Dealing with the Antagonistic Table Coach

MrStretchie · #1 07-12-2005, 09:16 PM

Wondering if anybody has advice for dealing with a table coach that's basically a complete and utter assface.

Now.. I don't care if he berates my play (which he does all the time). The problem is that he absolutely TEARS APART the fish. He is a winning player, although far from optimal. But it's not so much that he takes their money, it's that he insults and berates them to NO END while doing it. He sits down at a table and within a couple of orbits the fish are either gone or tightened up considerably because they don't want to take his [censored].

I've tried rationally explaining to him (at a fishless table) why doing this is severely -EV. I've tried just suggesting that everybody block him since he's such a jerk. (This sometimes works with some fish..) I've tried ignoring, or making light of his comments. Even tried arguing with him on why their plays were justified. But really what I'd like to do is somehow get him to SHUT THE F UP.

Suggestions?

Derek in NYC · #2 07-12-2005, 09:27 PM

Direct his attention to you by being a dickhead.

MrStretchie · #3 07-12-2005, 09:42 PM

Hey, that's a good idea! I never though of that.. just get him berating me Solely.. or otherwise engage him in conversation so he's too busy to insult them..
Hmmmm..

BarronVangorToth · #4 07-12-2005, 09:57 PM

If you're looking for some extended anecdotes...

Besides my "On the Edge" series for 2+2, I write a "Foxwoods Follies" series for Gutshot, and I have written about table coaches and dealing with them:

Foxwoods Follies 3 - table coach part 1

Foxwoods Follies 4 - table coach part 2

Your results (and amusement) may vary.

Barron Vangor Toth
BarronVangorToth.com

MrStretchie · #5 07-12-2005, 10:44 PM

Holy crap.. in the first one when you said you 'played back the hand', I was thinking you played it back *to him* like that. Me: "Um.. you're the biggest table coach out there!"
...
but now I get it.

Unfortunately I think it's a bit more difficult for online play where anonymity seems to make jerks out of even normal people, and complete flaming bastards out of jerks.. and it's so easy for the fish to stand up. Still, worth reading for humor value if nothing else. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

LoosenUp · #6 07-12-2005, 10:51 PM

[ QUOTE ]
If you're looking for some extended anecdotes...

Besides my "On the Edge" series for 2+2, I write a "Foxwoods Follies" series for Gutshot, and I have written about table coaches and dealing with them:

Foxwoods Follies 3 - table coach part 1

Foxwoods Follies 4 - table coach part 2

Your results (and amusement) may vary.

Barron Vangor Toth
BarronVangorToth.com

[/ QUOTE ]

BVT some good stuff

William Wilson · #7 07-13-2005, 01:20 AM

I hate table coaches, especially those who use the word "Donkey" as if it's the secret password to their exclusive winners' club. These people are dangerous to me, because they are capable of sparking a tilt cycle.

I think most of them are relative beginners who are experiencing success through solid play, but have yet to be humbled by that sharp-toothed bad streak that makes them realize they, in the words of Rodney Dangerfield, "don't know cock."

I'm sure I berated a "fish" or two in my first few months of real-money play, when I thought playing the Top Ten Hands would earn me a ticket to the WSOP. But now I feel it's my duty to protect the unconventional players who see their poker buy-ins as entertainment expenses.

There's nothing worse than a loud-mouthed moron equipped with the dangerous comination of ignorance and confidence.

I'm getting angry just typing this ...

SNOWBALL138 · #8 07-13-2005, 01:41 AM

Its not just that table coaches are -EV. Its that they are inconsiderate, rude people. There's no reason to make a fellow player feel bad about themselves no matter how good or bad they play.

When I catch myself getting angry at a player for hitting a wild draw, I don't say "muahahaha. He loses in the long run." I say "nice hand," and I mean that. I'm glad that everyone, no matter how badly they play, has a winning night or two. Most importantly, I want everyone to have a good time. Poker is a great game, win or lose. Table coaches are gross human beings who feel self-entitled, and have no regard for the feelings of others.

BarronVangorToth · #9 07-13-2005, 08:36 AM

Online people have the option of simply turning off the chat if they're getting hollered at ... I almost never talk online as I'm multi-tabling and -tasking so I don't spend almost any time talking to anyone other than when someone gives me the cliched "nh" and I go "ty" as I'm just that original.

Live is a different story and countermeasure against table coaches that much more relevant.

Barron Vangor Toth
BarronVangorToth.com

coffeecrazy1 · #10 07-13-2005, 09:10 AM

I think most people get angry when they get sucked out on. I'm sure my neighbors have heard the loud streams of profanity from my apartment at all hours of the night...but...berating fish is like biting the hand that feeds you. If we're all starving in the wilderness, the TC would be the guy still hunting "for the sport of it."

Fortunately, TCs tend to be extremely insecure, and directing their energies onto you can have some terrific results. Not only will the TC begin trying to beat you...which he usually can't(I've had more than one challenge for a heads up match), but also, sometimes the fish will actually thank you for sticking up for them.