[MrDannimal]

I farking hate this.

I mean, I understand what you're talking about in that you're not cackling with glee about getting in the c/r on this guy, but you're not REALLY sorry and saying it comes off as fake.

If you're saying sorry as you do it, you're not sorry. Being truly sorry would mean you don't do it. Nobody expects you to softplay to prevent hurt feelings, anyway, so no need to offer a half-heated apology.

Everyone sits at the table with the implicit understanding that they're trying to take money from everyone else at the table. Bluffs, check-raises, slowplays, blind steals, it's all fair game.

In the big picture, you didn't even really suck out. You had the best hand going in by a big margin, he caught on the turn, you caught on the river. Best hand going in won the money.

I had a donkey run me down with A3o when I had him dominated and he went runner-runner for the wheel, and he apologized. That cheesed me more than the beat, and I said (politely) to him "Hey, don't apologize. You don't really mean it and I don't expect you to feel bad. You play your cards any way you want to, and what happens happens."

The idea being I don't want him to feel bad, because the other 9 out of 10 times when he misses and I win, I won't feel bad either.

I will admit to not being blameless in this area, though I try. I will try and say something like "Ouch." or "Man, if I'd known you had THAT..." when I suck out or put a bad beat on someone. Say "I guess I lucked out there" instead of "Sorry", or something.

A couple of times in the past (earlier on in my vocal steam/tilt control efforts), I mouthed off more than I should have. When I noticed I'd offended (once I too openly/loudly laughed at/mocked a donkey's play and the other time I was sticking up for a fish against a drunk TC who got drunk-angry), I'd apologize (sincerely) and buy the guy a beer. Pretty easily a +EV investment long term in both cases.