Berating Weak Players At The Poker Table

Very smart. I'm gonna start doing that. I always get so annoyed when I see this happen, but I always figure that anything I try to add will just make things worse. "POT ODDS, MAN!" That's brilliant. Fish pegs you as a "Friend" and has his ego stroked. And a$$hole may get tilty.

[Songwind]

I have been known to make a technically true but not truly helpful remark that sounds supportive.

"Hey, that's why they deal five cards to the board, man."

I go off sometimes, emotional tilt. Mostly I just don't chat at all, but on bad nights when I keep taking beat after beat, I just wish the damn fish would fold their freaking 5 out draws...

Not usually, but sometimes.

Last night I was losing, but not due to beats, just couldn't pull cards and it didn't bother me much. Hard to berate someone when I'm the one failing to get cards or missing all the flush/straight draws.

[bernie]

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I have been known to make a technically true but not truly helpful remark that sounds supportive.

"Hey, that's why they deal five cards to the board, man."

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It's not 2 card stud! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

b

[Xhad]

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I'm too honest to even pretend that I think fishy play is correct,

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It is correct if he's just there to have fun isn't it?

b

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Excellent point. Though I'm not sure "Don't tell him what to do; he's not trying to make money," would be a great thing to say either. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[coffeecrazy1]

I always treat this behavior as an invitation for me to verbally attack the attacker. From my point of view, he's screwing with my potential profit, and I'm not about to let that happen.

Anything along the lines of "let him play how he wants" works well, but if I'm in a mood, I will usually begin inserting dubious support evidence into the conversation, backing the fish's play. Phrases like "he had the right odds" and "he was pot-committed at that point" work wonders. Also, insulting the TC's play, which almost always is a bit weak given the strength and vulnerability of their hand, is effective. I never let this stuff go. If I can get the TC to start attacking me, then I have won...because not only will the fish think I'm his buddy now, but also the TC will make it his life's mission to bust me.

[goofball]

Yeah, I ask, are you giving lessons? or I just defend his play "How could he fold?!" "I don't think I could have folded that hand" Stuff like that.

Also if I'm generally in a friendly mood I attempt to make an effort to talk to the fish in just friendly conversation. I think if the table coaches see me doing this it has a multiway effect. First, they might get led by example and at least not be a dick. Second, people are generally less likely to get attacky at a friendly table and friendly conversation leads to that. They are more likely to just sit there and stew. Finally, I think they'll be less likely to attack someone who has a friend/ally at the table, and with many of the regulars they'll be even less likely if it's me (not necesarily because they think i'm any good, but maybe because we've at least been cordial in the past and attacking my friend now is sort of attacking me too, easy to do to tourists harder to do to someone you see every day). Finally, if they do get criticized/verbally attacked I'm very quick to jump to their defense if we've already been engaged in friendly conversation.


Online it's much easier. You just insult the table coach and draw his ire to you. Really annoying though is when they are like "goofball, you're good, Im' good xxxxx isgood, this guy's a total fish." Then you know he has your PT stats and isn't going to buy for a second any kind of act. If that happens just private invite them to a table and tell them to stfu as someone suggested.

[raze]

Dont even bother talking about 'odds' and 'pot committed'.. it may just intimidate the casual players. Just side with the fish and protect them like the gold that they are.

[coffeecrazy1]

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Dont even bother talking about 'odds' and 'pot committed'.. it may just intimidate the casual players. Just side with the fish and protect them like the gold that they are.

[/ QUOTE ] Actually, I have found that there is enough poker jargon in the culture today that you can throw these words around like that, but only if you do it incorrectly.

[KenProspero]

I had a similar situation in a $2-4 B&M game. There was a know-it-all, who was analyzing everyone's moves.

After an hour or so, I got him in a pretty big pot (maybe 12 BB on the turn) He bet, and all I had was a gutshot draw, but with the pot odds, it was a clear call. Anywho, of course I sucked out (had the nuts) and dented pretty bad his stack when he wouldn't give up on the pot on the river. When he saw my cards -- Vesuvius erupts -- he's on my tail thereafter (which is major +ev, since I'm getting everyone's sympathy and throwing him on tilt).

A short while later after his chips had become my chips, I couldn't help myself and said -- "You know, if you're as good as you think you are, you wouldn't be playing $2-4", which set off the Volcano again. The ultimate justice then occurred as the poker room manager called the gendarmes to escort him from the casino.