Are any of you guys a "cooler"

[lstream]

If you have seen the movie "The Cooler", you will remember that William Macy's character is hired by the casino to show up at any table or slot machine where someone is having a good run. His luck is so bad, that as soon as he shows up the good run is over.

When I select a table to play at, I look for the tables with the biggest pot size and sit down, assuming there are no good buddies nearby at another table. Invariably it seems that as soon as I sit down, the table starts to descend down the list in terms of pot size.

Makes me wonder if I am some kind of a cooler. Can one tight player added to the mix, have much of an impact on the looseness of a game, and the average pot size? My evidence is all anectdodal, so maybe I am all wet on this. Has anyone else ever noticed this?

[greenage]

[ QUOTE ]
If you have seen the movie "The Cooler", you will remember that William Macy's character is hired by the casino to show up at any table or slot machine where someone is having a good run. His luck is so bad, that as soon as he shows up the good run is over.

When I select a table to play at, I look for the tables with the biggest pot size and sit down, assuming there are no good buddies nearby at another table. Invariably it seems that as soon as I sit down, the table starts to descend down the list in terms of pot size.

Makes me wonder if I am some kind of a cooler. Can one tight player added to the mix, have much of an impact on the looseness of a game, and the average pot size? My evidence is all anectdodal, so maybe I am all wet on this. Has anyone else ever noticed this?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, I’ve noticed it, but it really depends…

I think its pretty site dependent because that does tend to determine the normal population of tables.

Example, Party tends towards, well Party style, while I think PokerStars and Paradise are quite a bit tighter. OTOH, Paradise has its moments as does Stars, just not as often.

But when they aren’t blowing steam, it doesn’t take that much to cool them off.

Does this make any sense?

P.S. I’m on allergy medication.

[Valentyn]

If I get a loud romp with Maria Bello, I'll take the cooler position anytime...

[badvb750]

I like to build my own pots. Maybe you aren't betting strong enough with your premium hands.

[jon_1van]

lstream,
remember that you might be taking the seat of a LAG who just got up...so not only did you bring down the average with your tight play. But the maniac who isn't there now makes the average fall even further.

[set57hike]

As the players move around the tables, it is unlikely that loose players will keep on replacing the loose players that leave. The result is that the table average will slide back down.

In fact, since your strategy is fairly common, is it quite likely that tight players will be replacing the loose players, so this process will happen even more quickly than you would otherwise expect.

For a table with a lower than average pot, the reverse process happens. Many of the tight players leave seeking loose tables. In addition, some loose players like to seek out tight tables. This drives the pot average up.

A player who is comfortable playing either style can take advantage of the transition periods by playing more loose when the table is tight and playing more tight when the table is loose. Presumably, the best time for a good player to leave would be when the table is right at equilibrium, unless the specific individuals at the table can be identified as loose or tight.