Darkened Poker

I really did not need to see Phil Hellmouth without a shirt ever again, why ESPN would you do this to me.

Body by ESPN

Poker players being featured naked in sports magazines.  Well I guess that ends the debate on if poker is a sport or not.

Since the coming all the T.V. poker there has been some very interesting behaviors at the tables that I would like to see stopped, especially during cash games.

1.  Standing up and clapping for yourself when you win a all in pot even if it is less than 40$.  This blows me away, but I guess it is just annoying more than anything else at least it does not slow down the game to much.  I can not understand their ego problems that they have to congratulate themselves for winning a pot.  Guess it is a generation Y thing were they need praise every time they do the slightest thing right.  As a matter of fact all table celebration needs to go away in the cash games.  Poker is a zero sum game in all aspects, so you win money and someone loses money.  Your feeling good about it and someone is feeling bad about losing.  You start celebrating and they will feel even worse, you run the risk of driving them home which is very bad for the game.  Do your celebrating away from the table.

2.  Talking your way through the hand before you make a big call.  This has to stop, not only does it waste time and slow the game down.  But it has the potential teach the fish some hand reasoning.  Usually the people that feel the need to protect their egos by explaining why they made a call in case it was the wrong one are not the best hand readers yet.  So their explanations are flawed and the fish are not learning that much, but still why are we even showing them that they should be thinking through all this in the first place.  Sadly the pro’s started this bad habit on the WPT, but it is a little different when Gus Hansen is explaining why he is calling 1.5 million all in with 7 high.  As apposed to some donkey over calling 3 all in’s with trip K’s on the river when the flush and str8 got there.  The only good thing about this is I get insight into your thinking process that I can use to bluff or value bet into you on the next hand.  I do like that, but the down sides outweigh these benefits.

3.  There is no need for Mike Sexton, Norm MacDonald, Phil Gordon, or Bart Hansen commentating wannabes in cash games.   We do not need anyone talking about plays, reviewing hands, or anything else that gives free information to the fish in the game.  If they did not notice that I slow played AA’s, under the gun or raised with 67 suited in last position; don’t inform them.  If a fish makes a bad call and is all in, do not tell him his exact percentage to win when the cards are flipped over.  He might not make that bad call again next time.  If someone is playing tight and finally raises, do not announce that he has been waiting all night for AA’s as you fold.   Yes it makes you look smart when you call out that kind of stuff but it is really hurting the game.

4.  Stop calling out hands, if you get a read on someone keep it to yourself.  Do you know how unsettling it is for a fish to realize you basically know what his cards are as if he is playing with them turned over.  It tends to send them either home or to a table change pretty quickly.  Calling out card might be great for Daniel Negreanu and the table image he is going for in a poker tournament were people are forced to play with him.  But in a cash game were people have options, they are not going to play with someone that has their number.  So as much as it making you look smart, it is hurting the game.

More rants of a grumpy player, leave me your comments.