I wasn't always this way, but in recent years as I have taken my game more seriously, my behavior at the table has been less than ideal.

For whatever reason, I am very easily annoyed and especially if I am loosing, tired, etc. I will needle people, berate, and sort of act like Phil Helmuth lol. There is nothing specific that sets me off, but I am becoming better at becoming more aware of the things that bother me and figuring out better ways to handle them.

i.e. I don't like player A so I wont sit as his table

The only solution I can think of is to eject from this situation immediately. I will usually ask for a table change, but if that doesn't happen for a while it may get worse. This happened tonight and I punted off $500 in about 1.5 hrs and left. This guy was talking to his wife/gf on his direct r about strategy several times and I called him out on it instead of quietly going to the floor. Then he got on my about talking too much, etc. It was almost like I was so annoyed and steamed that if I punted off then this uncomfortable feeling would go away.

But then I thought about it later and realized I could have just walked away from that table until another seat opened up. I wasn't forced to play there.

In an ideal world, I would just be a decent human, but I am not. If someone said what is your problem, I would say, "clearly a lot." Normal people pick their battles and are strategic about with they give an F about. I just loose my mind for a moment, and that moment can be very painful.

Now this doesn't happen every session, but it might happen a few times a month which is a few times too many because it cost me thousands of dollars a year and is by far my biggest leak. If I am calm and clear headed and lose, then fine I can accept that. But it is absolutely unacceptable to not be decent to people at the poker table. I find myself making more enemies by the day and simply embarrassing myself with this behavior.

I read something once that you can only complain about the things you can change. Well I want nothing more than to change this. Not just to plug a leak in poker, but just to be better as a human, even in the heat of battle. Afterall, I am fully aware of the importance of being nice to recreational players for the betterment of the game. I get this, but it doesn't mean I always do it. My hope is that my increased awareness of the situation and then ejecting from the situation will be enough, but my fear is sometimes my emotional state may not always allow me to think rationally in these moments. I need to catch it before it gets too bad. I have had the floor called over more times than I can count, broken good games, chased off fish, and got kicked out a few times. It has to stop.

Please, what is my best strategy here? I don't want to turn into one of these miserable poker players no one wants to play with and end up playing at some god forsaken dump like Sams Town when I am 70 years old. I would see a therapist or talk to a psych coach, but they are so damn expensive and have never done much to help me before. Maybe I should start playing stoned lol.

Please, what is my best strategy here? > take a break.
Seems to me that u r grinding too much u prolly play 5 to 6 days a week right?

''I am fully aware of the importance of being nice to recreational players for the betterment of the game.'' > this is good.

Seems to me that u r on tilt before even playing the first hand.

Take a break bro.

Any thought/emotion/feeling that we have is an investment or a cost.
Read some emotional intelligence articles while at your break



glgl

Yes, I play full time, so I can't afford to take extended breaks. I'm not on tilt before I sit down, but any number of things may or may not set me off.

there is no especially kind way to say this but it sounds like you have some personal problems. at live poker for money that won't kill you to lose, you should be able to find common ground with your opponents. i enjoy talking some trash and telling jokes, and can usually find something to laugh at a couple of times per session.

there's a lot of miserable people at the casino, likewise in the poker room. people get irritated when things don't go their way like they are entitled or some ****, and it's pretty funny to me when it's someone with a good career and a family. there's no reason for their wavering emotions to be caused from the poker game, therefore they probably have some personal stuff that gets triggered.

Does it spill into your poker play? Does it make you more aggressive against players who have annoyed you in some way? I'd be more worried about that if you are playing steamed.

As soon as you sit down to play tell everyone that you will pay them $20 each if you are caught talking to anyone except the poker room/wait staff.

It's on to berate players. U paid to sit at a table u can berate if u want.