2+2 behaving badly

[Mason Malmuth]

Hi Johnny:

You wrote:

Are there any books that address advanced techniques for convincing insulted and pissed off action yahoos to sit back down in your game after racking up in a huff?

I give up.

Best wishes,
Mason

[Howard Burroughs]

Having played many, many sessions with Al Schoonmaker, I find your story very hard to believe. He is the total opposite of what you say. Al Schoonmaker makes all players feel warm and welcome. I've never once seen him get the least bit out of line. He's a class act and a true gentleman. The poker world needs more Al Schoonmakers in it, not less.


H.B.

[rkiray]

Maybe it was someone pretending to be Dr. Al, thinking it might intimidate someone. On the other hand, he might have just been having a really bad day (it happens to everyone). Or the possibly the poster made it all up. I doubt if anyone here can tell (unless Dr. Al replies).

[TobDog]

Perhaps your contributor or "Action Yahoo" realized he was the worst player in the game and decided to take his bankroll somewhere where he felt more appreciated, like the craps table. I also have played with Al a few weeks ago, and while I didn't think him to be the "class clown" of the table, he was definately not the mole or the loud jackass. Good luck in your search for symapthy here.

tobdog

[CrackerZack]

Did mommy not hug you enough as a kid?

Seriously, what is the point of this? you're probably like some of the online players that yell when taking a bad beat and offer to fax their cashout sheet to other players to prove they can win. moronic

[Joe Tall]

He's a donkey.

[johnnyhearts]

I proclaim that all of you that are all broken up about my horrible blasphemies are actually angry closet tilters yourselves! Come clean tilters of the world and heal yourselves, brothers. Where is the true forum for gentlemen of action and good will among hustlers? By the way, I am generously willing to forgive all embittered players that ruin my action games if they only ask!

[DABANGER]

Dear Johnny:

Very nice. Quite a firestorm you have started here. I am laughing at all the sensitive people on here getting bent over the call to accountability for those purported to be experts.

Apparently what is missed by most is the fact that Mr. Schoonmaker broke the cardinal rule in poker: killing the action. For those of you who don't know Johnny (a.k.a "The Word), he is called "The Word" because he tells it like it is. He is as brutally honest with himself as he is with others. The lesson here is that it can happen to the best of us (which answers the comment of the person who just comes to the site to find poker info and doesn't see how this post relates).

In closing, preach on Brother John.

P.S., Mason, when is "Re-inviting racked up players for advanced players" coming out?

James Cole,
Bangtown USA (pop. 1)

[Al Schoonmaker]

As people who know me well have stated in this thread, I'm a gentleman at the table. I therefore find your angry attack hard to understand. Since you did not introduce yourself to me or tell me exactly when these alleged actions occurred, I believe you have misunderstood either my actions or my motives.

A major cause for our misunderstanding is that we have fundamentally different attitudes toward poker. You sent me an email which I will quote: "You don't adhere to the cardinal rule of, not just poker, but hustling in general!!! Your mark is your f***ing friend and must be made happy and comfortable at all times!"

First, I am most definitely not a hustler, nor do I want to be one. I win at poker, but it is not a significant part of my income.

Second, I regard poker as a game, and I play it for pleasure. The money is just the way to keep score. I used to play bridge for master points, and I play Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit for nothing other than pleasure. I do not regard a "mark as [my] f***ing friend." I select my friends for more important qualities than being a source of income.

Third, a major reason for playing at The Excalibur is that it demands that everyone act decently. If someone is obnoxious, they will ask him to leave no matter how much money he is losing. If I drove away an action player by insisting that he act decently, I think I did exactly the right thing.

I must go further. If you really believe that your marks are "your f***ing friends," you have a serious problem.

However, I must admit that I have occasionally gotten out of line. If you or anyone else ever sees me behaving badly, please tell me immediately, and I will apologize. I want everyone at my table to enjoy the game.

Regards,

Al

[johnnyhearts]

Dr. Schoonmaker,

I'm impressed with your honesty about occasionally getting out of line. I'll also apologize for making some erroneous assumptions about you in my E-mail. You are hereby welcomed back into the fold as a gentleman of leisure and goodwill