"Hatred" thread and others like it

[bolgenmod]

I wrote this right before the thread was locked ("My hatred for Greg Raymer"). But I guess I'm committed to my hand, so I offer this up, including references to the OP (Poker60181).

OK, so I don't know crap. I am a low-limit recreational player whose big play is $3-6 at the casino about 5 times a year and a weekly $25 home game. I don't play online. I've played all of three tournaments in my life (all low-limit as you might guess) and placed second in two, crap (no money, but outlasted half the field) in one. I love to think about the game: I read a lot of books, read 2+2, watch the shows. I like poker as a hobby: a little fun, a little competition, a little extra cash. I enjoy reading 2+2 and posting about stupid things like my new poker table. All this is just trying to say that I'm not trying to be the big (chocolate) salty balls around here. Or that I am anything but a learner around here, reading, thinking, trying to understand, enjoying just playing.

Perhaps it's because I don't read a lot of internet message boards (been on the internet for about 8 years, but don't play games and stuff, so 2+2 is one of the first boards I'ver read with regularity) so maybe I'm naive. But WTF is with all these people who are registered for about 2 days and already have 100 posts that are all about how someone else is an idiot or sucks when they themselves clearly have no clue??!! When I have no clue, I shut my mouth. But I'm really sick of shutting up about this.

OK, I get that the internet is anonymous. And that when someone says that your play is weak, you might be offended. But suddenly it degenerates into "mine is bigger" or "thispro" is an idiot vs stop licking "thispro"'s a$$. But really -- isn't it better for all of us if you actually have something constructive to say more than "this player was an idiot"? And maybe (JUST MAYBE) when more than one person says that your play was sub-optimal, you might just think about it for a second before jumping to defend yourself?

As to the original topic: you can't fault Raymer for betting into/calling a hand that he's a significant underdog to IF HE DOESN'T KNOW IT, which he doesn't because there's no holecam feed into his brain, fer chrissakes! AND if he has the position/chipstack to make whatever move (raise or call all-in). He obviously thought his hand was strong compared to the range of hands his opponent might have and felt that the call/raise would be +EV for him. And if he loses or wins a hand or two against better hands, well, I believe that's poker. Your analysis, such as it is, that he "sucked-out" (because he was an underdog or whatever) doesn't mean anything in the larger context of the tournament. And your rude personal remarks are just rude.

Sorry for the rant, but in the last few months I've seen a lot of threads where people just seem to be going off in nasty and clueless ways. Maybe it's that I just read slavic's post about his son (I don't visit News, etc, much) and COULD NOT BELIEVE that someone would post something nasty in response to the worst possible thing that could ever happen to a person. The quick delete of that post (which I never read) and the outpouring of support and sympathy for slavic made me want to post this: 2+2 rocks, and all those newbies who only want to flame or justify their play, go back to wherever!

Rereading this post, I guess I'm flaming too! But WTF. Let others refute the bull and ad hominem attacks of the OP. I just wanted to say that you get what you give. For those like the OP, I predict nothing.



BTW: after I wrote this but before I posted it, I found the thread locked, but also a link to a hand the OP posted. Guess what -- he didn't like the advice! Now I don't think that just because someone is a Carpal Tunnel or Poohbah that one should just bow down to their superior knowledge -- the adversarial stance that some new posters have taken -- but I would at least consider their advice.

And I do wonder why someone would bother to post a question to a message board and then reject (with defensive arrogance) the advice given. Why ask if you already know the answer? If a number of reasonably knowledgable people say you might be wrong and no one says you are right, might it just be POSSIBLE that it is possible that you are not entirely correct? It MIGHT JUST BE that it is not "group-think" or "a conspiracy against you"!

If you don't want advice, don't seek it. And if you just want someone to say "nice hand!", ask your mother.