Stop berating the fish - HARD PROOF of why it is bad to do so

[DrewOnTilt]

In my last 2 sessions I have had 2 separate experiences with 2 of my favorite contributors that show beyond reasonable doubt that it is -EV to berate the fish.

Last night, one of my favorite fish catches a lucky draw to crack a TAG's good hand. The TAG then goes on a verbal tirade, calling the fish every dirty name in the book. The fish goes to another table, and our table breaks up shortly thereafter.

I follow the fish. He comments on this. I don't have the exact chat, but it was something like this:

Fish: Hey, are we at the same table again?
Me: yeah, that other game broke up. That one guy was being a jerk and everybody left
Fish: Which guy, there were several jerks
Me: the one to your immediate left
Fish: Oh yeah, he was being a total jerk, which is why I left

And from tonight...

I raise first in with A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]K [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]
Another of my favorite fish coldcalls with Q [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]T [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], a terrible call but that's what fish do

I catch top pair, he catches a gutshot and a backdoor flush draw. He rivers the gutshot, raises me, and wins a big pot. His postflop play was not terrible but his preflop call was atrocious; even so, I said nothing. When I have Big Slick, I want QT to call me every time.

A few minutes later I flop Aces Up in a multiway, preflop capped hand and won a huge pot. He comments exactly this:

Fish: nh
Me: thanks, needed it
Fish: pot was too big
Me: after you caught that str8 on me [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
Fish: i had to stay
Fish: yep
Fish: thanks for not yelling at me
Me: i woulda made the same play you did
Fish: calling me names
Fish: lol
Me: you had a decent hand, i would have played it the same way

In example #1 above, the fish got irritated because the TAG berated him, and the fish then left the table. -EV for the TAG. In example #2, the fish actually THANKED me for not berating him. +EV for me.

There you have it. Berating the fish is -EV. And I know that some of you on these boards are guilty of doing so. May I say - STOP! [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]