It might be very hard to find anyone who actually admits to being in the latter camp but the statistics say they’re out there. And those very same statistics say that a lot of them carry on playing. It’s what keeps the poker economy afloat, and, if you’re lucky enough, it might even keep you from going to the office and doing a day job.
So why do losing players carry on playing? Either they’re delusional and actually think they’re winning, or they’re enjoying themselves enough that it doesn’t matter. And while either of those facts remains true, the losers will carry on losing, and you will carry on feasting at the table.
It seems pretty obvious, but so many poker players don’t seem to get it. If they see someone playing badly they can’t help pointing it out in the chatbox – or in person if they’re playing live. Have you ever seen Phil Hellmuth’s tirades against the sort of bad players that keep him in gold bracelets and sponsorship deals? And that’s just the tip of what can be a particularly nasty iceberg. Some players are happy to openly abuse dealers and other players, and generally make their table a hostile and uncomfortable place to play. If you’re losing and getting screamed at by the same player who’s taking money off you, the chances are you’re not going to want to come back, lose more money and take more abuse.
It’s not like the good old days
Unfortunately, this sort of behaviour seems to be on the rise. One big online pro, Taylor Caby, has already railed against it in his blog after what he witnessed at this year’s WSOP, and one of the world’s biggest players, Patrik Antonius, has gone on record saying he doesn’t like to be known as a poker player and doesn’t associate with other poker players off the table.
Is this a glorified way of saying ‘don’t tap the aquarium?’ Well yes, but it’s also a plea to bring back a bit of old-school decorum to the game. I cringe when I see people screaming and beating the table when they suck out on Aces. I hate it when I see a player sucking the joy out of someone who’s obviously just started playing the game.
Yes, poker’s an emotional game and every now and again you’re going to let rip – at your laptop or another player – but you should see it as a leak. Keep the bad behaviour for your home games, where everyone knows everyone else, and in the real world, the next time you lose to an idiot – because it will happen – tap the table, say gg, wp, nh, and watch them queue up to play you again. Because the chances are they won’t get so lucky next time.