Berating Weak Players At The Poker Table

Yes, follow the ways of Chip Reese and be Mr. Congenial to the losers.

Not too long ago I was playing in a good high limit game online. There was a fish who was over-loose and over-aggressive, and another fish who was a bit of a calling station. The calling station was on tilt and insulting the overagg player, telling him he shouldn't raise with trash, etc. Then the LAG player tightened up! ARrrrrrrrghh!

So I said something along the lines of "you made your point, just be quiet" to the calling station and he got sore & left the table. Arrrrrrggggggghhh!

How would you guys handle this situation?

PS The LAG player was much worse than the call-too-much guy.

[AlanBostick]

How is what you are doing (encouraging a weak player to leave the game) any different from what you think that particular live player is doing (encouraging a weak player to leave the game)?

Do you really want players who are making mistakes to stop making them?

Really?

Or are you the sort of formula player who simply can't adjust your game against that particular sort of weak player? If so, improve your own game, instead of ruining the fishing for the rest of us.

[AlanBostick]

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Yes, follow the ways of Chip Reese and be Mr. Congenial to the losers.

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ALL the losers, not just the ones who play too many hands.

[AlanBostick]

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How would you guys handle this situation?

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By expressing sympathy with the calling station, encouraging him in his tilt.

Berating anyone over anything at the poker table is just bad manners. If you don't want to sit with bad players, go sit at the highest game you can find.

ScottieK

Berating or treating any player in a manner that inspires them to play a better game of poker is not only bad strategy, (because it is likely to diminish your bottom line in the long run) but it is also RUDE!

There is no need to be an [censored] at the poker table, online or otherwise in order to execute a successful poker playing stratgey.

These idiots like Mike Matusow and Phil Hellmuth are an embarrassment to the game.

If the DONKS in the editing room at ESPN and other networks would quit making their table antics the central focus of the edited for TV tournament footage that we have spoon-fed to us then they would eventually tone it down. Particularly if it resulted in them NOT being seated at tables featured on TV.

At the recently televised TOC event Hoyt Corkins distinguished himself as having so much more class than either of his two opponents that he should have won some sort of award just for that!

He consistently outplayed Hellmuth, demonstrating superior holdem skills as well as discipline and manners and when he finally got heads up with "the mouth" one unfortunate mis-step cost him the title. After enduring what he had to go through at the FT between Matusow and Hellmuth it is probably a wonder that he managed to take second.

For my money, I would REALLY like to see the tournament directors association institute some sort of code of conduct that must be strictly followed less the offending player face disqualification from the event in question.

No gawky, pimple-faced Swedish kid screeeming at the top of his lungs every time he flops a pair, no smelly, unbathed, disheveled Brit yelling and screeeming every time he is even involved in a pot. No pompous, arrogant self-absorbed, whiny-ass Phil Hellmuth berating every player at the table who dares to challenge him for a pot and no bloated, loud-mouthed, mullet haired, ex-con nick-named, "Mike the mouth" being allowed to denegrate every player who beats him out of a pot, even if they DO pull a two-outer from their ass on the river.

Today I was playing a SNG when a guy PF raised to 4x the BB, got one caller, and value bet his opponent all the way to the river, showing pocket Queens for the win.

The loser turned over A-rag, just as I expected. I made an online note about how he couldn't get away from any ace when I noticed that the WINNER of the pot had typed in the chatbox, "You people need to stop chasing with your aces!"

WTF? The guy did exactly what you wanted him to do, and you're irritated with him?

[Guittars]

I just left a NLHE table where one uberfish was dragging pot after pot with garbage like two pair, nines and threes. He even made it a point to tell us he won 68 hands in the session. Throughout his wins, one of the players started trying to insult his play, saying he made this bad raise and that bad call. I didn't want the uberfish to be discouraged from raising UTG with 93o, so I would defend his play every time while sometimes criticizing the table coach.

EXAMPLES:

In this episode, Fish raises with 93o, flops two pair to Coach's one pair, and gets all of Coach's money

Coach: I can't believe u raised with 93o
Fish: it's good to play every hand sometimes
Coach: LMAO... ok fish
Me: Fish is right, you gotta mix it up sometimes... besides Coach, u called for all your money on the river with one pair

In this episode, Coach value bet top two the whole way only to get sucked out on by Fish's rivered flush... he gladly paid off the rest of his stack to see Fish held the nuts.
Coach: what the fck were u thinking
Fish: what do you mean
Coach: u chased the flush for 15?
Me: don't listen to him Fish, a flush is a big hand
Me: Coach is just upset because he lost another stack to you


As a result, the fish continued to play poorly, I got paid off on several hands because I was labeled a fish for siding with one, and the coach was rattled enough to lose a few more stacks. The coach did end up hitting a two outer against me later for all of my money, but I didn't care; the setup for the play was just too good, and that fish will be back.

[TomBrooks]

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the WINNER of the pot had typed in the chatbox, "You people need to stop chasing with your aces!"
WTF? The guy did exactly what you wanted him to do, and you're irritated with him?

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I've seen something like that a couple of times, also. It's pretty weird. There are all kinds of people with all kinds of motivations. And there's always something new under the sun.