Losing EV not changing your nickname?

[catlover]

I think by keeping your handle, you lose during the play of hands because people play better against you. The fact that you know they will play better against you does not make up for this.

However, you do help yourself because of table selection. If good players know you they will avoid you, and that's a good thing.

I think of these two effects, the first one is stronger, but it's close.

[mmcd]

[ QUOTE ]
I think by keeping your handle, you lose during the play of hands because people play better against you. The fact that you know they will play better against you does not make up for this.

However, you do help yourself because of table selection. If good players know you they will avoid you, and that's a good thing.

I think of these two effects, the first one is stronger, but it's close.

[/ QUOTE ]


Maybe it's just me, but I've never opened a table and said to myself, "Oh [censored], player X is on this table, I better find another game to play in." Peter Rus is an excellent player, but I'd never specifically avoid a game he was in unless the game conditions were otherwise bad.

[Abbaddabba]

Obviously it's not going to tbe the sole deciding factor, but it would make a difference; even if that difference is marginal.

Of course, if you're at a table where another skilled opponent would use the fact that you're at the table as the determining factor to not play, you're probably sitting at a pretty lousy table to begin with.

[KellyRae]

I tend to agree; plus if Player X has good table selection skills it may in fact make sense to join the table precisely because Player X is there (although you could always be taking the seat of a fish that made the game good).

[jomatty]

as far as game selection goes i dont try to avoid good players i try to find bad players. thats where the money is. if peter is playing with a few people i know i have a good advantage over its a good game to me even if peter has a slight advantage over me. this seems so obvious that i shouldnt have typed it, especially since the "when i see peter russ at the table i close it" post may have been in jest, but since i did...
matty