I just educated a fish, sorry (No to low content)

[Bartman387]

So on another message board I frequent there is a poker thread where people off and on have casual conversation about nothing in particular on the topic of poker. Well today a poster talks about a hand he had at Party where he had trip Q on the flop of KQ3 and was afraid the villain may have had pocket Kings. I then reply by giving a very thorough critique of the hand, telling him the signs that the guy probably did not have KK and at most just had the top pair, by using the betting pattern etc.

This blew his mind and he then explained that he was worried about it because it always seems when he has QQ the other guy has KK and its probably because it is rigged, here is a quote: [ QUOTE ]
Im, starting to get a little suspicious about ppkr.com Sometimes for long periods at a time, Ill never get a hand, and when I do someone always has me beat. I think ppkr.com has associates working the tables so the company can win money, I mean how else do they make money you know?

[/ QUOTE ]
I then reply by explaining variance, selective memory etc. and that it has been shown that hands are randomly distributed, etc. and that he should have no worries about the legitimacy of online poker.

He then thanks me for easing his mind and that alot of the things I mentioned make sense. He then says that maybe he should do some reading because theres way more involved in poker than he thought. Now this is where I felt conflicted. Now I realize he has been a total fish to this point and despite this I tell him to read GSIH, I didn't mention 2+2, but I gave him a suggested reading.

I'm torn, should I feel bad for somewhat educating a bad player and helping him stop his losing ways?

Curious what others think and if anyone else have found themselves in this position.

[Tk79]

I think this is the basic idea of the strategy forums here. Post questions and other players will help you become a better player. Right??

[pokerrookie]

[ QUOTE ]
So on another message board I frequent there is a poker thread where people off and on have casual conversation about nothing in particular on the topic of poker. Well today a poster talks about a hand he had at Party where he had trip Q on the flop of KQ3 and was afraid the villain may have had pocket Kings. I then reply by giving a very thorough critique of the hand, telling him the signs that the guy probably did not have KK and at most just had the top pair, by using the betting pattern etc.

This blew his mind and he then explained that he was worried about it because it always seems when he has QQ the other guy has KK and its probably because it is rigged, here is a quote: [ QUOTE ]
Im, starting to get a little suspicious about ppkr.com Sometimes for long periods at a time, Ill never get a hand, and when I do someone always has me beat. I think ppkr.com has associates working the tables so the company can win money, I mean how else do they make money you know?

[/ QUOTE ]
I then reply by explaining variance, selective memory etc. and that it has been shown that hands are randomly distributed, etc. and that he should have no worries about the legitimacy of online poker.

He then thanks me for easing his mind and that alot of the things I mentioned make sense. He then says that maybe he should do some reading because theres way more involved in poker than he thought. Now this is where I felt conflicted. Now I realize he has been a total fish to this point and despite this I tell him to read GSIH, I didn't mention 2+2, but I gave him a suggested reading.

I'm torn, should I feel bad for somewhat educating a bad player and helping him stop his losing ways?

Curious what others think and if anyone else have found themselves in this position.

[/ QUOTE ]

Someone once helped you, no doubt. Share what you know. He is one player amongst millions. Feel good that you helped him out. I get sick of the seemingly selfish attitudes of people that say you should never ever ever offer advice. In fact, most don't seem to have a problem when it is done away from the table. There is no way your EV went down because you "took one horse to the water." Besides, it is up to him whether he "drinks." Well done.

[SoCalRugger]

I think it's fine. I give my input when poker threads come up on other message boards I visit. There's a big difference between the situation you described, and someone educating fish at the table after taking a bad beat in order to make himself feel superior.

[o0mr_bill0o]

i think it's perfectly fine to educate a fish when they ask for help. that's what the forums here are for , right? but when you're sitting down at a table and no one asks for your help and you're just steaming and ranting about various things, then you've crossed the line.

[Unoriginalname]

Don't beat yourself up. It's one guy. That isn't going to kill the profitability of online poker. If anything, this might be +$EV. Just because he reads a poker book, it doesn't mean he'll be able to successfully apply what he learns and become a winning player. It might, however, make him more likely to keep playing, despite being a losing player.

<edit> Also, I owe the few thousand dollars I've made playing poker completely to 2+2 and it's posters. Without this message board, I would be nowhere near where I am right now. I think this goes for most of us. It would be rather hypocritical of us to berate you for lending advice to another player. Don't worry, the majority of players do not consult forums for poker advice.

[LetYouDown]

I hate you. Ok, maybe not. I've been guilty of this a lot lately, with players that aren't seeking advice. I'm really trying to keep it under control, for the benefit of all. Last night, I was playing a limit Omaha H/L SNG and a guy folded for his last 8 chips in a pot that was almost 800. I said "wow, folded...getting 100-to-1 pot odds". It bothered me all day for some reason. I know he probably didn't even know I was talking about him and isn't real likely to run out and grab a book tomorrow...but it still bothered me. I need to get the sites to ban my chat.

[fooz]

[BruinEric]

You're a good fellow. Without other people, many of us wouldn't explicitly understand Pot Odds, Fold Equity, etc.

My big beef is with people that coach at the table. You didn't do this. No worries.

[mshalen]

So when a friend asks me about playing poker and wants information on books I am supposed to not tell him anything? That would be a very sad way to live your life. It is just a game and I think too many people forget that.

Why do people here think that they are the supreme being keepers of some super secret society? All anyone has to do is go to Borders, look in the poker section and they will find lots of books. On the back of a number of books (the ones with the worst covers) is a little box explaining where to go for discussion and information on poker. How do you think I stumbled across these forums?

So stop acting like you are protecting the holy grail. Sorry for the rant but sometimes the attitude here really pisses me off.