I enjoy a bit of chit-chat during live games as a friendly game is more fun and good company can keep you smiling through woeful a run off cards. It is a fairly social game after all. But tonight I made a serious mistake....

It was a $1/$2 NL game and I'd been talking to the player on my left for about 4 hrs and he was down about $500. He had been unlucky but had compounded his bad luck with some awfully passive play. There was a hand where he limp-called from UTG with AK then check-folded a 345 flop and he showed his AK to me before he mucked and remarked that "that's 4 times I've whiffed with that hand tonight". I explain that "You're taking a bad line with this hand and contributing to your own downfall. If you raise that hand preflop and cbet the flop if called you would do better. Also if you get 3bet by that opponent it's a great opportunity to shove that last $100 of your stack in because he is playing quite loose. While you were away from the table I raised AK from UTG+2 for $10, that guy raised me to $30 and I put him all-in for the remaining $115 and he insta-folded. You need to be more aggressive." The next thing you know I'm raising my usual crap from the hijack and CO and suddenly Mr Passive isn't calling with junk anymore, he's folding or re-raising. So after a few donations I 3bet a loose raiser from the SB with 67s for $30 and Mr Passive then shoves AI. I must have donated about $60 to this guy with junk and never made it to a flop. So after 6 hrs of beating the shit out of this table full of folders and callers and creaming off easy money with dubious holdings and no major showdowns I've gone and handed the captains armband over to this dude through a bit of loose advice. Suddenly bedtime is looking like a good option.

So for those out there who aren't already shaking their heads as they read this story, take a tip and please don't be a moron like me and discuss tactics at the table. You just end up giving your game away. Conversation is great but should be kept to crap like sport and the weather!

Originally Posted by Trons

I think Dr. House and MJPerry would be correct in the statement "you're an idiot"

yeah. or. you say something like that, and then tighten up and trap.

next time give the advice to the guy on your right tho.

Last time I gave anyone I had been playing such advice, after listenng to their tales of woe, I got told to get fucked. I guess I was lucky he didn't sit on my left and keep 3betting me tbh. Either way, advice doesn't work well.

For what it's worth; people who are saying "how the hell can you call there!?" "you massive donkey" etc. at the table. are easilly pinned down and highly exploitable. It's a huge tell that this guy is a loosing / break even reg, who has total confidence in his play and wont addapt.

Neighborly chat is an important part of live game poker.

I have to disagree a bit here when it comes to talking strategy. There is a time and place for it.

There are a few regulars in my game who I enjoy having to my right to discuss hands with. It's not so much tips for eachother. It's more quiet conversations and whispers about certain mistakes our opponents are making.

I enjoy using these conversations for multiple reasons. First and foremost is staying sharp. If I miss something important it's AWESOME to have someone to fill me in who knows what their talking about. My closest thing to a friend in the card room is this guy Tim. There is a mutual respect between us and we generally stay out of eachother's way. He happens to be very advanced in reading body language. He is a great asset to have on my right. The other reasons to talk strategy are much more psychological.

If a donk player hears you spouting off about strategy it can give you a certain advantage over him. He may become fearful of you. You may be able to buy quite a few pots off this guy because he knows his play is going to be instantly analyzed at the end of the hand if it's a showdown.

Another advantage it can give you is making a donk more self aware. Now don't get me wrong here, we don't want all the donks suddenly learning how to play proper poker. What I do want from the donks though is for them to play a more 1,2,3 poker game. I CANNOT put a read on a donk maniac who just goes nuts or check calls with everything from 2 pair to a gutter ball. If this donk becomes a little more self aware he will likely become easier to read. It won't however change the fact that he's still playing shit poker.

Now back to the original point of this thread, which was giving advice to a shit player. That's just not smart at all. You're not even gaining any psychological edge with that play.

Yeah obviously it was retarded, I was never defending myself in any way shape or form. I just thought my embarrassing tale might be a useful lesson for anyone who happens to be fairly loose with the sort of comments they make at the poker table.

Originally Posted by in4rehab

Yeah obviously it was retarded, I was never defending myself in any way shape or form. I just thought my embarrassing tale might be a useful lesson for anyone who happens to be fairly loose with the sort of comments they make at the poker table.

I wasn't trying to come off as judgmental.

I have the opposite technique Wallace, atribute all my wins to a lucky hat etc. On FTP it's the luck of the Irish, keep people waiting for me to be less lucky and just wait for thier turn to be lucky.

Ouch unlucky sir, you do seem to always have second pair when I have top, these coolers always swing both ways though I guess.

That's a good psychological way to play it.

Many ways to play the verbal tactics.