I'm crossposting this from the HUNL forum, but I wrote a brief summary of live poker; some of you may find it interesting and/or (in)accurate.

Rumnchess's Guide to Live Poker


TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART VIII - Introduction
PART XI - Attitude & Etiquette
PART XIII - General Strategy
PART XV - Bankroll Guidelines (an extremely short section)
PART XVII - Player Profiles (quite long by contrast)
PART XXIII - Conclusion




PART VIII: Introduction

Live poker is my bread and butter. It has been one of my favorite pasttimes for the last five years of my life, and will always remain so. Along with golf, fine dining, and women, live poker constitutes one of the four core pillars of my life. Over the past few months, I have experienced a period of extraordinarily erratic, and for the most part tumultuous, results in online poker. The advent of heads up superturbos has been particularly disruptive to my confidence, state of mind, and bankroll. Nonetheless, my live results have remained consistently good. I consider live poker my best form of poker, not only relative to the respective fields, but in absolute level of skill. Perhaps just as important as my results, I love everything that live poker has to offer: easily attainable food and beverages, chip shuffling tricks, and an incredibly social and lively atmosphere. Through live poker I have attained an internship with a day trading firm in New York, and free business class flights for the next year. The opportunities for conversation and networking are plentiful, and the live poker world encompasses a fascinating crossection of society. Rarely do such a diverse group of individuals come together. Everyone from min-buying truck drivers to lawyers to wealthy Middle East businessmen can be found at the poker table. To my knowledge, the plethora of people you meet in a cardroom have only one thing in common: they are all notoriously poor players.




PART XI: Attitude & Etiquette

It is extremely important to approach a casino poker game with the correct attitude. Often I see online players who are new to live cardrooms walk into a game with an attitude that is not only harmful to themselves, but to the overall quality of the game. Berating poor card players is not only disrespectful, but is extremely harmful to your bottom line. It is imperative to treat your opponents with respect, and in particular, you should often make an effort to befriend the poor players. Of course if a guy at the table is acting like a complete *******, I will make no effort to be friendly towards him, but at the same time, I will typically avoid being rude towards him, unless absolutely necessary. It is important, however, to make a distinction between your conduct as a person and your conduct as a competitor.

Conduct as a person: Your conduct as a person is the way you act in conversation, your demeanor towards others, and also the way you respect the ettiqute of the game. If I see somebody slow roll another player or try to angleshoot, in my eyes this speaks towards their character as a person, and not their character as a card player or a competitor. There are some exceptions: sometimes a guy who is clearly a novice will take a long time to roll his hand on the river, or make a string bet. Here he is just inexperienced and unfamiliar with the code of the game. It should be fairly obvious to you who is simply new to the sport, and who is deliberately trying to take advantage of their opponents by use of non-poker tactics.

Conduct as a competitor: While I am extremely friendly to my opponents in conversation, etc., I am a ruthless beast as a poker player. If I think a guy wants to avoid playing big pots, I will relentlessly three-bet him in position. Sometimes I will reraise him on each of his first three opens while we are both at the table. This often frustrates and even angers your opponents, but its completely within the ettiquette of the game, and says nothing about your character as a person. Ideally, I want my opponents to like me as a person, but fear me, or dislike me as a card player.

Etiquette:

1. If the dealer asks you to go to the cage to buy your chips, comply. Every card room has a different process (and in most you can buy chips right at the table), and the last thing you want to do is get off to a bad start with the dealer. Bad karma.
2. If a dealer makes a ruling that you disagree with in a hand that you are involved in, do not be silent. Ask to speak to a supervisor, and explain your case clearly and concisely. Be as polite as possible, but be firm.
3. Always make your big chips visible. Nothing irks me more than when I think a guy has a $500 stack and he is hiding a tower of black chips behind his red chips.
4. String betting is not allowed in any casino I’ve been to. Either announce the amount of your bet or raise, or make sure you bet in one clear motion.
5. Tip the dealers when you win a pot of any decent size. My rule of thumb would be that a tip is not necessary for a pot of $40 or less, but for anything beyond that $1 will suffice. I typically tip $2 when I win a pot of $400 or more, and $5 when I win a really huge pot.
6. Tip the cocktail waitress $1 when you get a drink.




PART XIII: General Strategy

Before I get into specific player types, I’ll list of general adjustments to make when transitioning from internet poker to the live arena.

1. Raise bigger preflop. You can get away with raising to 5x or 6x (sometimes even more, depending on the table), because people will call you with the same or greater frequency that they would call a 3x raise online.
2. 3bet less frequently. Your edge on the table should be so big that you want to play large pots with deep stack to pot ratios. You also typically want to keep the bigger fish in the pot. Obviously if you are playing at a table of loose fish who will call very wide, it is okay to three bet a reasonably wide value range, but generally, I try to avoid 3betting trash, except against the nitty guys who want to avoid playing big pots.
3. Overbet more often. Live players are notoriously unaware of the size of the pot, and of the correct sizings of bets in relation to the size of the pot. A player will typically think more about the actual dollar amount you’re betting than the amount relative to the pot. You will often see opponents make absurd bets like $50 into a $500 pot. As a good player, born and bred on the internet, you should be able to control the size of the pot and determine the correct betting amount in a given situation. Do not be afraid to bet $600 into $400 if you have a big hand, believe your opponent to be reasonably strong, and perceive him as the type who doesn’t care too much about money.
4. Play suited junk. As heads up players, most of you should feel in your element here. I advocate playing hands like K4s and Q7s in a live game, particularly if the pots are multi-way. Stacks tend to be deeper in a live game, so your implied odds are greater. Most pots in a live game will be multiway, with poor players who allow you to dictate the size of the pot post flop. Flushes and straights are like jackpots in a live game.




Part XV: Bankroll Guidelines:

I tend to not worry too much about my bankroll because I consider my winrate to be extremely high in these games, and am just a general degenerate. But in general, you need far fewer buy ins to be properly rolled for a live game than you would online. I like to buy into a live game for 200 bbs, and I think that having a roll of 10 such buy ins would be plenty. Keep in mind you are only one tabling, and seeing far fewer hands. Not only that but your winrate per hand should be at least triple what it would be online. $10,000 should be plenty to play 2/5 live.





PART XVII: Player Profiles

It would be extremely time consuming to identify and describe each of the many different player types you will encounter at the poker tables. Therefore, I have chosen five different player profiles that I believe will provide a solid framework for the type of creatures we are dealing with. In parentheses, I’ll indicate that player’s corresponding play style.

The Businessman’s Son (LAG)

Description: Usually Lebanese or Middle Eastern (though they can be Greek, or from other parts of the world), the businessman’s son is a party animal with a seemingly limitless budget. Typically single, under the age of thirty, and comes with an air of sheer and utter lack of responsibility.

Plumage: Designer shirts, designer jeans, expensive jewelry, crocodile shoes.

Poker Style / How to Adjust: The BMS is not afraid to put money in the pot. He comes to play, and he doesn’t like folding. Not only that, but he is almost always accompanied by a couple of cronies, and is sure to try to impress them by showing bluffs, scooping large pots, and being the center of action and attention. As such, the BMS is extremely loose both preflop and post flop, and will often employ tactics such as large unnecessary overbets, merely designed to display his true indifference to money.

3bet a reasonably wide value range vs. this player, but never 3bet as a bluff. Don’t worry if your image is rock tight, you will still get action when you 3bet AA vs. this player. BMS’s have a fold to 3bet of about 1.8%, a decision they usually only make when they are receiving an important phone call on their blackberry. If you have a strong hand, and perceive the BMS to be weak, it can often be correct to trap this player. Even a BMS will sometimes throw away their total air to a flop check/raise, but they will rarely slow down if you check/call. While you will get action from the BMS regardless, it can be helpful to build up a slightly looser image, perhaps even attacking them early, as they will develop a need to personally show you up in the future. It is considered advantageous to show a BMS a bluff for this reason.


Old Man Coffee (TP)

Description: If you never play poker between the hours of 7AM and 8PM, don’t bother looking for old man coffee; he’s at his home, likely sleeping. Usually between the ages of 55 and 90, old man coffee shows up to his local poker game on a strict routine. Some OMC’s are daily grinders, others only show up on Tuesday. But every OMC has a strict poker schedule that he follows and incorporates into his weekly routine. The OMC arrives looking fresh and ready for action. He quietly sits into his favorite seat, pulls out a newspaper, and orders a coffee, black. He rarely displays much emotion, and avoids conversation, unless it is about a violation of the rules, in which case he leaps into action and displays his authority on the matter. Every dealer and supervisor in the casino is on a first name basis with the OMC.

Plumage: Weathered flannel shirts, warn out khakis, bland sweaters, goofy straw hats (more successful OMCs, such as Dan Harrington, have even been spotted with baseball caps)

Poker Style / How to Adjust: The OMC is completely positionally unaware and completely unaware of his opponents. He knows that KJ is a limping hand, so he limps it under the gun, and he limps it on the button. OMC’s generally play tight, and when they do raise (even on the button), you can be sure it’s one of seven possible hands (AA,KK,QQ,JJ,TT,AK,AQ). While Some OMC’s protest raising AQ and TT, most have come to understand that these are acceptable raises in today’s poker environment. Postflop, an OMC will rarely slowplay a big hand, and will often even lead into a multiway field when he flops a set. If an OMC comes out firing big, back off. If he comes out firing small, this is often representative of a middling made hand like middle pair or top pair, weak kicker. It’s often a good time to try to get the OMC off his hand. OMC’s pride themselves on being able to fold hands - they consider it a skill they have honed through decades of poker experience. For this reason, you should almost always try to make an OMC fold his hand by the river if you have reason to believe he is not very strong.

OMCs are weak prey that a professional poker player can eat up for consistent small gains. While you will rarely win large pots form an OMC, you can win many small ones. OMCs are easy to manipulate by simply altering your bet sizing. Often you will arrive at the river in a $180 pot vs. an OMC. You know from experience, that he has top pair, weak kicker here. You also know that he will begrudgingly call a $100 bet, and you know that he will fold to a $150 bet. It’s very simple: bet $100 when you have a hand that wants to be called, and bet $150 when you are bluffing. It sounds too good to be true, but with the OMC, that is the beauty of his game. His decisions are mechanical and predictable. Even if he were perceptive enough to alter his decisions based on his opponent type, he is too stubborn. Raised by a strict father in a household where rules were rules, the OMC was never given enough freedom to actively develop an imagination or any sort of creative thought of his own.


The Middle Aged Guy With Everything To Prove (A mix)

Description: Often from New Jersey, the MAGWEP owns a small business, and he can’t wait to tell everyone around him about its success. In reality, MAGWEPs almost always earn between 35 and 100k per year. The MAGWEP is happily married, as you can see by obnoxiously large wedding band displayed around his ring finger. The MAGWEP loves to talk strategy; rather, the MAGWEP loves to tell you how you misplayed a hand. When he gets sucked out on, the MAGWEP always lets out some sort of verbal declaration, and then often bangs the table and gives the dealer some sort of dirty look. MAGWEPs cannot stand young internet poker players; they are subconsciously aware of their own inferiority in skill to these players, and are threatened by the seemingly reckless attitudes of their competitors. When a young internet player sits down at a poker table, a look of concern appears very briefly on the face of a MAGWEP, but not long enough for anybody to notice. This look will disappear quickly, and the MAGWEP will refer to the internet player as “kid” for the rest of the session, announcing his dominance. MAGWEPs always appear to be more interested in sports than they really are (they are interested, but not obsessed, as they try to convey), and often try to converse with the other players about the table about the future of their football team. Generally, but not always, it could be said that MAGWEP’s have some form of need to assert their masculinity, which can often be attributed to physical deficiencies in certain areas.

Plumage: Working man’s jeans, sweatshirts (often emblazoned with the logo of their son’s university), baseball caps.

Poker Style / How to Adjust: MAGWEP’s can range from being reasonably tight to quite loose, but they are almost always aggressive. They understand the basic theory that raising is better than limping in, and have incorporated it into their game. They are even somewhat positionally aware, and would do things like raise 76s on the button, something an OMC would never dream of doing. MAGWEPs tend to get waaaaaaaay too attached to premium starting hands, and are often even guilty of overplaying AK on whiffed flops. Flop a set when a MAGWEP has aces, and the money is all yours, no matter what.

MAGWEPs give away several very obvious tells. The most noticeable one is when a MAGWEP is involved in a hand, and he has check/called a bet on the flop, and then the turn falls. The MAGWEP will look his opponent right in the eyes, and then he will check the table so viciously that it might even startle some of the other players. When the MAGWEP does this, you can be damn sure that he has a marginal to strong, but not super strong, made hand. Occasionally he will have a semi-strong draw in this spot too. The MAGWEP is essentially trying to intimidate his opponent into keeping the pot small by checking behind. He feels that his eye contact and intense slamming of the felt will do so. Sometimes it can be difficult to decide whether or not to continue with a bluff in spots like these. On the one hand, the MAGWEP doesn’t want to fold, but on the other hand, he knows that you know that he is pretending to be committed to showing his hand down, so he may feel that you won’t bluff him here (the MAGWEP does have some poker smarts). My advice would be go with recent history: if you have a crazy animal image, now would be a good spot to cut your losses, but if you’ve been reasonably tight thus far, try to take it away from him.


The Internet Kid (LAG/TAG)

Description: While you will find “internet kids” of all descriptions playing live poker from time to time, the most common one I see is the 1-2 NL grinder. The kind of guy that plays 6-8 tables 15-20 hours a week online, and, when he sits in a live game, thinks he is God’s gift to poker. Often wearing a backwards hat and a smug grin. Typically enters the casino with two or three of his buddies, one of whom is almost certainly a novice poker player. While generally congenial and easy going, the internet kid can get extremely defensive when his poker skills are brought into question.

Plumage: Jeans, polo shirts, Birkenstocks, hooded sweatshirts, watches in the $100-500 price range, sometimes sunglasses.

Poker Style / How to Adjust: The IK tends to be tight aggressive, while some more brazen varieties are loose aggressive. He is positionally aware and willing to mix up his game and play creatively. While the IK will make quite a bit of money from the fish in the game, an experienced and aware opponent can profit quite nicely from the IK by putting him in spots that he is uncomfortable. If you are seated to the left of an IK, both flat and 3bet him relentlessly, and establish your presence as table captain. You want to be the one playing multiway pots against fish, and when he opens the pot, he cuts into your win rate. Figure out what kind of IK he is: some will buy in for 50 or 80 big blinds and play a scared money style, others are overly bold and bluff happy. Focus much of your people reading skills on figuring out exactly how the IK plays (it will be incredibly obvious to obtain this information on the other players at the table). Also try to figure out how the IK perceives you: unlike the other player types, the IK will actually be capable of adjusting his play based on your play and your dynamic with him. Do everything you can to take the IK out of his comfort zone: show him bluffs, own him with overbets for value, etc. etc.

Keep in mind that some more inexperienced IKs can actually be good opponents to have at the table: they will play a straightforward style, and their ranges will be very obvious. Study the IK at great length, and even go out of your way to make eye contact when you get involved in pots with him - this will often make him uneasy and you will be able to pick up physical tells. Remember, the IK is used to hiding behind a computer screen, and is not necessarily socially adjusted or in solid control of his emotions and body language.


The Friendly Whale (LP)

Description: We save the best for last. The Friendly Whale is an icon in any live poker game - there’s almost certainly sure to be at least one at every table. Some of my best friends in the poker world are friendly whales, and most are between the ages of forty and fifty-five. Not only do FWs consistently give me large sums of money, they also tend to be accomplished, interesting, and conversational people. And the best part about them is that they don’t care when they lose, so there are no hard feelings, or awkward moments when your hour long conversation is interrupted only to have you win $1,000 off them. Friendly whales come in many shapes and sizes, but tend to be middle aged businessmen with successful business ventures or other forms of employment. Despite being the poorest card player I have profiled, the FW is arguably the most life successful type, and is the envy of MAGWEPs worldwide.

Plumage: Business casual: dress shoes, khakis and casual/dress shirts. More conservative FWs may sport a blazer or slacks.

Poker Style / How to Adjust: FWs are the loose passive fish that poker players dream of. Recreational players who enjoy the thrill of the game, FWs rarely miss a flop with any two cards that have even the remotest of similarities to each other. The beauty of the FW is that he is eager and willing to call large bets, but will rarely bet or raise himself without an extremely powerful hand. It is therefore extremely easy to bet/fold extremely strong hands on the river against an FW, as he may well call you with fourth pair but would be unlikely to raise you without the nuts. Value bet, value bet, value bet. Often you can get three streets of value out of 2nd pair, top kicker vs. an FW. If you have a huge hand, consider overbetting for value, and also consider incorporating some overbet bluffs into your arsenal (even an FW can fold a hand to significant pressure, but try to feel the situation out and use this move sparingly). If an FW is in the pot, you should not be looking for an excuse to play a hand, but rather looking for an excuse not to. Mix in some overlimps with your weakest hands, and make small to medium raises with your suited connector type stuff, and bigger raises with your pure value hands. Nobody at the table will notice when you make it 6x with AA and 4x with Jts - remember, you are trying to accomplish two different things with these two hands, and so it would make sense to adjust your raise sizes accordingly. When you make a very strong nut type hand, and believe the FW to be reasonably strong, hammer the pot with large bets and raises. Do not be scared of frightening the FW off, if he likes his hand, he will stay in almost no matter the price. FWs favorite thing to say after making a bad call, usually accompanied by a chuckle and a smile, is “well at least I can sleep at night”. FWs are wonderful people, great for the game, and fantastic for your bottom line.




PART XXIII: Conclusion

Live poker is the nuts. You get to sit at a table with interesting people from around the world, and hear their life stories. You hear married men bitch about their wives, and listen to Norweigan businessmen who have played 100,000 euro pots. You experience a general sense of comraderie that cannot be replicated in the online arena. I advise you this: do not judge a person’s character by the way he plays cards. Even the biggest whales in the world can be fascinating, interesting and successful people. Take time to soak in the atmosphere and enjoy the full experience of playing live: winning money will take care of itself.

love it
10.1/10

Awesome post man, makes me want to get out and play some live poker!

THanks. 8)

lol the player profiles are pretty hilarious. oh, and tl;dr

gg very informative

Lemme tell you guys, live poker is the nuts!

even though most of this i already knew being a B&M reg, i LOVED It, especially Old man Coffee...I lol'd...great post

Great post.

And just to emphasize the point - Be respectful! These people are your potential customers...

We need to import some NY whales to Nor. Cal.... not enough of those here.

Great post!

Sigh, I think I am OMC and I'm only 34.

excellent post! I loooove the friendly whale

Not only was it a funny post, it's also very accurate, making it very useful to newbs and a useful reminder to the rest of us.

good post, makes me want to play

Good ol live poker. I love live pokers in LV.

This.

MAGWEP.......nice

Thanks Rumnchess!! Great post! I may have to tape this to my arm while heading to AC for the Circuit this weekend!

Schweeeeeeeeeeeet!!!!

Question: Is the string-raise ban an East Coast/West Coast thing? OP decided it was important enough to include in his super-condensed rule-set here and it looks like he's from NY/New England, and I know it's verbotten here in FLA, but I was reading another thread where they said that out in California nobody (including dealer) cares unless another player in the hand objects.

Let's hear it for the player profiles! I know I've met BMS, and sadly I think I'm MAGWEP, for the most part.

How about some more?

I've got one:

Thirty Year-Old Virgin (TOV)


Description: The socially inept dork who got beat up for his lunch money, all grown up. Despite usually having above averge intellegence (book-smart, anyway), he often has a crappy, entry level type job like working in a Starbucks or shoe store. Obsessed with sports, he can go on ad infinitum about sports, can name every quarterback, college and pro, like he personally lived down the street from him, and will engage anyone he can about fantasy sports. You'll find his knowledge is only skin-deep, though, he's only regurgitating what he heard Jim Rome or Mike Wilbon say, he's not perceptive enough to form his own opinions.

Plumage: Docker-style pants/short, sneakers, glasses, random pro team shirt, well-worn fave BCS college hat.

Poker Style / How to Adjust: like everything else, he's a loser at poker, too. Not really positionally aware, he'll get himself in all kinds of trouble with a middle pair. Loves to chase the Ace and will call you down with third pair if he's got "pot odds". Do not try to bluff him, but take him to value town with 1/3pot bets when you've go a hand. Occaisonally takes a big pot by cracking aces or queens with a wierd hand like K6o.

Disagree with the 'play and suited junk' since that seems to be most live players leaks but think the rest if fairly good, when im playing deep i want hands that make the nuts, suited junk make 2nd and 3rd nut flushes etc. Suited aces, pp's and connectors/1gappers are much more powerful

Is there a part I thru VII?

Very nice.

Just thought I'd add a couple of profiles. Hope you more or less agress.

The Semi-Pro.

Description: Age, usually mid twenties to late thirties and single (of course there are the occassional older Semi-Pros). Has a day job but makes a fair amount of money playing poker and is flirting with the idea of turning pro. He is a hybrid, plays both Live and the Internet so is knowledgeable and in the loop on the latest poker theories and trends. He knows the floor, dealers, and other regular players by name.

Plummage: He has outgrown the phase of getting all pokered out in sunglasses, hoodies, and FTP cap. Wears comfortable causal but upscale clothes: designer shirts, shoes, pants, etc. nice watch and a chain (sometimes)

Poker Style / How to Play Against Them: This is the player to fear. Typically a Tight Aggressive Player. Overall good game, pays attentions, adjusts to players, great hand selection vs. position, but not a big fan of over committing to hands unless he is extremely strong. Will rarely double or triple barrel with air. However, he does know how to use his table image and sizing to exert a tremendous amount of control over pots and action. He also has an uncanny ability to make the right reads. He does the math and has the rare ability to play his reads. Though he does not generally like calling overbets, he will play his read and call you down if he reads you as bluffing. It is best to play ABC poker vs. the Semi-pro and not get fancy as odds are he is as good or better than you. However, if you are able to make the right plays, Semi-pros are exploitable. They understand the game and will fold big hands if your bluffs and table image are convincing from preflop thru river.

The Crafty Veteran

Description: This player is a seasoned B&M player with over 20 years of poker experience. Age 45 - 90. He is a fixture of the casino and like the Semi-Pro knows everyone by name. He is what OMC would be if OMC would pay attention to the table and his opponents. TCV has seen it all and is not afraid of confrontations on the felt. TCV is friendly but not overly social except with other TCVs and pretty girls and even still, the majority of his attention is on the game. Unlike the Semi-Pro, TCV does not really play online so his game is based on old-school fundamentals and he is not really impressed with the new wave of internet players nor does he fear them. Lastly, 'some' TCVs are the biggest angle shooting offenders so be on guard.

Plummage: TCV often wear a casino jacket with an embroidered "Tournament Winner" or "Royal Flush" somewhere as this gives them a sense of 'rank'. They also wear Casino gear from other casinos or tournaments like WSOP or WPT. Otherwise, they were casual clothes.

Poker Style / How to play Against them: TCV are almost as good as the Semi-Pro and dangerous. They do not rely as heavily on math (of course they know the basics, pot odds, implied odds, etc.), but over the years have developed an intuitive feel for the game that is almost as good as the math. The biggest difference between the Semi-Pro and the TCV is that TCVs are not into extracting maximum value, they are big fans of betting out draws with purposeful overbets on the flop and turn. You will often hear them say, "I want to get the drawers out" or "The pot's big enough I don't mind taking it down now". They alternate from LAG to TAG. The LAGs love to make plays and semibluffs on draws and don't mind playing out of position. The TAGs play more like the Semi-pro. Despite the TCV being decent at the game, they are exploitable. Namely, their bet sizing is very readable and they do not vary their betting as much as they should. When TCVs 3bet preflop it is always JJ-AA, AKs and they ONLY 4bet preflop with KK or AA. TCVs have a style that is really based on exploiting donks/fish and thus they don't do as well against players who understand the game and aren't afraid of big bets/shoves. It is easy to confuse TCVs with internet plays. TCVs do play their reads so it is important you understand how they perceive you. If a TCV puts you on a draw and the board does not improve, they will call you down regardless of bet sizing. If TCVs are calling your big flop and turn bets/raises, odds are they are strong. If you are a younger player, TCV will try to exploit you with a few semi-angle shots like the 'reaching-for-chips-about-to-bet-out -of-turn-then-look-at-you' move designed to get you to check to him. Those types of moves are second nature to many TCVs.

I don't have time to write detailed descriptions down right now but some that come to mind for me are:

1. The tight passive woman who is not hot and talks too much. Usually a small winner for .0005 bbs an hour and insanely easy to read. Won't play 87s ever but JJ is the nuts preflop a lot for these wastes of space.

2. The deaf 90 year old man in a wheelchair - a rare sight but all fit the stereotype perfectly. This man usually requires assistance from other players on reading the board and often misreads his hole cards. Often times this grandpa is accompanied by a helpful granddaughter who offers annoying words of encouragement.

3. The guy who appears to be almost homeless and buys into a 1/2 game for 50 bucks who claims he was playing 10/20 last week and is good friends with a named tv poker pro such as scotty nguyen or the grinder. They love to chase bad beat jackpots and prefer casinos with trashier poker rooms.

4. The can't last an orbit guy - will usually buy in for 40 blinds and go busto in 2 or 3 hands and when asked if he wants to buy back in look around like he has something better to do and walk off into the casino. Half the time this player will have on sunglasses and a trashy casino hat as well.

i think we're missing opportunity to cast the women players....

Like the social strategy chick (talks about how she plays all the time, and has to let everyone at the table know that even though she is a woman she understands the fundamentals, commenting on every hand etc)

orrr the Hardened Butch Competitor(beat up looking, or manly looking, actually has skill, talks to NO ONE at the table and looks completely miserable even when having a great session)

and we can't forget....

ORPG-Other Random Players Girlfriend(who has gotten into the game as a result of her man being an avaid player, usually always low-limit 1/2 NL, 2/4 3/6 etc. Shy, cute, just wants to be part of the group and likes to have a little fun, somewhat competent pre-flop but can't play for **** after the cards roll out)

Keep them coming!

99.99999999 of live players think JJ is the worst hand you can be dealt. No one thinks it's the nuts. ever.