Advice On How To Keep Party Tables \"Happy\"
 

I am quite new to poker and I have read some books, lurked here for awhile, and have begun to post here and there. I have played on a few of the sites (all at $.50/1 level) but have had the most financial success at Party Poker tables where there are at least a few loose and semi-loose passive players, a little bit of chat, and not a lot of intensity or bad mouthing of other players poker "skills". It can take some time to find these "good" tables.

Often when I do find a "good" table a player happens along, that perhaps suffers a "bad beat" to T5s (sometimes I don't even know what triggers one of these guys) or some such hand and begins a tirade against the offending player and sometimes anyone else who does meet his "standard" of play. This drives the fish away in droves and soon I am at a table of angry TAGs that want to take every last dime off of "big-mouth" and I end up in the cross-fire.

My question to more experienced players is what is the best thing to do when I am at a "good" table and someone starts such a tirade??

Do I:

1. Keep silent??
2. Start making jokes at my own expense? Me <----- fish
3. Flame the guy?
4. Try to become the object of his venom?
5. Just leave?
6. A strategy I haven't thought of??

A little advice here is appreciated. Thanks.

Re: Advice On How To Keep Party Tables \"Happy\"
 

Either 1 or 3. I always love egging a coach on by talking about how you've got to be in it to win it or how no one ever won a hand they folded. Really depends on how funny I'm feeling. If I'm just grinding it out, probably 1, because I can't be bothered. But if I'm just living it up, then 3. It will frequently put them on tilt, and if it's like the O/8 SNG I played in last night, it'll have them staying well after they run out of chips to watch you bust. Anything I can do to shorten a table coach's life by upping their blood pressure is always a good thing.

Re: Advice On How To Keep Party Tables \"Happy\"
 

Are you playing poker for money or the social aspects? This is one of THE best things that can happen at any table you sit down at. The fish dont leave? They fight back, suddenly your whole table dynamic is changed and you have usually 2-3 people playing emotional poker in an attempt to 'beat' the others and 'prove' themselves.

Sit tight and take down the huge pots that their LAGGy play will allow you to. And continue to provoke them but dont actually get caught up in it yourself if possible.

Re: Advice On How To Keep Party Tables \"Happy\"
 

I usually compliment the "fish" on his good hand, and brave play in staying with his draw. [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

I dont like to see players being abused, and I find that being pleasant to the victims sometimes seems to encourage them to ignore the flamer.

This also may have the effect of deflecting the angry player's attention to me, which I dont mind.

Re: Advice On How To Keep Party Tables \"Happy\"
 

I also compliment the fish or flame the TAG.

Re: Advice On How To Keep Party Tables \"Happy\"
 

[ QUOTE ]
I also compliment the fish or flame the TAG.

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Yeah, sometimes I'll take the line of defending the fish's play, or sometimes I'll just get all over the coach, ask him for lessons, after every hand say WOW WHAT A GOOD PLAY!!!, things like that. If I'm tired I'll just be quiet or even leave.

Re: Advice On How To Keep Party Tables \"Happy\"
 

No player chat

Re: Advice On How To Keep Party Tables \"Happy\"
 

I first begin by making jokes to try to lighten the mood, when some ass insults one of the fish at my table. (The player insulting the fish is almost always a bad player himself, but slightly better than the one he's insulting)

If the attack continues, I begin attacking the obnoxious player myself, defending the fish, etc, in an attempt to get the jerk to fight with me rather than the fish.

Someone in this thread brought up a good suggestion, though. Next time I think I'll try getting the jerk to attack me by making obvious stupid silly statements, like "He was right to call to the river with pocket 2's, I always win with pocket 2's, they're the luckiest hand" and so on.

Re: Advice On How To Keep Party Tables \"Happy\"
 

[ QUOTE ]
Are you playing poker for money or the social aspects? This is one of THE best things that can happen at any table you sit down at. The fish dont leave? They fight back, suddenly your whole table dynamic is changed and you have usually 2-3 people playing emotional poker in an attempt to 'beat' the others and 'prove' themselves.

Sit tight and take down the huge pots that their LAGGy play will allow you to. And continue to provoke them but dont actually get caught up in it yourself if possible.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you're wrong, many players will just find the atmosphere to be unpleasant when any fighting is going on and leave. Besides, I don't need a 70% VPIP player(the type the jerks usually insult) to be on tilt, he's bad enough already on his own.

Re: Advice On How To Keep Party Tables \"Happy\"
 

I usually don't chat at all. But if someone is riding hard on a target of my affection, I may say something like "Hey <insert target screenname>, don't let him put you on tilt. Just play your game" Makes him feel like more of a poker player, and sends a subtle message to the derider that he is an idiot.

Re: Advice On How To Keep Party Tables \"Happy\"
 

Usually the guy making the tirade is a weak player you want to keep at the table, especially when he's steaming, but you don't want him to chase away the other fish either. Usually I'll say nothing at first and hope it stops. If it gets bad, I might make some light comment designed to diffuse the situation a little. Perhaps some comment about the luck of the cards or something.

Re: Advice On How To Keep Party Tables \"Happy\"
 

Today, this guy had me totally pegged as a complete fish, and was ragging on me every hand after I made a move on him and sucked out (to be fair, he was way overplaying his overpair on the big streets; hit my gutshot on the turn, capped turn, rivered a flush, capped river). Even had people agreeing with him. I didn't want this guy to leave, up until that point, he'd played completely predictable ABC poker, and was starting to tilt hard. So I get to play the part of the semi-knowledgeable fish, saying things like, oh, but I had 17% chance to win and you never know what'll happen. Which kept me happy because he dumped off over $100 to me and the other fish, at 2/4, no less.

This post has no point, but it was one of those things I don't get to do very often.

Re: Advice On How To Keep Party Tables \"Happy\"
 

I've been known to throw random (incorrect) percentage numbers at the table-coach. This will ALWAYS turn their attention to me. For instance:

"dude, back off...jackassdonkfish just made a great play! he had a 3-flush plus a 3-card straight draw on the flop, so that gives him a 42% chance of making a hand by the river!"

If you're really, really lucky, the table-coach will scurry off to a poker odds website to refute your claim, and stop even paying attention to his hand. Plus, jackassdonkfish thinks he made a good play, because he's already decided that table-coach is a dick so when table-coach comes back with the right number he'll think he's full of crap.

Re: Advice On How To Keep Party Tables \"Happy\"
 

[ QUOTE ]
I've been known to throw random (incorrect) percentage numbers at the table-coach.....Plus, jackassdonkfish thinks he made a good play, because he's already decided that table-coach is a dick so when table-coach comes back with the right number he'll think he's full of crap.

[/ QUOTE ]

Brilliant. Beautiful in its simplicity.

Re: Advice On How To Keep Party Tables \"Happy\"
 

[ QUOTE ]
I usually don't chat at all. But if someone is riding hard on a target of my affection, I may say something like "Hey <insert target screenname>, don't let him put you on tilt. Just play your game" Makes him feel like more of a poker player, and sends a subtle message to the derider that he is an idiot.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is actually a very, very good way of dealing with the problem.

Re: Advice On How To Keep Party Tables \"Happy\"
 

I usually say "pokur iz ezy" or "I had odd pots" or "hey harv you passed enough chips to me" . But that's at the 2+2 tables.

Otherwise I tell them that lesson day is tuesday or thursday if that day happens to be tuesday. If they're steaming because someone who is 8 tabling takes too long I tell them that so and so is checking with jesus in the fridge and will be right back.

Re: Advice On How To Keep Party Tables \"Happy\"
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Are you playing poker for money or the social aspects? This is one of THE best things that can happen at any table you sit down at. The fish dont leave? They fight back, suddenly your whole table dynamic is changed and you have usually 2-3 people playing emotional poker in an attempt to 'beat' the others and 'prove' themselves.

Sit tight and take down the huge pots that their LAGGy play will allow you to. And continue to provoke them but dont actually get caught up in it yourself if possible.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you're wrong, many players will just find the atmosphere to be unpleasant when any fighting is going on and leave. Besides, I don't need a 70% VPIP player(the type the jerks usually insult) to be on tilt, he's bad enough already on his own.

[/ QUOTE ]

aha thanks for the honesty. actually just realised i probably think like this because most games i aim for have 4 people, at most 6. the situation could be different FR where those extra 4 donks are where your money is coming from. =/

Re: Advice On How To Keep Party Tables \"Happy\"
 

When I hit on the river on a reasonable draw and someone flames me, I always say something like "I was feeling lucky." Don't let them think you know what you're doing--plus it drives them nuts to think that your play was based on a "feeling" and that you got paid off.