Why would I be angry at whales who I play $5/$10 with? Well...

Maybe because maybe because when I get it in as a 66-85% favorite vs them and they suck out on me for $1K or $2K it means NOTHING to them as they're well off from some bum **** small business they own. They do not deserve to be at $5/$10 or even $2/$5. They're there because "they can". They didn't grind their way up there like I did. But that 1 or 2K means a lot to my BR as I recently moved up. And these fat ****ing slobs suck out on the river on me for thousand(s) of dollars.

How do I deal with this anger? (Of course I say "nice hand" at the table but I'm sure my tone of voice is like someone just died).

you need to figure out why your angry, are you angry about the money? are you angry that someone who is unskilled beat you? If its the first, then I would make sure I follow adequate BRM and if you do that youll never go busto ever if your a winning player.

When you're playing /w money you cannot afford to lose it is almost inevitable you'll become angry at the setting when fish do suckout.

Our first reaction, would be too blame other players instead of wondering simply if it was just poor br management.

1. my BR management is solid.
2. have u ever moved up stakes? do u understand that in that initial period your br is very vulnerable to running bad? no? you don't understand that? move up, run bad for a bit and get back to me
3. I'm jealous of their wealth. They just don't give a f about money.

Hookers, blow, hard alcohol, martial arts, etc. Find an outlet for stress, you're going to feel a lot of it in poker and it's only going to get more stressful the higher yo play.

Personally I tilt like hell even when I have a comfortable BR, have been running hot and rarely have a losing session. These fkn whales are pissing me off at times. I think it's ok to tilt as long as you take breaks when you lose your temper. No man is Buddha.

So my advice is just to keep tilting and play on as long as you muster and think the game is +EV. Then take breaks and get some "me time", work on your game, look at the sessions where you tilted and see if you were as +EV as you thought and if you missed any tells or if you played too predictable. Come back stronger than ever.

I can identify with what your saying.... You're not the only one tilting bro! (WC is spreading my bbv thread like wedding invitations!)

Their confidence that they gonna win every single hand & making that happen by playing like absolute fish, sucking out 9/10 times on the river it's the most annoying experience!

What can you do though stay mad at them? You only attract more whales to get lucky on you!

Wow! You should be welcoming "whales" and loving their presence as they have a deep and ready source of potential income for you. I'd far rather play with "whales" than underfunded people who will leave the game, perhaps for good.

Change your outlook and perspective.

Horrible advice.

Dude.. you think I don't understand this? You don't think I see the irony in me being angry with whales? You will understand when you move up and then have to move down because whales ran like Jesus against you.

And I'm not talking about getting angry and tilting in the game. I don't tilt, I just get up if I hit my stop loss and leave. I'm talking about wanting to attack some random innocent person the next day and kick the **** out of them or destroy random property. I never felt like this. Don't worry I didn't act on this and anger kind of blew over already. I'm not a violent person at all by nature.

My apologies. I mis-read your OP as a request for help and advice rather than simply an opportunity to bitch.

I also mis-read your obvious self-control as pervasive anger. Excuse me for stopping by as I now see that you have the situation well in-hand.

See you!

You're right, you should probably just tell the next whale that sucks out on you, or dealer that bad beats you, to find you in the parking lot so you can show them how angry you really are.

Yeah, sadly this happens often in psych. There are lots of posts that belong in BBV. I mean, OP is running bad against fish who don't care about money, so what's the problem? Ask any top players if they wanna beat up the whales when they suck out.. you know what they'd say.

Why does it matter if they're whales? Would it be better if they were risking their kids school supply money? Or their rent money?

What do you want us to say? That you're entitled to win whenever you're ahead?

The solution is simple:


(sorry couldn't help it)

Juk

Best reply ITT. Thank you, I needed this

I checked out the previous threads you posted, and noticed that most of them are about strategy. This is really good, but it also means that your tactical skills are improving while your mental game lags behind. So when things are going good for you, you're on top of the world. But when you get sucked out on, you feel upset because of the disparity between your mental A game and your mental C game.

You also mention that you don't tilt, but your entire post is about you being angry. That's tilt. Tilts impossible to fix if you can't even acknowledge that you do it in the first place. Also, I notice in the "out of sync" thread you ask a question and proceed to berate the answers you didn't like. Including from some of the respected posters on there. The same in this thread, where you rip on all the comments you don't like.

I've done the same in the past under a different username, and anytime I go back and read my replies, it's no wonder I wasn't improving and people hardly replied to my threads. Just something to consider.

Maybe you're angry because you're jealous of them. If they own a small business and can easily lose a couple grand, it means they've worked hard and succeeded in the real world. They have a measure of stability and accomplishment that a 5/10 grinder will never have. And while they not be saints, their plumbing supply business does actually contribute to the lives of others, while you contribute nothing.

The one thing you have is that you're better than them at poker. When you get sucked out on, even your poker skills aren't producing anything for you. Instead you just get reminded of the precarious nature of the career you chose.

Of course you get angry. Why wouldn't you?

I am jealous of them. And I readily admitted that in one of the posts in this thread. But I wouldn't trade my place for theirs for the world. I do what I LOVE. They probably hate their plumbing business.

As for contributing nothing I think you're going a bit too far. In financial market terms I provide liquidity. When these whales want to play I'm there every day risking my capital for their entertainment. And what the **** do soccer players contribute or any sport players? Entertainment at best. And to me poker is a sport. Definitely not as much of a spectator sport as physical sports but still a sport, a mind sport. And u know what... if I contributed absolutely ****ing nothing - it wouldn't matter anyway. I I DO WHAT I LOVE. That's all that matters in the end. I don't harm people, I don't rob, I don't steal, I don't kill. I just do what I love.

P.S. Who told you I will stop at $5/$10?

Get a backer. This way you can turn your anger against him when you are winning because you have to split your winnings xx/xx.
Winning or losing, you will always have a reason to be angry.

OP, have you read Elements Of Poker? I think it could really help you. If I'm honest (and I'm trying not to be rude), your outlook towards these whales is very unhealthy - both for your poker and your soul (or happiness/eudaimonia/whatever). I'd suggest giving it a read, it's well worth it.

Oh, and regardless of what you say, it sounds like you've moved up too quickly.

what do you mean"they dont deserve to be at 5-10$"?The only thing it takes to be at certain stakes is having the money,since you are wiiling to put your $$$ in risk,youre good everywhere.

The difference is that if you took the time and discipline to slowly move up instead of jumping into a random game like those guys, youll be far ahead,youll have gained a lot of experience and probably theyll end up donating their money to you.
Should be grateful about those philanthropists ready to donate at anytime...

OP your post is relevant to my life. This happens in lots of careers, not just poker. Some dick you work with is the boss' brother-in-law and dodges the layoffs when you don't, even though he's a moron. Your business gets crushed by a recession when you did everything right. Your best client hires a new COO and they cut the budget, and you lose the account, even after that $500 lunch you took the guy out for. These all happened to me. I'm doing great now. It took a while.

I always try to remind myself that there's no such thing as "deserve," and that random chance rules the world. You don't "deserve" to be at the table you're at any more than the fat rich guy. If you can be there, you'll be there, and if you can't, you won't. If you could have been the next Phil Ivey but an excessive amount of runbad crushed your chances, then oh well, welcome to earth where that happens to lots of people. You're making a living playing a game. You should feel fortunate. Someone is scrubbing someone else's **** out of a toilet right now, who would love to be able to do what you do. It's a privilege to lose the equivalent of someone's paycheck in one poker hand, and just rebuy. To them, you're the whale.

If you got this far, these whales (or ones like them) will eventually pay you off, and the losses you took were built into the system. They were part of the deal you signed up for. All you can do is put yourself in the best position possible and let **** happen. Keep doing your best and you'll probably more than make up for these beats. Is any of your bankroll money you won by sucking out? I bet at least a little.

One last point: It's common in any business to hate your clients, and whales are your clients. Clients are the worst people in the world. Their sense of entitlement knows no end. (Yes, I realize I am a client at times, myself.) Hatred of your clients can make you suck at what you do, or you can channel it properly and it can make you better at making money off them. Be patient, lay in waiting, and gut that ****er at the table. Win your money back tenfold. If you can't do that, you should try a new line of work. That's not an insult. I don't think I would want to play poker for my sole income even if I thought I could.

Anger is fine... as long as it is channeled the right way.

If you hate the whales and know the only way you can legally do harm to them is by taking their money at the poker table, this can be a great source of motivation to stay focused and keep improving your game. They are your enemies at they table and you should want to take them for every dime they have.

i don't count other peoples $$$, with the exception of what i figure they will lose to me in action, thats the only $$$ that matters to me. otherwise it don't matter. Who cares?