Trying to "Lose" - home game question

[Robert Ezzo]

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As someone who's struggling really hard to improve my game and climb out of the low limits online, and playing some tough live games with some really competitive friends, these kind of posts really get to me - what kind of poker player thinks he's so great he's got to be a martyr and try and lose for the good of the game?

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To respond - I don't consider myself a great poker player, but I do well at the low limits both online and B&M. I consider these "poker nights" to be a social occassion, as everybody else does at the game... we are all laughing, telling stories, and having a good time. I do give pointers as we play for really eggregious play, but none of these guys have any illusions of playing poker anywhere else. We are all there for fun - it isn't a "serious" game, and nobody wants it to be. If I kill the game 75-80% of the sessions, then the games will die off, as nobody wants to lose everytime.

The only guy I know at the table who is taking it to the next step and playing online I've taken aside and I am helping him... pointing out when he plays hands poorly during our sessions, for example (away from the table). It is one thing to take money from friends overall playing a friendly game, another thing to let one of them blow money playing "for real" online.