Live low NO limit games...

Every now and then you get some interesting personalities at the table and I'm wondering the best way to deal with them. Obviously, a table change is one option, but what if the game or players in the game make it otherwise good? And what if there is a wait for a table change, or the annoying person moves to your game? Sometimes you just have to suck it up.

1. STRAT TALKER - I think this is the worst kind of guy. The guy who discusses anything about the strategy of a hand he was in, or worse yet, the strategy of a hand he wasn't in. I think we all play our best and have the most fun when the game fosters a gambling and social environment. Lately, I feel the plexiglass and masks take away part of the social aspect and some games can become pretty dull.

Short of leaving the table, how to we get people to shut up about strat talk?

2. THE BRAGGER - Sometimes the strat talker is also the bragger. The bragger will voluntarily talk about their win rate, name drop someone they got coaching from, all while playing in a local 1/2 game. They are not the biggest fish, but they are not the best player in the pool either.

3. THE YAPPER - The yapper is just a guy who talks a lot. Not a lot about himself necessarily, but usually just in a playful way. It can be entertaining at first, but annoying as it goes on, especially if he gets drunk. Only loosing makes these players quiet. The more they win, the more they chirp.

4. THE MOANER - The moaner is a sore looser, and often has a snide "Helmuth like" comment after bad beats or loosing significant pots. He acts entitled and superior in his general demeanor.

The one common trait of all these personalities, is they want the attention on them. They have an EGO. This is true off the felt too. We can deal with many different types of personalities. Some of those personalities may clash with ours. If you are a quiet, zen-like person, maybe you can just stoically drown people out. But not all of us can. Some of us, like me, get easily annoyed, and only have so much patience. What's the play then?

Pretty much find out how they have fun in the game they are playing and exploit it. They don't sound like they are TAGs nor do they sound like they are very patient, so you stay tight. Do they have fun making big calls or big bluffs? Do their sizing's correlate with their feelings? As a pro, you have to be fine with waiting hours for opportunities to arise. So try to lighten your image by talking with your fellow players, and punish when necessary.

If the strat talking is loud and constant, I'll find a way to talk to the player on the sly at or away from the table. Then proceed to educate him on how it's bad for the game and costs him / us money by teaching his opponents what to do.

If there are multiple players at the table trying to one up eachother with their "knowledge" every other hand, I'll table change.