I must admit in the past to doing this:

Here I am sitting next to a nice/polite recreational player/s and I am totally blanking out what he/she is saying to me.Im just nodding and giving them short answers not looking to engage in conversation.I am looking at them as inferior to me..they are inferior to me and cant add anything to me so why should I bother

I didn't even realise I was doing it so often until a friend brought up the topic.He said he had met an amazing person during the world series
The guy was a retired neurosurgeon.He was in Vegas to have some fun and to enjoy some of his retirement.My friend said his life story was amazing and it really added some value to his life hearing his story
He made the point how most poker players egos are so over inflated they wouldn't even have taken the time to get to hear such an amazing life story

As poker players we are missing out on so much value by viewing/treating people as inferior beings just because they play recreationally and are weaker opponents

The obvious one we all know is the future value you are missing out on by making the game not enjoyable for a person resulting in them not returning

But that's not the value I am talking about.Im talking about the life value you get from getting to know these people and hearing their stories.The value from hearing these peoples stories is incredible not to mention the value of networking.Ive met some great people..made some great contacts and made some great friends

The next time a recreational player is chatting to you in the seat next to you just think..he may be a fish at the poker table but he could be a superstar in life.Once i changed my attitude i started to meet some amazing people

Ive met Football agents...Tv Producers..National Managers of big companys..Hockey players..Football players..Authors..Cuban Drone Engineers..Club Promoters..Doctors..Nurses..Newlyweds..Rappers..Ac tors..Baseball players..Wall Street Brokers..Professional dancers and a whole range of other people from all over the world

The occupations above are cool but ive met other people who I would consider superstars in life.The 60 year old waste management worker who reared 4 kids as a single father..put them through college and is in Vegas for his first holiday in 30 years because his kids put some money together so he could go to Vegas to play some poker at the World Series..good real people

I will admit for every amazing person you meet there will be three idiots but just give people some time and it may surpise you where it leads

Theres too much ego in poker.There are too many idiots in poker.Theres too much sucking up in poker between poker players

Next time just think

If anything it's the other way around, because the recreational players you're talking about have led interesting lives with real world experience and intelligence, while the "pro" has spent all their time learning how to play a game.

Not to say there aren't a lot of great/interesting poker players, but it's a hilarious to think some personality-less hoodie wearing button clicker looking down on a successful doctor/financier/athlete, etc.

Because they can't beat them.

Im not saying that they look down on successful athletes/doctors/financers etc

They don't even get to the point knowing of that

I recently played with a nhl hockey player, he dumped about 3 bi to me on a overvaluation of top pair vs my obvious set. My first reaction lol what a ******.

now this guys make like 3 mega a year so, hes obviously more succesful to me. but because poker is such a giant part of my life I judge him soley on poker ability at the table and its very hard to get away from that. Wouldn't say I look down on recs though, I do enjoy talking to recreationals the rare times I'm in the casino.

How do you think hedgefund managers regard their customers thoughts about the current market? How do you think football players regard the advice so often yelled from supporters on the stands? How do you think anyone with tons of knowledge regard anyone's thoughts that has levels lesser knowledge? As inferior. Because they are.

And you sir, you sound like some "moral of the story" in some feelgood movie. "Don't forget about love. Don't forget to listen to the elderly. ". On a good day, I will. But when I'm grinding and making money no not so much. I'm working after all.

Unlike hedgefund managers and professional football players, most of the sullen, silent and condescending people at the poker table are losers who don't actually make any money. Many of them think they're winners. A real winner knows that if nothing else, helping to create a friendly, talkative atmosphere is better for the bottom line in the long run, and better for the game in general too. Sadly for poker, a lot of people, winners or losers, couldn't do this even if they wanted to.

Thanks to the OP for a thoughtful post.

I and I am sure many other good players don't view them as inferior beings but more so inferior players. I love having a cool rec player sitting next to me to bs with. I don't want to talk strategy with him though because I would probably come off as insulting because he is probably wrong.

I hate them because poker makes them act like children and cry in the chat box when they are the ones just donating money.

Good post, I agree. Fortunately, one thing I've usually gotten right is knowing from an early age that you can learn something from anybody and there's definitely something to be said for getting to know and appreciate almost anybody you meet.

To be honest, I think there are plenty of Recreational Players that look at self-titled "Poker Pros" as leading a hollow, empty, unfulfilling life. So, contrary to the OP's title, Rec Players may feel "Poker Pros" are the inferior beings.

You should think about your philosophy of life if money is the main thing you quantify success with.

I don't really care if there is someone rich or poor playing poker, what matters is how they act when winning or losing. There are so many who cannot accept losing and blaim it on luck and they really think they know what they are doing. Those people really suck.

Don't you realize how many goods and services that man has potential claims upon? He could eat the finest food and bang the hottest women for life. How is he not superior? Are you actually suggesting that there's something on the inside that should be evaluated when judging a man? How are we supposed to see into the inside?

Cliffs: People are people.

You mean he can buy a lambo every day? He could go into the best restaurants every day?`He can bang all the money bitches, who hate him but only like his money, like Bilzerian does?

How you are supposed to see inside a human being? Well, you can see that by the way someone talks, acts, treats other persons and so on.

Well yes, and they would be right about that. Who wants to look back at a life mostly spent just repeatedly playing a card game in a casino or the Internet? What a sad pathetic waste of opportunity

Plus one really good thoughtful post OP

This pretty much answers the question.

I am one of those inferior recreational players so I have to put myself in the minds of the pros and regs here. If you're really focused on the job at hand — and as quoted above, poker IS a job for pros and regs — then you have to disconnect yourself from those types of externalities.

When you three-bet for $800, you don't suddenly think "Uh oh, I am now risking my family's next month worth of groceries." Nor, if you're highly rolled, are you thinking "Meh, I don't care... it's chump change for me." You're only thinking about why it's the correct play for you to maximize your earn in that situation. Only later, perhaps on the drive home, might you worry about not being able to buy your son the G.I. Joe with the kung fu grip.

The way you must perceive your opponents is no different. Sure, poker is a social game, and finding out a fun fact about the player in Seat 4 might make for a pleasant moment when you're not in a hand. But while you're playing, you think about making all the right decisions from a poker standpoint. What you think of them personally is completely irrelevant. (As an extreme example, you're probably not folding the nuts just because the villain who donk-shoved in front of you also is the hottest girl you've ever seen.)

As a result, the serious player only sees chips as the way you're keeping score in that game, and the judges the other people at the table by how good they are at poker, because that's what matters to them in that setting. So "Seat 8 sucks" doesn't mean the guy is somehow an awful person, it just means he/she is lousy at this thing I'm doing.

All this said...

The gift of gab is probably an overlooked skill in the B&M game. Wasn't that one of the consistent pieces of praise about Chip Reese? Everyone knew he was the best player, or one of the best, yet he continued to get fish upon fish to join his game because he was always pleasant and personable at the table.

You should create a pleasant atmosphere to keep the fish in the game. Plain and simple. If youre not doing that, youre not doing your job properly.

This thread is ******ed. I don't think less of anyone if they aren't any good at poker, just like I wouldn't think anyone in their profession would think any less of me due to my lack of experience in the field.

Stupid thread is stupid, did you see a bad reg belittle a fish or something? Poker players do not view recs as "inferior beings", and even that is an incredibly stupid way to phrase it. If someone thinks less of someone because they don't have a solid understanding of a game, it's on them, they're likely a sad, unsuccessful person.

Nailed it.

To those regs who don't invest time in treating customers well, you are leaving money on the table.

Pretty much what I came to say. I don't think many poker players actually think this way, and the few that do are losers with esteem complexes. I've known a few to insult my poker playing ability, as if that were some crushing put-down. Maybe it would be if I had ever taken the game very seriously.

It's even more pathetic than looking down upon people with less money or status. But at least those are those are things that people more typically strive for.

Because in reality the poker-players are the inferior beings for even thinking that, and let's face it, the big majority of those poker-players are not going to get even close to end up rich and/or earn enough to retire comfortably.
And then think about where they have spend their life's?, yeah they have every right to feel superior right? hahahahahaha.

Hey everybody has there own opinion of what is/was a good life, but i for one wouldn't trade with any of them, because i am sure i wouldn't even be close of having done and experienced of what i have in my 46 years on this planet, and how happy it made and make's me.

And i have played my share of live poker in casino's, private game's in many country's around the world and the usa being one of them and australia the most enjoyable, and i have played poker since i was 16 years old and still do today, and since i have retired from working after selling my business i am going to play a whole lot more poker in the future, and i have met a whole lot of poker-players in my life and i am still to meet any that i would consider "superior" as you call it, even tho i never ever thought in ways like that about people, i have met a few poker-players that where/are great people and call/called my friend today, and i have met horrible people to on the table, but that is the same as in life i figure.

So to make a long story even longer, i pity people for thinking like that, because on the end of the day those people are IMO emotionally very sick and i feel very sorry for them, but he i love meeting people and they mis out on that, so i say it is their loss and frankly never gave a damn of what strangers thought/think about me, because life is to good and short to even give people like that the time of day.

So i say let's play lots of poker and talk a lot while doing it, and have some laughs off-course because is poker not a hell of a fun game to play?, i for one think it is, for me it is the greatest card-game ever invented and i play it till the day i die[and hopefully while i am playing lol]

Both can be true. They're not mutually exclusive.

Ain't gon be no more kings. Be wary of any man that claims. Because deep down he clings onto the need of power. But in reality he is a coward. Ultimately he is scared to die. And sometimes so am I. But when I'm in tune with the most high...I realize...the fear lies in my lack of awareness of the other side. Today I know that we are the same. Are the same, you and I.