Bloggers / Matthew Pitt / 04 December 2008 / Leave a comment

Despite what some crazy American politicians may tell you, poker is a game that needs both skills and luck to succeed in the long term, not just the luck factor.

The fact there is skill involved in the game means in time, the better players will win whilst the luck factor allows even the weakest players on the planet to taste some minor success and therefore keep them coming back for more.

As a poker player who plays for real money, I find nothing more frustrating and sometimes infuriating than having a losing session that is not caused by my play. If I have played badly, I hold my hand up and try not to make those mistakes again but if it is another player's mistakes that have cost me it really gets my back up. Well it used to do.

We have played in a cash game or tournament where we have given a player the incorrect odds to draw to his flush but low and behold, they carry on calling and hit it on the river. Or we have all been called down with someone holding third pair on a draw heavy board after triple barrel bluffing with Big Slick. We have all been there.

Whilst it is tempting to give the player a ton of abuse in the chat box, letting him know how much of a donkey he is and how is play has negative expectation you should never berate them. Instead type a simple "nh" and move onto the next hand.

By starting a war of words with the player who has just outdrawn you, you are putting yourself at a disadvantage in the long run. The truth is, we want and need players to make mistakes like chasing flushes incorrectly or staying in with second and third pairs because if they did not and everyone played perfectly, the only winner would be the sites who take the rake.

Not only do you run the risk of the player in question then going away and learning the game, turning him from a hopeless fish into a potential shark, you also advertise to the rest of the table that you know what you are doing so they are less likely to pay you off and some may even play poorly against you having seen you already create a fuss, and hope to put you on tilt.

I think there is a saying that says you can shear a sheep many times but you can only skin it once. Think of that the next time someone sucks out on you and you are about to enter into a tirade in the chat box! We want the poor players to stay, long live the fish!

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