These threads are always interesting because they reveal a player population who not only seem incapable of understanding the inherent social aspect of live poker, they actually seem repulsed by it.

I'm reminded of an exchange I had with a player who was stacking his winnings from the 5th hand in a row that he'd won, and it just so happened that it was his turn to select the game for the bomb pot of that orbit.

He said "skip it." And that wasn't surprising, because he hates bomb pots and doesn't consider them real poker and he only shows up to play real poker et cetera et cetera. He's not an ass hole, but he's firm in that stance. It doesn't bother me much, except that there are 7 other players besides us a the table, and those 7 other players really like playing bomb pots, they play them imperfectly, and they generally give good action when playing them.

I made a gentle but reasonable request to the tune of "in defense of the rest of the table, I suggest it wouldn't be the worst thing if you let them play a bomb pot while you continue to stack all those hundreds of dollars you've just won from them over the last few hands." I said it with a smile, a few people chuckled, and the guy paused for a moment.

I was fine getting a no from him, after all it's his prerogative. But I was pleasantly surprised when he said "you know, I've been swayed. Let's play a bomb pot."

A couple of the players made some fun dumb noises of excitement, I said "my man," he and I exchanged a fist bump, and the game moved on and everyone enjoyed their time.

So you feel entitled to make someone play in a way they don’t want to cause they are winning and you add the line “inherent social aspects of poker”?

I haven’t been playing live for that long but I’ve already seen a massive amount of collusion and soft forms of cheating. It’s almost always from the same people trying to tell me how to play. If I am at the casino between 2 euros who hate and are using my country, 3 boomers who are all friends not playing against each other and some wannabe bully who table and seat changes 5x an hour trying to get people to play in a way that is more advantageous to him well then the entire table can **** right off. If I’m at a home game with friends and everyone is there to have fun I am down for some straddles and bomb pots, at the casino I ain’t doing a single thing “good for the game”.

Bud, you quoted my entire post and you didn't even bother to read or understand the first sentence.

Im actually quite enjoying this thread as it highlights the diversity of perspectives on these matters, and optionality associated with these scenarios.

As with anything in life, when there are different perspectives abound, taking a dogmatic and / or insulting position, is the only one that is incorrect.

The summary of your 6 paragraphs is that you believe because someone won a few pots he has to play the way other people want him to play and yes I read it all.

Critically, you failed to understand it.

I didn't force the player to do anything. I didn't berate him, I didn't cajole him, I didn't mock him, I didn't coerce him.

I made a simple observation in as gentle a way as I think possible, and allowed the other player to consider something else besides the chips on the table.

Allow me to spell it out for you: winning money at a poker table may be a zero sum game, but having fun doesn't have to be. And it shouldn't be.

If you're as rude and aggressive at the table as you are here, I am not at all surprised that you have a hard time finding peace at a poker table.

Am I required to have fun in a casino?

Is me having this fun directly related to me playing the way you want me to play?

You're on the ignore list now. But I seriously hope this is a bit and these aren't the actual thoughts that you have.

Because, although both of those would be sad, the latter would be much more depressing to know.

Whats sad is the casinos in Canada and Europe and online (read what GGpoker just did) constantly abusing its playerbase for the maximum profit. There is this false belief that dancing around like a monkey acting super excited and surprised when a 2 outer hits and throwing up high fives and ordering rounds and telling the best jokes is going to save poker. Rake never goes down and soon holdem in casinos will be either removed or have the odds of blackjack and I am there to take as much money from it before the game is finally destroyed. I pay $18+1 rake, I am not going to be your monkey.

You seem like the type of ass I hate to play with.

Live poker is about keeping the game fun, especially if it's a soft lineup. They want to straddle, bomb pot, play 72,etc you play it and you talk and keep the mood light hearted. Good things come from this - you make friends, they might invite you to super soft private games,etc. If you don't create a fun atmosphere the whales leave, the game dies, and you're costing yourself a lot of money. It's really that simple.

I suppose I'm biased towards playing games where the fun people want to straddle etc, but I'm sure there are games where curmudgeons/nits try to force stuff on the game as well.

there is a pretty wide chasm between dancing around like a monkey, and simply not being a huge obnoxious nit.

if you're the type of person who is convinced poker is going to die and you just want to scrape a few bucks off the corpse before it does, that will likely be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

and those of us who understand that action players simply want to have a good time and not be treated like idiots will keep getting invited to good games and making more money.

I think most of the various positions on this amount to preferences, stances, gentlemen's agreements ... but below that and overruling it when necessary is what the game is listed as on the board and the one player per hand rule.

My local game is 2/2 PLO and 90% of regs always agree to UTG straddle 5. Randoms that sit down generally go along with it but occasionally players don’t. Some regs get a little cranky about it and make passive aggressive comments like “everyone’s straddling but THAT guy”.

I try to be nice/neutral and not shame them but it’s kinda implied shame when 8 players are straddling at 1 isn’t.

Reflecting on some comments in this thread - I think it does scare away some first timers and shot takers that wanna sit with $300 (it’s a $1k max game). The game has been struggling to go regularly lately. It’s a big game where stacks get up to 1.5k to 3k pretty easily. Not sure how to attract more new players but I’m thinking the straddle isn’t helping. No idea how to convince the regs of this as most of them are quite short sighted as far as game health/sustainability.

First person in 2 pages to point out something that should be obvious. If you are doubling the stakes of small games there is a lot of people who will play once and never go back especially with the little crybaby attitudes you get along the way. Its ALWAYS the complainers that ruin poker not the nit or the dude who won't straddle.

Yes but some mostly closed semi-private games don't want new blood that won't straddle. So the main case I'm citing, frickin game split over it, this aspect does not bother the regs at all.

Actually you advocate treating them as idiots but relying on their stupidity so they won't see it. You humor little children and fools not people you respect.

i try to humor pretty much anyone i don't actively hate, especially if it's not really a big deal to me. and i would think that 90% of functional adults would feel the same way, but this is the internet.

And if it is a big deal to you? I also think you aren't being honest with yourself; humoring people is letting them decide what you do rather than you decide what you do. As a simple test if I ask you not to play poker for a month will you humor me? I think you humor those you feel you profit from humoring.

But he hates you...

bingo

Humoring people is more often than not simply not making a big deal out of petty stuff and not being a jerk. For most rational human beings it's not that hard to get along with others.

A little bit of a segway. Tonight in 1-2 bring it for $5 PLO, they were doing this idiotic keep raising $5 back and forth preflop. Between that and one person asleep at the table (she is habitually, totally obnoxious), and all the acting like "maybe I'm gonna min raise it maybe I'm not, ha ha ha" drama, it seemed like it was taking like 5 minutes to get to the flop. The one pot that somebody actually blew it open potting it after all the nickeling around, I would have made quads. So insufferable I moved up to a "taking a shot" game, 5-10-25. Dude next to me had 40K in front. A bunch of others in the 10-20 range. It's about 4 AM. The 1-2 breaks and here comes this lady who sleeps constantly at the table, slowing every round down ad nauseum, and with an open chair, she sits at the table. Not to play, but to visit. That's a pet peeve of mine and always has been, but since the old days of home games hasn't been an issue at all since I can't remember how long. Now in a game like this she just makes herself welcome for a visit. I say, "Dealer, players only at the table, right?" She basically had no clue and didn't say anything or call the floor. Effin super meh. Not gonna be a life tilt, this dame for me, but it's close. I can't stand to see her in the game and tend to leave or not join if she is in it. Now she's sitting for a visit in the "shot" monster game. Like stalking me with voodoo energy, lol.

I'm taking it all as a nudge to get the hell out of the baby limits, though I might run into some tougher players. The regs will probably end up thanking her. Double LOL. Sick how they're playing. Mr. 40K calls 2K with nothing but an overpair on a pretty dry board, jacks, trips it on the river, bets 5K, gets called by an obvious very weak crying call, tips dealer $100. It won't be boring agonizing like that min-min-min-min raise BS.

Lol.