Quote:
Originally Posted by chillrob
This doesn't meet my definition of soft play, and I can't imagine it fits many others' either. You're not "going easy" on someone, you're avoiding playing big pots with him because he is a skilled player. Of course that is in your interest, but it likely is not in his interest for you to avoid him. (It may still be in his interest to avoid you).
Kind of a derail, but rob, do you consider it cheating to softplay an opponent for the purpose of gaining a self-interested advantage, such as ingratiating yourself to them and (a) keeping them in the game; and/or (b) getting them to play less well against you in the future? I think it is obviously wrong for two players to soft play to avoid playing against one another. But the type of soft playing I am describing seems a lot less clear cut and seems to me to be within the normal spectrum of the metagame.
Compare, for example, flashing your hand to the fish next to you before you muck, or vice versa. This is technically unfair and of course someone at the table can demand to see the hand. But good players almost never ask to see the hand because they understand that the fish is not actually getting any competitive advantage and creating a collegial environment is good for the game. (When the fish shows you their hand, you actually are getting an advantage, but good players still won't ask to see because it's so obviously bad to do so.)
I would posit that there is nothing wrong with sacrificing your own short-term EV so long as it is part of a good faith effort to maximize your (and only your) EV in the long run. In fact, I think this
has to be true or it would suggest that it's unethical to throw out a straddle to liven up the game (which hurts your EV and the EV of the players in the blinds to the benefit of everyone else).