what is your fav topic to talk about that doesnt involve poker and livens up the atmosphere...
This concept is a lost art on a lot of younger players especially those who started out on the Internet.

Trolling other players for rooting for the wrong team. Playing "name that tune" if in a room where they play music.

Dogs. They're a largely agreeable topic that gets people to proudly show pictures from their phones and tell about quirks, tricks, habits, and other stories. Everyone becomes vulnerable when talking about their dogs.

Current political issues

Also maybe you hang out with some cool-ass olds, but it is not at all true in my experience that they are more interesting or engaging than younger players.

I'd be interested to know the ages of people who believe one way or another. My guess is each generation thinks the other lacks social skills (at least among poker players).

I usually ask people where they re from, since we get a lot of tourists. that can lead into what they do, which can be interesting

People should talk more about porn at the table.

I remember a drunken guy asking every single player at the table who their favorite pornstar was. Most of us didn't answer, but a guy around 50 with his wife sitting right behind him did. The look on her face was priceless, somewhere between annoyed and embarrassed, when he told the table that he's a huge Jenna Jameson fan.
That was 5 or 6 years ago. So maybe he has a new favorite one now.

Other than that, I always get asked where I'm from and what I do, as soon as people notice my accent. Sometimes that leads to interesting conversations, sometimes it's just plain stupid. One time in Biloxi, I was asked if people from Europe come to the US via plane or boat. I started to laugh before realizing he was serious about that.

You mean you didnt come over on the QE2 and process through Ellis Island?

Sadly, I know exactly what you mean. I was sitting next to a reg who is from England, and this 20 something US kid starts asking him about the three islands of England, Wales and Scotland. He kept going on about them being separate islands despite the reg trying to explain. Finally I joked to him that" you're not representing the American educational system very well" and he stopped.

Food(cooking, eating, restaurants). Most people enjoy this topic even the health-nuts, because, whether you talk about a dish of pasta, a really good steak or the latest "healthiest vegetable" you can eat, there's something for everyone. I like keeping the conversation light and enjoyable and this seems to fits both Imo.

My experience is that it is local sports that get the most table talk besides poker related topics. Reds, Bengals, Colts , Buckeyes and UK Basketball head the list

Sports are usually the easiest go toa especially if there is a game or event going on. Another good one that I go with is "I'm trying to plan a vacation. Anybody have any good suggestions besides Vegas?"

Sports seems fine until you run into two crazy aggro sports guys who happen to root for different teams that have a rivalry...seen a lot of almost fights start that way.

And I will be the guy bringing up stuff to get them agitated at each other.

Lol I'd love to be at a table and have that conversation go down (sans the wife nearby part.)

Anything but politics or religion.

And while it isn't true that 20 somethings can't be great conversationalists, it is true that they probably don't have as many cool stories to tell as a 60 year old. (Provided that 60 year old isn't telling the same damn story every time he sits down at the table.)


--klez

More people should talk politics at the poker table.

Not if you want to keep it friendly.


--klez

Pretty sure we all know the old guy that does this every session, or cracks the same tired poker jokes.

There IS a reason sometimes to put on headphones...

Sports is a good entry point. Sports betting is great to get insights on how people think.

Porn is good for a laugh but one guy at my table was surfing porn on his phone and kept wanting to show people, which was not cool.

Politics and religion are trollolol. When the Occupy stuff was happening, I goaded a drunk woman into spewing a bunch of venom about the "Jewish lawyers" at the 30/60 LHE table. After I left, she went up to the table, jabbed a finger into a 2+2er's chest, and said, "You're the 1%!" or something like that and then ran off. Fun times.

I frequently feign ignorance on the other games in the area, just to see what people say about them. Enough people have seen me playing the NL tables that I can no longer feign ignorance about NL, but I used to do that.

Talking about jobs and stuff is also fun. It's also a great way to get insight into how people think. For example, I like asking poker pros what they do for a living - some make outrageous lies because they're uncomfortable admitting it. People in wealthy occupations have higher capacity for losses and can go on losing at rates they consider to be trivial. People who are playing way above their income level are either soon to flame out, huge degens, or play better than I think.

I also talk about science, solely because it's interesting. No shenanigans, unless people bring politics or religion into it, then I usually troll.

For the love of all things poker, NO! NO RELIGION OR POLITICS AT THE TABLE!

It just drives people away. Especially the ones you don't want driven away.

Nah not dogs unless you are talking about the greyhounds.

I tend to let everyone know that sports is stupid, religion is stupid, smoking makes you smell like crap and is stupid, drunk drivers should be summarily executed, meat is murder, and I'm gay-friendly. Then I plead with them to remain civil as they all jockey for position to bask in my aura, hear the (endlessly charming) stories about the antics of my young children, and just generally enjoy my company.

If you play in Vegas, talking to people about restaurants and shopping also makes for a good conversation and provides a hint about their disposable income.

I like nice watches and people sometimes ask me about them at the table. But while a couple years back I felt like they thought I had to be successful at poker, now I feel like they think I have to be a business person who might afford to lose some money. In reality, I wasn't that good back then and (hopefully) am not that bad today.
Same watches, just a couple years older and button-down shirt instead of hoodie, apparently changes everything.

Religion, politics, abortion, gun laws and bad game theory.

Funny, my dog is a greyhound. People ask about and get a kick out of her racing record. (She was retired after only a few races because she's not into it.)