[sweetjazz]

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Even still though, after this happened, and during that first year, I found myself many times on the defensive, as players who KNEW I was green, would berate me for my play, telling me how stupid I was for calling this or that (often in the form of a personal attack), seeming to forget that EVERYONE has to start the learning process somewhere, and forgetting what it was like, regardless of how long ago it was, when THEY first learned how to play.

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Umm, some players do this to ALL players. Many people get satisfaction out of putting others down. Or they just want to vent frustration.

Most good players know not to berate beginners, especially at live games, because that's a terrible way to empty their wallets. The people doing the berating, by and large, are bad players who see the specks in the eyes of others but not the planks in their own.

I get annoyed by jackasses at a table. I find the best strategy is to ignore them, perhaps sticking a needle back at them if it's done in such a way as to be likely to shut them up (as opposed to provoking them further). The reality is that there are a lot of jackasses in the world, and learning to deal with them maturely is part of life.