Trying to "Lose" - home game question

[lorinda]

It depends on why you want to play against them.

If the EV is worth losing some casual acquaintences over, then play your best each game until they say 'bah'

If they are reasonably intelligent, you could pretty much tell them that you're the best player in the room and make it worth their while by helping them improve their game and discussing some plays with them.
This will lower your EV a bit, but you'll still be welcome at the game, you'll still be the best player and you'll be giving them some value for money.

It all depends on if you can pull this off without coming across as an A-hole.
(It's an ability some have, and some don't)

Lori

[Bigwig]

I wouldn't throw anything. Hell, I'd trap my Grandmother and bust her.

Here's what you can expect as an unexpected consequence of your solid play: No players in your raised pots. While this is nice for stealing blinds, there are few things more frustrating when you don't get action on your trips, or everyone folds to your preflop raise with AA.

I've been in a live rebuy the last four months. The first time, 18 players, I finished 9th. The second, 16, I finished 3rd. The third, 26 players, I won. The fourth, 29 players I finished 4th. These guys are scared to play a pot with me, because I almost always are ahead of them when they do.

But don't throw one. Do your friends a favor by taking their money, so they improve their play.

[poboy]

I don't think that is really needed. I too play a home game where I am clearly "better" than my friends, and win more than my fair share. There was some mumbling intitially(I was even accused of cheating), but after a loss or two things were fine. I didn't lose because I was worried about not being invited back but rather because that's the way it goes sometimes. Just like you don't win every online game(even when you are the better player) ,you won't win every game against them. With such a small sample, I really don't see why you think you will win all of the time or even most of the time. By that I mean the worst player there could win 3 out of 4(unlikely but not impossible), poker is not strictly a game of skill you also need some good luck. I would just keep playing my game, if you win say 9 out of the next 10 than you might want to throw one.

[smoore]

Myself, my SO and about four of my friends have killed my micro-limit home game. No one in town want's to play with us anymore, so it's just some combination of the six of us raising blinds on Wed night lately. That being said, I'm not too worried about it because that micro-limit game wasn't to make money, it was to introduce my friends to poker. So about 6 of us cleaned about 12 ppls clocks and now those other people never come back. I need some more players.