common goal here, which is to improve our poker skills. I, for one, want to know the hard facts of the mistakes I make. I don't want it sugar-coated.

It is always advisable to read the forums before posting. Many newbies just jump right in and, well, get what they deserve. I was one of them. I learned. Now I'm back. No offense taken.

So, lighten up and enjoy this site or find another one more suited to your taste. It's up to you.

[VBM]

You know I've been lambasted more than my share on the forums, but I've also had some nice folks who try to point me in the right direction.

I just try to filter through the sarcasm and PMS'y remarks from the negative posters and try to understand the salient points of the post.

I'm also comforted by the fact that the oft-rude bashers are probably socially-awkward losers who feel empowered to act out their alpha-dog fantasies in a nameless, faceless internet forum...and probably they couldn't get laid in a morgue. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[Punker]

The whole idea behind playing poker is not caring what society thinks of you.

[J.A.Sucker]

Don't be such a pussy, you prick.

[J.A.Sucker]

Lawrence,

Poker is a game where only the strong survive. You have to deal with obnoxious people all the time, and everyone is trying to take away your liveliehood, either for entertainment or to support themselves. Additionally, there are a lot of things that are beyond your control, basically, you can be really unlucky for a long time. You need to be able to take this everyday abuse if you have any hope of being a real winner.

As for the boards, the reason that several posters say "how someone played AK wrong" there's a reason: it's "wrong" if it doesn't make the most money. Seldom are there choices that aren't the sole, correct ones in limit poker. If you can't take somebody telling you that you were flat wrong, then you have NO HOPE of getting better. If you want to drop my name as a prick poster, go ahead. I can take it, believe me. At least I won't go broke, unlike the person who won't ever learn the correct plays because he's afraid of getting his feelings hurt.

[Lawrence Frank]

[ QUOTE ]
Lawrence,

If you want to drop my name as a prick poster, go ahead. I can take it, believe me. At least I won't go broke, unlike the person who won't ever learn the correct plays because he's afraid of getting his feelings hurt.

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh im not worried about going broke, I wouldnt be playing the game if i wasn't in the green. And its not about my feelings primarily. It is about others. Here's an example. I am also a bodybuilder. I followed Arnold S.'s routine to a tee as published in the "encyclopedia of modern bodybuilding." That was when i was 14. Little did i know at the time that the man was on steroids. As oblivious as that may seem, I was young and believed if i worked hard enough i could get his physique with hard work. Needless to say, doing 25 sets for bi's 25 sets for tris and 30 sets for back ALL in one day as recommended in one portion of the book, was serverely overtraining, and my growth was stagnant for 4 years. Then I was corrected as a freshman at my college gym by a genuinely concerned honest and forthright senior. He approached the issue with delicacy yet was to the point. If he had said "your all fu**ed up man, your doing it all wrong" i wouldnt have listened to a word. But he didn't. He was nice about it. And now my physique is all the better for it. And newbies cardplaying, with their brash bankroll opening lines, can be approached in the same manner and their cardplaying will be all the better too. Its all in the introduction. You need finesse, not crudeness. Please take note of this. The poker playing community will be all the better if everyone abides.

[razor]

[ QUOTE ]
He appears to be a nice and gracious man and would never choose the heinous acronym posted earlier (i.e. STFU)

[/ QUOTE ]

hmmm... I wasn't aware that Mr. Dawson was permitted to choose the survey results for use on the show.

[oddjob]

[ QUOTE ]
honest evaluation...unfortunately my fear is that the more i hang around the poker players who are 'pricks and snakeheads' i have a fear i will morph into one...you are only a product of your environment...to all...lets make poker a sport of grace, like golf or polo...not some game played by run-down gamblers in New York city cellars looked down upon

[/ QUOTE ]

well, poker isn't a sport of grace, like gold or polo. in fact, it's not a sport at all. it's a game. a game where the objective is to take your opponents money. it is a dirty game, where people drink and smoke and swear and some people even try to cheat. and some people like it this way.

in fact, if it wasn't for all the new fish the popularity of poker has brought in, i can't wait for it to die down a bit. some of the poker stuff i see around is just downright ridiculous.

and honestly, there are a lot of people who just need others to stop the sugar coated responses and tell them straight up what they need to hear. in my mind, having someone respond is best most of the times, and way better then if they didn't give a response at all.

[West]

Don't you coach the New Jersey Nets?

[VBM]

[ QUOTE ]
If you can't take somebody telling you that you were flat wrong, then you have NO HOPE of getting better. If you want to drop my name as a prick poster, go ahead.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think that doesn't qualify you as a prick-poster at all. There's a difference btwn analyzing hand play turn-to-turn and saying "NO, this is WRONG! here's why..."
vs.
"God, the stupid-train rolled into the station early today..." or "Your post doesn't belong here, Fish. Don't waste space reserved for deserving posts..."

But Lawrence, seriously, I agree w/ a poster above here; people aren't going to change; it's the nature of the beast.
Some are really cool and write so easily on hard ideas that you wish you could just think as well as they can think & write (e.g. GoT, StellarWind, jtr, etc)
Other guys are just rude & arrogant. But sometimes btwn insults, even they have something important for you to latch onto. Sometimes they're just being mean or spiteful or grouchy or whatever...
Beginners just have to take feedback, think about it, and distill it into something actionable. Or, just discard it as noise or worthless...I think once you're able to do that, you're on the fast track to improvement...