At my home casino there's a group of about four of us that are pretty good friends. We usually just stay out of each other's way, don't really pick on each other. Two of them are much much better players than I am so I don't really feel like I'm missing anything by not getting involved. But the other guy . . .

Twice in last week we've gotten into pots together where I have won and he has lost. Then he berated me for how I played. First one I had aces v his kings and he went nuts because I check called river and he had to show and I won the pot. I didn't play the hand optimally, but I did my best out of position thinking he had a very strong hand. He later apologized to me.

Last night I was at a very loose table, 2/5, most pots at least $50 pre. Action player straddles utg, other action guy calls, my friend makes it 65, I have kk and make it 150. It is not outside the realm of possibility that one or both of the loose players will flat this bet. They fold and my friend folds and goes off on me saying I have to flat any premium hand in this spot. I disagreed, said I didn't want to play kk four way and he said I played it terribly. We went back and forth for awhile and I finally told him from now on just play your hand and he said that's not what he wants.

So my questions are:

1) Does his argument for flatting have any merit?
2) Should I just go ahead and play my hand regardless of his wishes?
3) Is it lame to just always play at a different table?
4) How do you guys deal with friends at the table?

1. I don't like flatting at all with 2 players to act behind you, although I do like a bigger 3 bet pre.

2. You play your game, if he doesn't like playing against you then let him move tables. It'll cost you money soft-playing people at the casino (especially when in multi-way pots). Unless your friend is willing to pay your bills...it's open season and he's just another opponent at the table.

3. You should be playing at whatever table you think is most profitable.

4. Although I usually don't go out of my way to play heads-up against friends of mine....I do have some friends that we actually take more joy out of beating one another than other players at the table.

oh also, your friend only told you he didn't like how you played KK because he had to probably fold his hand and was unable to see the flop....from the scenario though, sounds like your friend has been running bad (or losing) and taking his frustration out on you.

Play your hands how you choose, making the best decisions you feel will make $$. Playing against good friends at a poker room is like playing against any other player. You are there to have fun and make some coin along the way. One of the biggest friendship killers is when $$ is involved, so if you guys gotta chop up the pots in the parking lot after the session to keep it cool, so be it, or just play with friends at a home game where the stakes aren't high enough that someone isn't getting their roll dented. Other than that, anyone that sits at the poker is fair game IMO, and some friends I play with would wholeheartedly agree.

the only way i'm flatting w/ KK pre-flop is if it's late in a tournament and someone is all-in w/ action behind me.

If he is actually your friend off the table, you need to talk to him off the table.

Tell him that he shouldn't berate anyone for playing badly at the table. If he thinks you played a hand badly, you can discuss it off the table. But discussing it at the table will kill both his action and yours from the other players.

In my old game there used to be a group of friends who would discuss hands with each other at the table and it bothered me so much. If they are friends, why can't they have these discussions away from the table and not tap the tank?

Also, your friend sounds like the kind of guy who gets upset when he loses to his friends. If that is the case, and if your friendship is important to you, don't play at his table. I'd rather avoid someone than softplay him to keep up our friendship. (My real friends don't get upset when I beat them, and I don't get upset when they beat me.)

You played it fine.


Your "friend" needs to unwind his vagina. When you play any other game with friends do you try not to win? No. That's stupid. If he can't divorce his friendship from the game ten that's his problem not yours.

Use the "friendly" relationship you have against them. Lure them into thinking they are your friends even at the poker table.

Not saying this is the same scenario for you here, but I've found that friends only tend to berate other friends on their play, or complain about a move, when they are playing with money that they can't really afford to lose. Actually, in general, even among non-friends, properly bankrolled players are far less likely to berate others for their play.

I mean, my friends don't berate me when we are playing Euchre, or Hearts, or some other game where it's just for fun and not for money. But when they are playing with that 100 extra dollars they have lying around, hoping to parlay it into paying for that month's bills, or worse, placing their bill paying money on the table, they become much more ornery.

Get some new friends.

are you sharing pieces? or why the **** is he mad? also, does he berate you on or off the table?

situations like this is why i hate live poker. it feels like you get hustled and it´s such life draining stuff...

Your friend is an idiot and he's passively trying to get you to collude.

Play how you want and tell friend to STFU.

Definitely don't softplay. Just play your own hand. If he's a good winning player you could always just agree to have half of eachothers action when at the same table if you feel that would avoid arguements and make your life easier.

I have poker friends, and we play straight with each other when we're at the same table. I don't bluff him, and he doesn't bluff me, but it's more because we know each other's games so well.

Anyways, in short, if you're actually there to make money, don't sit at the same table. If you're there for fun, then that's a different story.

Remind your friend to take his Ritalin.

I berate my friends when they outplay me. I'm supposed to be better than them. I mean, how could they possibly have moved me off the best hand? Or folded the second nuts? Wtf. Lays down a monster. Should have payed me off on that.

Not sharing pieces. He berates me at table either via text or out loud if seated next to me.

This thread has been very helpful. Definitely going to stand my ground and set some limits.

LMAO. You know what's scary? In like 2 more years, kids born after that movie was released will be able to legally gamble in Europe.

Yea whatever you decide just tell him how it is. From experience the best way to avoid arguements or any drama is just to treat each person at the table the same. Ie try to extract as many chips from them as possible.

Maybe it'd be best if you don't play on the same table for a while

1) I'd sit at a separate table. If he isn't normally a dick, but he can't handle losing to you on a good or bad beat then one of you should sit elsewhere.

2) If he wants to get worked up about bad play give him a mission to find bad players and stay quiet and let them give him money. That should help.

basically your friend is a dick and he is trying to manipulate your friendship to his advantage. he was steaming on the first hand because it was a cooler, and steaming he had to fold a drawing hand (probably set mine) on the other.

I would just be like hey man I got bills and **** too.

You just have to separate on the table from off the table and let him know what you're doing. Off the table you are friends, but on the table you're playing the best poker you possibly can.

A week ago I stacked this pro who was tilting and playing really badly. He had no business getting stacked by my overpairs (I'm NEVER bluffing him when he tilts this much and he knew that but was calling me anyway), but he's been on a downswing lately.

He and I are pretty friendly, and I was talking to his wife (who plays poker with him) away from the table and told her that I wasn't going to softplay him but that he had no business being stacked by me and needed to get his **** together or just quit for the night. I went back, flopped a good hand, and won another big pot off him. Later he took a break, and she talked to him, and he came back and played better for the rest of the session.

We can treat people like friends, and still do our best to win the game when the game is being played. Just let your friend know that, at the table, no matter who your playing against, what hand you have, or what line you take, you are trying to win the game. Nothing he says or does will change that.

Tell him to stir and play his money as he sees fit and you'll play hid money how you see fit

Seriously, next time he deigns to instruct you, show all seriousness and rapt attention. Apologize for your poor play, assure him that next time you'll play correctly... And play your game as you see fit.

Stop soft-playing. Its unethical and unprofitable.

do it like laak and esfandiari.
enjoy his bane

I have three really good friends in the bay area that play poker, and I just flat out do not play at the same tables they do.

Period.

I table change. And in the event there is only one table available (super rare occurrence since there are always tons of tables in this area) then I will go to a different casino down the street.