Playing Poker With Your Friends
 

So last night I was at a real casino playing Poker. My friend and I were on the same table. I was dealt KT and decided to play. My friend was holding AT, but I didn't know that at the time. The flop came AQJ giving me the nut straight, and it ended up being Heads Up with my friend and I. He was looking for a K, but drawing to 3 outs. I was first to act, and when the straight hit, I check-raised him, which he called. Turn was not a King, I check-raised him again, which he called. And then the guy to my left said, "Wow, check-raising your buddy." So the river was a blank again, I checked, he checked and I turned over my straight as I just took about 20$ if not more of his chips (playing 2/4 Limit). All I said was, "It's a tough game."

And then I felt bad because we went to have fun and he was telling me how he was going to triple his stack and whatever else. He ended up losing his stack twice as he bought in again after leaving the table. I tried giving him back the chips I took from him, but the dealer said it was against the rules, which I was not aware of at the time.

What is your take on playing against your friends at the same table?

Do you think I should have just checked through and let the minimum amount of damage be done?

Re: Playing Poker With Your Friends
 

Checkraising your friend / father / brother > softplaying and pissing the entire table off. If it's that big a deal, get different tables.

ScottieK

Re: Playing Poker With Your Friends
 

I usually feel that winning my friend's money is so much sweeter than randoms. If I didn't, I wouldn't play at the same table as them. You should have bet the river too.

Re: Playing Poker With Your Friends
 

Only mistake here is not betting the river.

Re: Playing Poker With Your Friends
 

I don't like it when my friends play soft against me in any game, unless we specifically discuss it earlier.

Poker, pingpong, Trivial Pursuit - we're competing for a reason. I don't think you did anything wrong.

Does your friend seem pissed at you? What would you do if you were having a home game with your buds?

I have a friend who playssome of the same online places that I do, and we specifically avoid playing the same tables. If you feel bad winning the chips of someone you know, you should tell the broom to seat you at different tables.

Re: Playing Poker With Your Friends
 

Would your friend have done the same?

Plus softplaying is poor etiquette, like others said, if you don't want to possibly win his money, switch tables.

Re: Playing Poker With Your Friends
 

I play a home game tourney ($20) with friends maybe 1 - 2 times a month. A couple of them play AC with about the same regularity as me, so I know they take it seriously. About half are playing for "fun" and their girlfriends and the like. (We actually call one guy "Dead Money" to his face.)

I go to win. I treat them like AC Satellites ... I roll the winnings the next weekend at a B&M. When I lose there I get pissed at my game, not them. When I win I feel bad, but not until the drive home. And then only for a minute.

That said, I'm playing a tourney tomorrow with a friend from work. He's a cash game regular (plays the Borg at least weekly). We aren't arriving together, so hopefully we won't sit together (at least to start). But if we do, he's just another faceless opponent who's chips I intend to take away.

I'd have bet the turn and the river against my friend. If he doesn't want to lose to me he shouldn't sit with me. That said, I wouldn't let my fish buddies sit with me to avoid that very scenario.

Re: Playing Poker With Your Friends
 

Go ahead and take his money. It's the only way he'll learn to respect you...

Seriously, I think I'd be more insulted if my friends soft played me because they felt sorry for me than if they just broke me. If he's losing more than he can afford, like he has a gambling problem or something, talk to him away from the table man to man. Otherwise, take him out.

Re: Playing Poker With Your Friends
 

[ QUOTE ]
Would your friend have done the same?

[/ QUOTE ]

He doesn't take poker as seriously as I do. I don't know if he would have done the same, it was the first time we played together.

I even said to him jokingly before we got there, "Don't be mad if I take all of your money." I didn't think it would actually happen! haha

Re: Playing Poker With Your Friends
 

[ QUOTE ]
If he's losing more than he can afford, like he has a gambling problem or something, talk to him away from the table man to man. Otherwise, take him out.

[/ QUOTE ]

He works for JPMorgan in New York City, so I'm sure the amount he lost wasn't that big of a deal. I mentioned that to him, and then it made me feel better because it's not like he isn't making money somewhere else.

Re: Playing Poker With Your Friends
 

I would have played him as tough as I would any stranger then offered some advice on how to play better after the game.

Re: Playing Poker With Your Friends
 

Well, there you go then - no problem. It's like entertainment money. If you all had gone out to a bar, played some pool, chased after women and drank it up, he would be out that money anyway - and so would you. This way, at least one of you profits. He's got no reason to be upset with you, so you have to reason to feel bad (except that maybe you could have secured more of his money if you had raised it up on the river).

Re: Playing Poker With Your Friends
 

[ QUOTE ]

Does your friend seem pissed at you? What would you do if you were having a home game with your buds?


[/ QUOTE ]

He seemed pissed at first, or maybe crushed. Him and I were competitive throughout sports in High School. We neve saw eye-to-eye on anything and for the longest time we weren't that big on the friend connection - we were more of an acquaintance to each other.

And a home game...those don't happen because none of my friends play poker. I don't have anything in common with most of my friends anymore. I play poker, traded stocks and foreign exchange, save my money, I'm in the National Guard, been deployed 2 times, while they work, party, go clubbing, spend their money on stupid things...etc. I don't even go to the same college as any of my friends, AND most of the people I graduated high school with are already graduated from college.

It sounds like I'm a loner, but I'm not. I just choose to do things differently.

I live with 2 other guys, the one plays online poker alot, but he isn't as serious as I am (working on getting better, understanding the game better, being consistent). He thinks when he wins that he is good, but I think it's luck and variance. He goes all-in with -EV cards just to try to push people around. He also plays on BoDog and when I played on there for him, I would categorize that site as very soft.

My other roommate doesn't play poker, in fact, the only thing he does is drink alcohol, listen to music, and play the guitar.

Re: Playing Poker With Your Friends
 

[ QUOTE ]
Well, there you go then - no problem. It's like entertainment money. If you all had gone out to a bar, played some pool, chased after women and drank it up, he would be out that money anyway - and so would you. This way, at least one of you profits. He's got no reason to be upset with you, so you have to reason to feel bad (except that maybe you could have secured more of his money if you had raised it up on the river).

[/ QUOTE ]

His g/f also won 1000$ on a slot machine. So that makes everything better too.