Ever get crap for being an "internet" player from live players?

[Daliman]

I played a hand earlier today in a live 10-20 game at Trump, IN, after a tournament just for some fun, and hadn't been getting any hands to play with in a VERY weak/passive ABC game. I had been talking a bit with the guys next to me, and they asked me what I do for a living, and I said poker, they said where, and I said online, and a few eyes rolled, a few questions were asked, standard stuff, no biggie. I had yet to win a pot in a hour of play and only seeing 3 flops, so after looking at about 18 straight Double down hands, T8h UTG looked like a monster to me, especially since 3 were up from their chairs. Anyways, 3 see flop of T94, one heart. The BB bets out,( an ok player who tried to be kinda tricky it seemed) I raise, and we're heads up on the turn, which I was ready to check unless it was a J, 8, or 7, since he called me so fast,(I don't consider myself a great limit player, btw). Anyways, it comes 8, 2 clubs on board, and He checks it to me, I bet, and he raises me. Now, the only times I'd seen him raise before he had a set, a straight, and a flush, so I was obviously worried about QJ, T9, or any set, but I play bad, so after thinking awhile, I called. The river came out a 3, and he bet out confidently again. I really wasn't thrilled and contemplated folding, but I knew Ed Miller would be furious at me and made a crying call. He calls out "One pair" and rolls QQ and I am happy.

So as I'm raking in the pot, a guy about 65 years old or so says something to the effect of "Why the hell didn't you raise it on the turn? I can tell you're an internet player." I showed restraint (REALLY!), and replied I thought QJ or a set was a strong possibility from his previous play, and in any case I didn't figure him for as strong a pocket hand as QQ, which made the read all the more difficult for me, and what's more, I play bad.

Geezer doesn't let up. "You say you play for a living? You don't know a thing about poker, kid." Surprise, surprise, I'd had enough, (I know, I know, you're all very surprised), to which I replied, "Well, if you'd like to teach me a thing or two, we can play heads up". He made a couple more comments essentially saying that he's been playing for longer than I've been alive, yadda, yadda, you know the fogey drill, and I said "Funny, you'd think you'd have learned to play in all that time", among other things.

Now, contrary to online play, where I can get a bit abusive at times,(a failing point of my game, I know), when I play live, I am just looking to have a good time, and I never hassle anyone about anything. I talk to people at the table, say nice hand, and try to foster a happy table environment, #1, because I want to have a good time, and #2, as Caro says "A happy table is a profitable table." So he lays off me after this, and I pound him on the 4 hands we played together, where I'm fairly certain he called me down weak just to try to catch the "internet player." As I am getting ready to leave, my who was playing at the table with me says to me, "Dammit, i lost $30 this orbit, all because you wanted to play to my blinds." to which I replied, "That's ok, i made $100. Maybe if you played as well as I do you'd have WON $$$." Most of the table smiles/laughs at my obvious joke, as does my friend,(my friends and I do TONS of ball-busting), but the old guy says I need to read a book about being more humble, which of course is stupid because I had made several self-deprecating remarks that most anyone would have picked up on. I just laughed, and he said "Kid (in a VERY condescending tone), you need to learn about respect", to which I replied, " Old man,, respect is earned, and a lack of respect shown will get you no respect in return." He then jawed at me a bit more, and I just finished stacking my chips ($333 profit for 3 hours ) and said this is why I don't play live very much, my 14 month old son crabs less.

On my way home, i related the story to my friend, and he said that invariably when he says he plays on the internet, he gets the same treatment if not worse, and I've gotten similar crap from players in other instances. Now, I know some of this is just a knee-jerk macho reaction to some young kid coming in and at times beating or outplaying them, but when internet play is interjected, the respect level seems to plummet, and I get told how I don't really know very much about poker because real poker can ONLY be played face-to-face, which is, of course, crap. Does anyone else notice that if they mention they play online they catch a lot of crap?

P.S. For those of you that may rightfully question why I seem so angry all the time; I'm not, I just suffer fools badly, and I don;t really take crap from anyone, because I don;t have to. I am nice to everybody I meet, and never give anyone a problem, but I expect the same in return, which at times is not the case. I am worse about it now because I used to work retail tire sales for 13 years and had to put up with a LOT of abuse from customers, but now, I just don't have to, so I put up with a limited amount of BS. I remember back while I was still selling tires, I went to LV with a friend of mine who owns a DJ company and is fairly well off. On the return flight home, I went to my seat and found a businessman sitting there, and I inquired as to his seat #, and he gave me a dirty look. He was sitting in a 2 seat aisle side directly behind a 1 seat aisle side, and had his briefcase and paperwork out on the second, vacant seat. I rechecked my ticket and my friends ticket, and saw tat he was indeed in our seats. I said, "I'm sorry, sir, but it appears you are in my seat", and he told me he alreadt there, and I should sit in his single seat ahead of him. I said I wanted to be able to talk to my friend, and that the other seat he had his things in was my friends. He gives me yet another dirty look, then grabs his things in a huff and throws them down next to his actual seat and slams himself down in his seat. We took our seats directly behind him, and when we sat, I whispered to my friend " I wonder what's up with him?", to which my friend said in full voice, "Fu[/b}ck him, he's an [censored]." I blanched a bit, positive the guy heard it, but my friend didn't care,(my friend is not a big guy, btw, and the businessman sorta was, but that's really not much the point I found out). For whatever reason, I look back at that whenever someone gives me a hard time for no reason, and while I'm not as quick about it as he is, I no longer worry about what jerks think.


P.S. crossposted in OOT.

[lefty rosen]

The internet is the arena league of cards. Do you think an average football fan considers an arena league qb a pro qb? Same reason.

[URMeowed]

Except the "arena league" card player makes a ton more than their "pro league" counterpart.

Meow.

[lefty rosen]

Not the average fulltime poster that posts here. It's about on par with a 20/40 pro.

[Daliman]

[ QUOTE ]
The internet is the arena league of cards. Do you think an average football fan considers an arena league qb a pro qb? Same reason.

[/ QUOTE ]

The arena league has won the super bowl the last two years then.

[MicroBob]

Wow - I thought i had some long, rambling posts (and I do).



Why do you feel it necessary to tell others at the table that you play internet-poker for a living?

I NEVER tell anyone at the B&M that. I make up something if I'm asked (I'm a manager at a book-store....I'm a bartender...whatever).

When you say that you play internet-poker for a living to a bunch of guys sitting at a B&M table (presumably playing recreationally) it is somewhat natural for them (particularly after some drinks) to take "I play internet-poker for a living" to also kind of mean "I'm a pro poker-player... which means that I'm good...which also means that I think of myself as a better poker-player than all of you."

to some you are practically saying "I'm a pro. And you're not."


Doesn't mattter how humble you are about it....this is how some are going to think of it.
Others won't give a damn. Some will scrutinize your play more closely and won't believe that someone who plays online-poker for a living can suck so bad.



I've thought about this issue in the past... because I really don't like lying.

But I think this is going to be a fairly common reaction at the B&M to "I'm an internet-poker pro!!"

[Daliman]

[ QUOTE ]
Not the average fulltime poster that posts here. It's about on par with a 20/40 pro.

[/ QUOTE ]

I would be very surprised if there are not 20x as many players making 50K+ online as live.

Also, in my experience, internet players are better overall. Much more aggressive.

[Daliman]

Well, I'm proud of what I do. I used to have to tell people I sell tires for a living, and I'm happy that I actually have a job people admire. My wife is a pharmaceutical rep and calls on Doctors all the time, and when i had an appointment with one of them He said "So, you have the dream job.." A f'n doctor thinks I have the dream job! I'm not secure enough about myself to say that this doesnlt matter to me, because it does. I never just come right out and say I'm a pro. It's usually something like " I watch my son during the day and play poker at night." Then they ask where I play, I say online, and it goes from there.

[lefty rosen]

I think the main reason is access to a casino. You either need to live in AC,LA/California or Vegas. Or be willing to play in underground games in major markets. Playing online is way more practical......

[Daliman]

[ QUOTE ]
I think the main reason is access to a casino. You either need to live in AC,LA/California or Vegas. Or be willing to play in underground games in major markets. Playing online is way more practical......

[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed. Online, there is always a game, and they don;t mind if you play in your underwear, which I can say from experience most B&M cardromms frown upon.