I suppose that's one of the reasons I love it.
A couple of weekends ago, I am playing 1-2NL in Atlantic City, when two OBVIOUS newbies sat down. They were both playing horribly, calling their chips off in dicey situations, making bluffs into dangerous boards, etc. I get up from the table to take a potty break, and when I am washing my hands I see newbie#1 who acknowledges me, saying "hey you seem to have some experience, this is my first time playing poker at a casino, how am I doing?"
Part of me wanted to grab him by the collar and tell him to go home -- IF YOU STAY YOU WILL LEAVE HERE BROKE! But I stopped myself from answering his question honestly... This guy was an ATM to me. "Looks like you're doing fine to me. Are you up or down?" He nods and goes, "yeah, I'm about even. Thanks." When he returned to the game, both he and his friend busted out shortly thereafter on some horrible misplays.
Should I feel bad for the guy? As an opponent, I don't think so -- you have to remove your sympathy for incompetent opponents. Nobody was forcing him to play, and the hard lessons learned come with a price -- hopefully, the portion of his stack that becomes mine!
At its base, poker is a competition. Would I feel bad if I knew that I was putting a whooping on a compulsive gambler who was playing with his infant's baby formula money? Probably -- but even there, I think all I can do is advise him not to play, NOT to help him to play better. I have such a competitive streak in me that once the cards I dealt I don’t need anything to psyche me up to play. Most poker players sit down at a table believing that they have an above average skill set so I never feel bad about taking their money. Poker is a game where delusions of grandeur are costly. Honest self evaluation and self criticism are vital to success. It is absolutely critical to be able to accurately rank yourself at the table and tailor your play accordingly. Better players feed on inferior players' bankrolls. Poker is a predatory game.
A couple of weekends ago, I am playing 1-2NL in Atlantic City, when two OBVIOUS newbies sat down. They were both playing horribly, calling their chips off in dicey situations, making bluffs into dangerous boards, etc. I get up from the table to take a potty break, and when I am washing my hands I see newbie#1 who acknowledges me, saying "hey you seem to have some experience, this is my first time playing poker at a casino, how am I doing?"
Part of me wanted to grab him by the collar and tell him to go home -- IF YOU STAY YOU WILL LEAVE HERE BROKE! But I stopped myself from answering his question honestly... This guy was an ATM to me. "Looks like you're doing fine to me. Are you up or down?" He nods and goes, "yeah, I'm about even. Thanks." When he returned to the game, both he and his friend busted out shortly thereafter on some horrible misplays.
Should I feel bad for the guy? As an opponent, I don't think so -- you have to remove your sympathy for incompetent opponents. Nobody was forcing him to play, and the hard lessons learned come with a price -- hopefully, the portion of his stack that becomes mine!
At its base, poker is a competition. Would I feel bad if I knew that I was putting a whooping on a compulsive gambler who was playing with his infant's baby formula money? Probably -- but even there, I think all I can do is advise him not to play, NOT to help him to play better. I have such a competitive streak in me that once the cards I dealt I don’t need anything to psyche me up to play. Most poker players sit down at a table believing that they have an above average skill set so I never feel bad about taking their money. Poker is a game where delusions of grandeur are costly. Honest self evaluation and self criticism are vital to success. It is absolutely critical to be able to accurately rank yourself at the table and tailor your play accordingly. Better players feed on inferior players' bankrolls. Poker is a predatory game.
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