Why is it that super bad players with high negative ROI's and high negative balances in the thousands continue to keep playing it just does not make sense??

I was talking to a guy last night, plays 5nl but is $10k down over two years (!!!) he plays so loose he is doomed to fail but he *likes* poker, knows his shortcomings but can afford it. It's his hobby. We like people like him.

I'd like to think because they enjoy themselves and don't mind spending some money on poker.

There's nothing I hate more than regs calling out fish on their bad play. Sure, they might not learn but they'll probably leave and are much less likely to return. Poker should be fun, both if you're trying to win money or if you're just there to gamble.

edit: Not directed to you of course.

WHY ?
Why do people play blackjack, craps, roulette?
Why do people buy lottery tickets ?

Just be glad that they do (^_^)

I assume most of them think of it as a entertainment expense. They'll spend money doing other stuff so might as well be poker

There are many different motivations for playing poker.

Some play for the ego - they like to win pots and they don't care about the size of the pots they win, they just want to win.

Some play so they can bully people - they don't care about pot odds or equity or anything like that - they just like raising.

Some play to pass the time - they don't care about winning, as long as they get a good amount of playing time for their money. Winning is a lucky bonus.

Some play for the thrill of gambling - they like to build big pots with draws because they enjoy sucking out - the bigger the pot and the longer the odds against them the better.

And so on.

Don't worry about them. As long as they're happy to keep bringing chips to the table, they're welcome

I dont say Why did you do that you FISH skank?!?! I normally just say Nice hand, they say ty and then they stay at the table for another 5 hours and lose it all. See a lot of people "tapping the glass" though. Foolish boys dont realise thats where the $ comes from

I know so many people like that. I know a couple older guys. One of them owns a business and the other owns 5 chicken houses and they have single handedly put 5,000 in my pocket. Some people just have a great time gambling. Winning or losing... they really just do not care. I love playing with them

The only time I "tap on the glass" is when I get knocked out of a tournament. If they made a horrible play and sucked out on me I will let them know. I was playing in a tournament a couple weeks ago and this guy made this horrible horrible call. Board was 458 and I had 1010. I bet out and he raised me so I 3bet allin. My 3bet was a big overbet too. I just wanted to take the pot down right there, but he called. I thought for sure I was beat, but it turns out he was just an idiot. He called my all in with 77. Then of course he hit a 7 on the river. He was by far the worst player at the table and I did a little Hellmuth on him. I told the others at the table the worst damn player at the table took my chips. He is just going to lose them within 2 hours. He tried to give my his money with a horrible call and then he sucks out. I then told him good luck that he was going to need it if he played like that. It was near the bubble and I hated the guy.

Yeah, I know. It meant it in agreement not criticism.

They're becoming more and more extinct, coddle them.

I really dont think so. Just instead of being from the USA they are from Russia. Seeing SO many more of them at the tables and they are SO aggrobad. Also, the US will be back in a year or so and then? ohboyohboyohboy, all the hard work we're putting in now will pay off so HARD, it will be like the internet poker boom all over again - and we'll be in at the start of it!

yeh the russians love to gamble, if i see someone who is always betting and calling its nornally from russia now. sometimes they make me angry when i lose a big pot but i love them when the opposite happens. if there is someone with a massive pot, they are normally from russia

I dont like when they sit down, first hand I have TT-QQ or AJ+ and they shove. I have lost to some stupid assed hands by calling here thinking "this is 2/5nl, they are dumb, my hand is top 10%, I beat him nearly all the time" then they luck out with there 67s. scumbags. Oh i should be happy i got all in with them and their rubbish? even though they won? whys that because I will win it back? not if they immediately leave the table I wont.

I have friends that drop over $5k a year snowboarding. They don't make any money doing it.

We all have our hobbies.

LOL

I definetely think its just down to personal character.

I would never play roulette, unless I has studied my ass off reading about strategies and really really didnt care if I lost my entire bankroll for the game, which would also be calculated and disciplined.

Others just dont give a **** they will get drunk and put silly amounts on one spin for some reason. I think only they could tell you why, because its all about them and their mind.

I play poker with people who just dont listen. For some reason my friend loves to educate them on how to play better and tells them about his and my hands while we are trying to win, but I mean, I suppose it would make the game less boring having to actually think, but neway, they just dont listen, or care. they just do whatever they feel like.

Another thing with poker is, it takes a lot of work to start to get better, just because of variance. You can try different styles of play and become really confused. Like I tried to play LAG because I loved to swing my dick and think i was the nuts and didnt really win, then i played like a nit and realised I was missing spots to win money, then I got confused as to why I shouldnt be a nit or a maniac and thats where I began to realise that TAG is the best framework for my games. That took 200k hands lol and most people just give up if they arent naturally talented in the game, like me lol or go on a heater

LOL isn't that what hooker's are for?

The whole corridor near russia are bad players.

This is why when i sit down I'll search where everyones from just to know who might donk possibly.

Love the post yes I'm also tag I found out using my HUD as well as listening to other ppl describe my play although I think a TAG is in between Loose and tight I still find myself missing pots to win if I had just a lil more sack to make a call of overraisers but i think that's just the nit in me TAG all day baby!!

Some people just like to gamble. Who knows, they might even be pros on another site making six figures a year who like screwing around at micro stakes.

I was at a 1/2 game the other night and two young people with the hoodie+sunglass+iPod internet grinder setup sit down together grumbling about the long wait for a 5/5 game. Oh boy, here goes the table I thought. They played very loose, gave away nothing, and discussed strategy between hands, they obviously knew what they were doing.

But, it soon became apparent that they were just there to gamble. The stakes meant nothing to them and they were just there to amuse themselves while waiting for a real game. They were going crazy aggressive (while putting villains on exact ranges after the hand) and getting involved in almost every pot. One of them had a ballsy river bluff called, shipped his leftover 15bbs blind preflop, shipped his leftover 30bbs blind preflop (damn luckboxes), and left to play some table games.

Your ROI when you go the movies, or watch a baseball game, is -100%.

Recently, I saw an interview of a guy who started playing poker after his financial ruin, hoping to have 'a bit of luck' to get the money for open bills.

Well, I lol'd.

Needless to say that this made him have even more problems...