A few days ago I found myself the centre of attention at a dinner party held by my girlfriend's family. The reason was that they had found out I liked to play poker. It's not that I keep it a secret or anything; it’s just that awkward situations always seem to arise when poker is brought up among non-players.
The sad reality is that while most ‘regular’ people have some vague conception about the game of poker, it’s usually well off the mark, which results in some bloody annoying questions. It’s made more difficult when you spend a lot of time playing the game, discussing it with poker buddies, posting on forums and watching training videos. After a while you forget there are people out there who don’t know that you only win with Aces against a lower pair around 80% of the time. So, to help avoid the anguish of awkward poker conversations, here are some possible responses to the most common poker newbie questions.
1.) ‘Isn't poker all just luck?’
A good poker player knows luck is a factor in the game but skill is far more important in the long run. However try telling this to a newbie and it will usually be met with inane comments such as, ‘but I won the first time I played without even knowing what a flush was.’
Other than offering to play a deep-stacked heads-up game for $200 to prove your point, there really is no foolproof response and it’s best to avoid that one as it doesn’t generally endear you to potential in-laws. So the only real alternative in polite company is to just nod, smile and curse silently.
2.) ‘Can I see your poker face’?
I’ve lost count of the number of times people I barely know have asked to see this mythological side of my character, especially now that spandex mess Lady GaGa has turned it into the annoyingly catchy hit of the summer. While most people are expecting my face to contort into a cool and intimidating gurn, I find people are generally disappointed with my mumbled response of, ‘Er, I don’t really have one. I think physical tells are overrated.’
Playing weak passive
Talking for too long about poker with the general public is rarely a good idea if you wish to keep your sanity in the face of irrational questioning. My advice is simply to move the conversation along quickly and agree with every asinine comment that makes your blood boil deep inside. And then moan about it on the PKR forums, because we, the enlightened, know better.