Do any players get under your skin?

[Ulysses]

(don't you just love those weak players who think they play quite well?).

This statement by Softrock in another thread got me thinking.

I almost never take anything personally or let anyone's actions affect my game at the table. However, there's one exception.

When there's a player at the table who is a very poor player, but thinks they're good, I feel a strong desire to bust them. Here are three hands to illustrate the type of guy I'm talking about.

Hand one: OK player raises UTG w/ QQ. Tight player 3-bets w/ AA. Bad player cold-calls 3 bets w/ KJo. Flop is xTJ. Bet, raise, 3-bet, call, call. Ace on the turn. Bet, raise, cold-call, fold. River is a Queen, making his straight. Check, bet, call. He proceeds to explain to the table that a lot of players would fold on the turn when the Ace came because they don't realize a Queen will give them the nuts.

Hand two: Good player raises UTG w/ AA. Bad player cold-calls w/ 6h9h. Everyone else folds. Flop is QQ8, two hearts. Bet, raise, 3-bet, bad player calls. Turn is a blank. Bet, bad player raises, call. River is a heart. Check, bet, call. Bad player explains to the table how he played the hand perfectly.

Hand three: Loose player open-raises in MP. Bad player 3-bets w/ Jc5c. Heads-up. Two clubs on the flop. Bet, raise, 3-bet, call. Blank on the turn - bet, call. Club on the river. Bet, raise, call. Bad player confides to me that Jc5c isn't a very good hand, so if you're going to play it you need to raise w/ it to protect your hand.

Gamblers who like to raise w/ 27o pre-flop and take down huge pots when they flop 277 don't bother me. Calling stations who hope to turn over the best hand on the river don't bother me. Real jerks at the table don't bother me. But for some reason, I feel a great desire to bust the bad players who think they are the greatest players on earth. I don't play any differently when they are in the game, but I'll definitely play longer than I might have otherwise if a player like that is in the game. And when they inevitably leave without any chips, I'm chuckling on the inside. Because I never make fun of them or their play and I'm perceived as a decent player by these guys, they'll often complain to me on their way out about what a bunch of idiot gamb00ler fish they lost their money to. I tell them I'll do my best to bust those idiots!

[andyfox]

Bad players who think they play well don't bother me in the least. Nor do good players who think that green tea is a better drink than coffee. How someone plays his or her cards and how they think about playing their cards is unimportant to me.

The only players that bother me are those that are rude. You sit in a small area with the same people for a long period of time. The game calls for congeniality. If you can't be congenial, be quiet. Treat other people as you would like to be treated.

Don't slowroll. Don't criticize a "stupid" play. Don't throw cards at the dealer. Don't infect others with your entitlement disease.

The cardroom would be a much more pleasant place if people simply treated other people with respect.

[oddjob]

lately? yes. because i'm running super bad, and would be happy with a break even session.

normally? no.

so this sat. i go up to my regular card room, and am seated at a table with every type of player that could possibly get under someone's skin. the drunk young kid who's got boozing blabber mouth. the bad player that thinks he's good. the guy who just watched rounders and is quoting that movie like there's no tomorrow. the guy who sucks out on everyone. the guy who hasn't figured out that it's $2 to call pre-flop every time, unless otherwise noted.

and normally i would have sat there and been annoyed and not had fun. but i figured i'm running bad... yes, but there's no reason why i shouldn't have fun. so i laughed and joked around with everyone, and despite dropping a rack, i had a good old time. even with these folks that would normally get under my skin... i just didn't let it get to me

hopefully i can keep this up.

[haakee]

These players don't bug me. The ones who do bug me are the ones who treat the cardroom staff (or other pleasant players) like fecal matter. I enjoy taking their money.

[MarkD]

But what can we do about those players? I agree with you, those are the only ones that really bother me.

[Jeff V]

About the only ones are the players that think that they're world class, and lecture the fish on how they got so lucky to hit their 3 outer, they'll be broke playing like that etc.
Inside I'm yelling-"HEY MORON!! WHY WOULD YOU WANT A BAD PLAYER TO PLAY BETTER?!" Jeff

[Bob T.]

He's right though, J5 of clubs plays better in a shorthanded pot. Preferably 1 handed, if I have to play it.

[ACPlayer]

Yes. The ones that make me make mistakes. I hate them and wish they would go away.

[roGER]

Hello Ulysses,

Thanks for a GREAT topic.

Yes, loads of players get under my skin, in fact I believe it brings out the inner psychopath in me, which makes me concentrate harder, play tighter and more agressively, and just generally be determined not to lose money to these jerks. Its horrible, but my play is improved by one or two jerks in a game...

So... in no particular order:

Slow rollers - Utter scum, nothing more calculated than to drive nice fish from a game.

People who abuse dealers - Filth, always a pleasure to take their money.

Deck changers - "I only get lucky with the red cards, lets change the deck here, I haven't won a hand with the blue deck for [insert exageration here]."

"Experts" who comment on the play of a hand, during hand, when they aren't involved. "WOW! I bet he raised with Ace King pre flop, and now its missed him!"

Seat hoggers - Turds who play three hands, disappear for 20 minutes, play another 3 hands, disappear again, then come back, play a hand or two, then pick up their chips and leave... These are the most annoying of all, because its hard to take their money while they aren't playing. Generally I go into table captain mode and try and get them picked up as soon as possible. Its always good fun to see the look on their faces when they return to find their seat occupied. And they always come out with the "I was only gone 10 minutes" bullshit, like we're all really stupid and can't tell the time.

Victory lappers - Fish who make some crazy outdraw and celebrate like they'd won an Olympic gold medal. Whoops, high fives, and occasionally even a puzzled look to the rest of the table like "why aren't you guys congratulating me?"

And the really mad thing is, except for the seat hoggers and dealer abusers, I'm as sweet as pie to the little loves, in fact some of them even think I'm their friend. They are almost right, provided they don't play well (and the vast majority don't), its always good to see them.

- roGER

[J_V]

nm