Jun 22 2010

Don’t Tap the Glass

written by: John under Poker Strategy Comments: Comments Off

It can be quite frustrating to have a terrible player beat you out of a big pot, particularly when you are holding the best hand. It is only natural to get angry at the player who got lucky, but the fact is that this usually does more harm than good. If you tell a bad player that they aren’t good, what type of benefits could you possibly hope to receive? It is much easier in theory to let the bad beats roll off your back, but if you could put it into practice you would be much better off for it.

Make Alternative Comments

If a bad player gets lucky, and you really want to yell at them, try to take the subtle insult route. You can make fun of a player without being abrasive, and many times they won’t even realize it. This is part of the beauty in making sarcastic comments to fish, they don’t even know when they are being made fun of. Have you ever seen a player receive a bad beat and then say “nice hand” or “well played” to their opponent? These would be prime examples of subtle insults that can help you to blow off some steam.

Why?

Some players don’t understand why it is bad to tap the glass, but for others the reasons are obvious. If you are playing basketball for money, would you tell a player on the other team what is wrong with their lay up? Of course not, it wouldn’t make any sense to give free help to someone who is trying to beat you. In poker, however, there is no shortage of players who jump at the opportunity to tell someone what they are doing wrong. This is only going to cost you money in the long run. If your goal is to win when you play poker, you should  avoid running weak players away from the tables.

Are You the Fish?

If you are a good player, but someone else is insisting on berating you, there is some fun to be had. A good way to make an angry player even angrier is to reply with sarcasm. For example, if a player is trying to tell you what you are doing wrong, just say “Do you offer private lessons?” or “When does your book come out?” These types of replies can drive someone insane. If someone loses a big pot to you, and they start to get on your case, try something like “GAME OVER PLEASE INSERT MORE COINS TO CONTINUE.” This tends to be wildly aggravating and will put your opponent on even more tilt. Don’t start battling back with someone, this is what they want. Think about what kind of comments would frustrate or anger them even more. This is a tactic that is not applied at the tables nearly as often as it should be. While it is typically best in online poker, there are also situations where you can use these sarcastic comments in live play as well, but be sure to watch your step.

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