Might be the toughest play in poker.

I find it annoying when someone with extremely broken english is consistently attempting to having a conversation with me about hands they folded or whatnot. They're obviously doing it from a 'friendly' angle and I feel obligated to engage.. it's just frustrating cause I have no clue what they're saying half the time. My stock response is "oh yeah?" or "that sucks".. depending on what word I'm able to make out.

This isn't really a pet peeve of mine as much as an annoyance. This has to deal with people who don't know how to keep customers in the game.

In this case, I was most likely the customer. I was playing $1/2 overnight a few weeks ago and had run my $300 investment up to $498 when the table broke.

We had about 2-3 people join this table where one person had about a $2200 stack and one other had at least $1500 in front of them. As soon as we sit down, the big stack gruffly asked how much I had in chips and if I was going to buy to the top stack.

I decided that since this was my only bullet (I think I had an extra $100 in my pocket) and I was just looking to have a little fun, I was going to be careful and observe some.

The big stack proceed to open just about every pot to $40-$50 dollars for an orbit. If someone opened to $8, they would make it $40 and then fire every flop if they were called. The next orbit I think he got the point, because he would just 3-bet or open to $17-$25 or so.

Anyways, within 10 minutes a guy decides to 3-bet shove the big stack to $241 and he snapped him off with 89o and flopped a full house.

So all 3 of us new guys get up and left the table, which ended up breaking the table. As we were leaving he was pretty upset at the table breaking and trying to engage anyone to talk to him. He asked me why I was leaving with a $500 stack and I told him that I was there to have fun and the game isn't enjoyable to me so now I'm going to take my small profit and go play some table games with it guilt free.

I understand adjusting play to him and so on but at that point of the night I was just looking for some fun and I don't have deep pockets to flip coins for that kind of money.

Sorry for the rambling but I felt it was a good reminder to the regs to try to "always keep the store open" as I think Doyle used to say.

EDIT: I also want to make clear that I don't care how someone plays, it isn't my money to tell them how to do so. But this guy is now making no money when there is no poker to be played.

He wasn't making any money playing like that. You actually saved him.

Was the big stack a pro or was he an action junkie who doesn't have fun if the pots aren't big?

so you had a god tier action player/fish at your table and you guys left?

wah wah wahhh

I've see a player leave a table because it's not "real poker" if some guy is buying in for the minimum and shoving blind preflop.

I'd love to be at a table where I am getting huge odds on my premium hands.

I twist my face and do Gus Hansen-esque things with my eyes

+1

One of my poker pet peeves that translates into life in general is when people state personal preference in terms of a thing being "real" or not.

I thought more of a pro from the way his demeanor and actions were. It was the day before a large weekend tournament series.

When I think huge action fish, I think they are having a good time - not being quiet, miserable and gruff to everyone. This guy acted and behaved like he was playing way below his pay grade.

I didn't read him as much of a fish to be honest from his demeanor. Action/Fish players tend to be fun and fire up a table.

Anyways, I wasn't whining over anything. I took my small profit and had fun elsewhere. I'm a rec player who has a good job and 3 kids. I'm not bringing $2000 dollars to a casino to have a prick showing contest with some pro-type player who is making my experience miserable (and by miserable, there was zero conversation, zero action because this guy was suffocating it)

EDIT: Maybe I'm not hardcore enough to flip coins for $500 a pop. When I go play poker, I might bring 2 buyins and that's it. I'm looking to relax from my work and life stresses and throw some chips around. I thought maybe that point should be reiterated because the last few experiences I have had, it seems the young 20 somethings forget that.

This usually happens with older people it seems. Like I said before, I just decided I was going to tighten up and observe because I wasn't going to flip coins for my entire stack. But after 1-2 orbits of barely any flops and then that pot happening, I'm just not hardcore enough for it, and apparently neither were the 2 other gentlemen who left.

Just figured out Multi-quote lol.

I guess what I was trying to say got lost in how I was trying to say it. I love getting huge odds on my premiums too except.
1. A rec player doesn't feel like waiting 3 hours to get a premium.
2. I don't feel like flipping for my entire stack when my whole goal is to just have some fun. Losing what I brought in one hand to a maniac is not fun for me, win or lose.

I don't get the shortstackers hate. They're invariably terrible poker players whose 30bb is up for grabs from anyone who has half a braincell.

I think the problem most have is that stacking them isn't really worth much, especially when having nut'd hands

I don't feel the same way, but I can understand why people might hate shortstackers. One reason is that it doesn't feel like a lot of money. Another reason is that it's hard to bluff a short stack.

My personal experience has been that there are some players at a 1/3 table who will easily lose $1000 in $100 increments. I also think that some players have an ego leak and want poker to be all about making moves.

If I go out to Vegas and hunt for a 2/5 game, my suspicion is that a game with a 100BB buy-in cap is more likely to be soft than a game with a 300BB cap because the good pros are attracted to the deeper buy-in game. I haven't tested that theory.

True and true IMO.

Shortstacks can complicate the game, and anything that complicates the game favors the flexible player. While shortstacks may close some opportunities, observing who dislikes them can create others.

Playing against a guy bling shoving 50BB every hand is profitable, easy and boring as hell. If one of your motivations (or primary motivation) is to have fun than this isn't a great game.

Short stacks simplify the game by taking away strategic options. Short stacks annoy players whose favorite strategic options are among those taken away. For example, they annoy players who think they can be looser preflop because their skill gives them more implied odds. Some players make the easy adjustment of tightening up and playing fewer hands. Other players make the adjustment of whining more, which might help them play fewer hands if they devote more time to yapping.

Clearly you've never been invited to a poker game, only to get there and have the first dealer say "Okay, name of the game's hockey. I'll deal the cards in an asterix face down, and the player with the stalk of cards facing opposite me goes first. Okay, flip over the card nearest you... Ooh, three of diamonds. Wanna pass or go for a slap shot? Slap shot?! Oh-ho-ho, big man! Flip over the next card... OMG ACE OF SPADES, that's a goal, we all give you half our stacks; you bastard!

"Okay, flip over the next card... Hmm, seven of hearts. Same decision, pass or slap shot? Pass this time, okay next card... OH NO, two of clubs; puck is intercepted, other team scores, you lose your entire stack! You brought more money, right?"

Play in a "poker" game like that, and you'll violate your own pet peeve. :-P

(wait, did I already post this elsewhere in this thread? Oh well, it bears repeating.)

^^^

Game requires a big edge to make the analogy work.

Snipers,

I understand your hesitation. No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em is the Cadillac of poker. There's no other game in which fortunes can change so much from hand to hand. Some people, pros even, won't play No-Limit. They can't handle the swings. But there are others, like Doyle Brunson, who consider No-Limit the only pure game left.

Also, it's not really "flipping" if you get to choose what you push with and dude will call with 98o.