"Nice Catch"

[Fitz]

I've tried a few different approaches to players like that, but there is really little that makes a difference. So, now when someone announces how badly I play, I think about a stud game years ago.

I had only been at this table a few minutes when I ended up heads up with a particularly annoying lady; I had 4 diamonds showing, but all my hole cards were black. At the river, I decided to get cute and check raise her. She calls me down, and I flip up my cards to expose my naked bluff. She went ballistic, and proceeded to tell everybody at the table how bad I was to try to steal the pot from her. Fortuantely, she stayed at the table for the next 5 hours, and everytime I made a big bet or raised she told everybody how bad I was and how I'd tried to steal from her. Needless to say, I never bluffed again that night, and it was a very profitable night thanks to my "bad play" and her sqealing about it. Don't let the idiots get to you, and when you can try to take advantage of the situation.

[Softrock]

I often reply in this sort of situation (even if nobody has made a comment) that I'm just following my game plan of "play bad and get lucky" - people often don't know quite what to think.

On a similar note, if you have to tell others how good you are then you probably ain't that good. This applies in all walks of life not just poker. When you have to try to make yourself better by telling others how bad they are then you are really in a bad way.

Of course, nobody on this forum has ever been there.

[Easy E]

they can call me AN-E-THING that they want to...

[Schmed]

There are a few players at the game I play at that are the same way. I always tell them..."it's a 7 card game".....w hen they start whinning about me drawing out on them...they hate that.. I had pocket K's one time, a K came on the river and it someone's 9's over k's boat and I thought I was going to have to box the guy...finally had to tell him to shut up...I hate it when I have to physically intimidate someone who is 30 years older than me...... [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[APokerGuy]

If you don't mind being abrasive and confrontational, you look the person right in the eye (with somewhat of a questioning, dumbfounded look ... head tilted a little bit to the side, nose scrunched, and all that) and say, loud enough for everyone to hear, "do you always cry when you lose?" ... and then when their inevitable tirade directed at you is over ("you suck, you don't know how to play, blah blah blah"), you simply say (while shrugging your shoulders and turning your palms hands up fingers extended, head very slightly tilted to the other side ... in a voice of resignation) "<sigh> I guess you do".

Oh yeah, one other thing, make sure they don't have a weapon on them before you try this [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img].

APokerGuy!