Berating the fish?

[Peter_rus]

It's amazing how often i got berated at 30/60 SH. Often by decent players which surprises me much. 'Russian scum', 'f u, idiot', 'nh, donk', 'mentality of peasants', 'go but some bread on that money' etc..

I had never seen such 'names' at lower limits and i really can't understand why some good players thinking my play sucks keep remind me of it and don't simply add me to their buddy list.

Any thoughts?

Is it psycho-trick or something to make opponent nervious and make more mistakes? Does your game change against berator?

[PokerBob]

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Any thoughts?



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Russian fish [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[1800GAMBLER]

It's probably because of your BB defensive, i get it a lot after i've shown a BB defensive hand like T5o etc.

It's def. not a strategy of 30/60 players it's just because of the amounts of money and ego at stake for these players.

First, and I'm sure you know this, don't take the berating personally. Don't let it influence your judgement.
Second, be on the lookout for taking advantage of the berator -- they're on tilt and if you make a big hand, bet for value or set the mighty trap.

[sfer]

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Is it psycho-trick or something to make opponent nervious and make more mistakes? Does your game change against berator?

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Generally I assume they're more likely to steam, but that's about it. I've never been berated for more than a couple of hands, though. I imagine I'd make adjustments if I felt like someone was deliberately trying to target me.

This behavior can take you of your game, if you let it. Anybody who berates another player could never be a pro and has been a real long time pro.

What I mean is before the internet, mid level games with real fish where scarce...If you found a nice guy who played for fun he was your best friend. Why would you want to tell a guy he played bad?
• So he could play better?
• So he could go online and read posts?
• So he can think about the cards he or she is playing?

The only type of players how berates other players are...

a) He wants to be considered the best technical player (which means squat) I see a lot of professional people, Dr.’s, Salespeople, insurance agents etc…in my regular games that take this position. “I must always three be AKs because Mr Sklasnky said so, even though the rock next to me only raise AA an KK UTG…I can’t think for myself”

b) He is playing on scared money and can’t afford to lose. “I know I should have dropped limits but I don’t want John to see me playing 10-20, because I’m a 40-80 player!”

C) He can not read you, and can’t put you on a hand, and you are taking him off his game. You are so much in his head he wants to return the favor the only way he knows how. “Whats the ass*()e have, I don’t know everytime I have AT he has AK, and they he raised with 10-9s, and made me fold my AJ, and I would have won that pot.”

Talk to anybody who has been playing for more than 3 years for a living, and poker they have seen it all. They never get excited with a big win or a big loss.

So if someone is berating another player, consider the source.
And if someone is berating you, here is my favorite response…
”Well I’m the type of player you want in the game right? I mean you must be real poker pro if you want to point out how bad my play is…I will now only play perfect starting hands…thanks for pointing that out”
Or
“Go fuc% yourself”

[Peter_rus]

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I imagine I'd make adjustments if I felt like someone was deliberately trying to target me.

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Do you still betting KT on 27Q flop when you're on steal and he defends or you show the great weakness by once in last countless times checking this flop, the thing that im think they want you to?

In SH you can't wait for a hand too much. Blinds make your waiting -ev. I don't know if im right but i start to play against them more aggressive than i used to: angering them more if im getting lucky and making them happy if they do.

[MJS]

Many years ago my friends and I had a weekly home game - $20 buy in. Nickle antes. Max bet .25 and four raises. Needless to say, it was just an excuse to get together, have some beers, and bullshit about life. None of us played well or took the game seriously.

Then a new player joined the group. This guy took the game seriuosly, and compared to us was a pro. But he had one really bad habit. He loved to berate all of us on our bad play.

This proved to be the biggest mistake he ever made because after several months I got really sick of it. I decided to learn how to play poker. I bought books. I bought software. I started playing as a local casino. I asked questions of the better players I became aquainted with. And I learned how to play the game.

Over the course of the next year Mr. Berater began losing more and more of his money in our little home game to me and was down about a grand before he left our group to find other fish he could still catch.

The moral is the worst player at the table is the one who tells everyone else how bad they play.

Stick to your game if you're good and take their money. If there is some validity to their comments, learn to play better and take their money.

[sfer]

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I imagine I'd make adjustments if I felt like someone was deliberately trying to target me.

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Do you still betting KT on 27Q flop when you're on steal and he defends or you show the great weakness by once in last countless times checking this flop, the thing that im think they want you to?

In SH you can't wait for a hand too much. Blinds make your waiting -ev. I don't know if im right but i start to play against them more aggressive than i used to: angering them more if im getting lucky and making them happy if they do.

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I've never really experienced it so I'm not quite sure how I'd react, although the obvious thing is that I'm more likely to call with marginal hands or just get to showdown cheap if they start playing hyper-aggressively HU against me.

[Peter_rus]

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although the obvious thing is that I'm more likely to call with marginal hands or just get to showdown cheap

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It's not that obvious i think.

The thing is that this fact make you incredibly predictable and they like it really.

They angering when you unpredictable, i.e. raising turn for free SD, catching your card on river and extract more bets when you was behind on turn, making thin value bets with trashy pair against their strong missed the flop AK etc...

I can't see a reason to start to try get to SD cheeper than you usually try when they obviously prepared to make precisely against you so _predictable_ moves with much more hands than usually.