Be Nice

Have you ever been in a game with people who may not know what they are doing? Is it possible that they may have money and are playing for entertainment? They like to gamble and have fun. So, you may ask, what is the problem with this? Absolutely nothing.

Obviously, nobody likes to lose money, and once in a while, the gamblers will win. Everyone seems to forget that the gamblers lose most of the time trying to get lucky. Most people think in terms of short-run results instead of long-term earnings. All successful poker players and writers agree that to be a winner, one must look at earnings over a period of time. Some say that if you make the proper decisions throughout a session and take a loss, it's just for the short term. The theory is that you can't lose in poker in the long run if you always make good decisions.

While playing, it helps if you can determine who is playing for instant results and who is grinding it out like a job. In any event, it is rare that you will find a game in which every player is playing perfectly. The fact is, poker is still a game with some gambling, and if it weren't, there wouldn't be any games whatsoever. The gambling is what makes the games good. The gamblers may have a tough time winning over a period of time, but they also may have the biggest wins in individual sessions. That's fine. In fact, that's great. However, this type of player will hit his miracle card occasionally, and will cause you to lose a huge pot. When he flips over his cards, you may be very upset and ask him why and how he could play those cards so poorly. I see it happen all the time, and it's just stupid. What does this accomplish? It may feel good for a second as you vent, but what else does it do? It costs you and everyone else at the table money.

This is a serious issue that some long-term winners handle very well and most other players do not. As I mentioned earlier, nobody likes to lose. If you do lose one of those big hands to a gambler, there are a couple of things that you should do instead of insulting him. First of all, take a deep breath and try to relax. If you go on tilt, you will have absolutely no shot at winning. Then, be nice. That's right, be nice. Tap the table and say, "Nice hand." Talk to the player about other things besides poker, and help him to have a good time. When you criticize the gamblers, you make them feel unwelcome. They may leave the table with all of the money, or even worse, they may decide to show you that they can play better than you can. All of a sudden, these live players may turn into the tightest players at the table. That's why it doesn't pay to be mean to these players. If you are friendly and have fun with them, they most likely won't change their style of play. So, if you want to be a winner in the long run, be nice to the gamblers.