Almost the whole table went on tilt-did I ruin this game?

[Jeff V]

This morning I played in probably the tightest 10-20 game I'd ever seen. I got my seat in MP and as I waited for the blinds I saw 5 consecutive chops. Once I started playing obviously my bluffs went up. I was winning but usually only the blinds. Then it hit me. I post my first ever straddle as I say "let's get some in there". Oh man the looks I got. Basically what happened was I flopped a set against a flopped 2 pair and a turned 2 pair, and took down a huge pot. Now I'm by no means am I an action junkie, and I know I got lucky but just about everyone went on tilt after that hand as if I ruined they're nice game. Fortunately I got smacked w/ the deck and cashed +40 BB in about 2 hours. This is the only card room around me, and now alot of these guys don't really care for me. See I used to play at nite, but now my work schedule has changed so I'll be playing more w/ the morning regulars. Just curious but have I made a bad reputation for myself in 1 sitting? And if a game is the only game at you're limit and it's super tight should you try to loosen it up, or wait for better conditions? Thanks. Jeff

[Jimbo]

Anytime your presence at a table makes the other players uncomfortable (excluding hygenic factors [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] ) I believe you have a large edge. If the game breaks everytime you sit down you may need to go back to working days! [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[astroglide]

please edit that out before this becomes a rambling philosophy thread [img]/forums/images/icons/frown.gif[/img]

[PokerBabe(aka)]

Hi Jeff- If you can put almost a whole table on tilt with one straddle, you are not playing against very good players. [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img] You should play against these guys every chance you get if they are so emotional. It's nice to be well liked, but it's more important to make money. Unless you are playing for purely social reasons, you should work on your game and play the best you can despite the conditions you encounter. It's my experience that when a table dislikes a player, they are concerned about his unpredictability and/or his attitude. An overly aggressive player in a tight game is generally frowned upon because he is not easy to read. One thing that Mason and David noted (in HFAP) about tight games is that much of your profit will come from bluffs. However, if your opponents are tough AND tight, you should find another game, as the better opponents will trap you into bluffing by checking good hands to you. Good luck and LGPG, Babe [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img]

[Clarkmeister]

"It's nice to be well liked, but it's more important to make money."

If you're the Babe, you can do both of those things *and* LGPG.

[MichaelD]

Jeff,

While it is nice to be well, liked last time I checked poker is not a popularity contest. With that said, I do go out of my way to be liked in the poker room, but I do it simply by trying to be nice to people outside of the play of hands.

If I am planning on being in a really tight game for a number of hours, I will definitely invest a few bets to try and loosen a game up such as the one you describe. While I do not employ use of the straddle, there are a few other things I do to try and put some people on tilt and get things going in the game.

All this being said, there is a very fine line between trying to loosen a game up and becoming the mark in the game. After the session you had today, if I were you, I would be really looking forward to my next session with this group of players. They should give you excess action and if you play the situation correctly and hit a few hands, it has the potential to be another very profitable session for you.

Best of Luck.

Just some thoughts...

Michael D.

[SoBeDude]

Take the money. smile graciously. Head back tomorrow for more.

-Scott

[astroglide]

i think raising more often does better to loosen a game up than straddling (also pisses people off less if you win with something like TJs)

[Pot-A]

Don't worry. One day you'll run bad and they'll love you.