Table Talk: Winning With Words

To Be Or Not To Be… A Dick At The Poker Table

So you’ve decided to give live poker a chance. Maybe you aren’t satisfied with online poker anymore, maybe you find the live games to be juicier and much more profitable or maybe you just find it more enjoyable to be in a social environment where you can interact with real people - and enconter poker table talk.

But now you’re at a standstill. You noticed many opponents asking you about your hand and you don’t quite know what to answer. Can’t I evade those answers? Am I supposed to lie? In other words, should I or shouldn’t I be a dick at the poker table? Well, the first step to answer those questions is reading our general guidelines of live poker below. Are you ready? Let’s go then.

Avoid Giving Insights

A rule of thumb for every live poker game is to avoid giving away your thinking process or any kind of USEFUL information about a particular hand. ‘Useful’ is the keyword on the green felt: be evasive and don’t get into specifics like complex ranges, EV and GTO.

You may elect to share some insights at the table but be sure to do it while talking in broader and general terms so that your opponents can’t pick up your strategy. And yes, that involves lying and deceiving at times.

Whether online or live, poker is a game of incomplete information. Whoever has most info - and knows how to use it - usually wins. The serious poker player knows that so they will try to set up different traps - including asking you questions about poker hands - just to have an edge on you.

Now imagine you lead your opposition down the garden path. They will think they have info on you when in fact they are the ones deceived. Just think of your opportunities to extract value. Sounds just about right no?

But what about those who don’t want to lie? Maybe they are just terrible liars and end up giving away much more info than they are supposed to if they lie. Well, then just don’t.

Avoid a clear answer when say, for example, somebody asks you what you would have done if he had bet bigger. Don’t go on and on about odds and percentages, instead offer him a simple answer like ‘maybe’ or ‘who knows’, smile and quietly move on.

You are NOT a dick if you choose this particular path, you are just a savvy poker player who knows what to give away and what to keep for himself.

Don’t Be A Sociopath

Most importantly when playing live poker, be sociable and don’t just show up in a hoodie, big sunglasses and headphones. Remember that your opponents will call you more lightly if you interact with them, if you make them feel comfortable at the poker table.

I tend to think of Justin Schwartz as a prime offender of this rule. Here he is interrupting Daniel Negreanu and Frederico Butteroni :

You should also avoid over-expressing your emotions. Don’t just jump up and down screaming if you experienced a bad beat. Take it like a pro and think about the long run. Remember that poker isn’t a game of skill exclusively, it also involves chance to some degree so ending up behind, even if you were the dog going all in, will happen from time to time. Smile and think that the opposition will lose a lot of money in the long run if they chase their draws or call you too light.

In that same line of thinking, don’t brag too much if you won a particular hand in spectacular fashion or got away with a bluff. Smile and avoid saying anything. No words can comfort a losing player, it is better to be humble and only speak if your foe asks you something specifically - while keeping in mind the advice offered in the ‘Avoid Giving Insights’ section.

Don’t be afraid to engage in casual conversations, listen to what everybody has to say - you may pick up valuable information yourself if others will keep on talking about their thinking process and strategy - try to connect with them and who knows, next time one of your many opponents will even invite you to a juicy private game.

Take Your Opponents Lightly

This doesn’t mean mock your opposition. It means have fun with them, definitely don’t make fun of them. Try to be funny if possible and make funny remarks if they come at you with the usual questions like ‘Do you have a flush?’ or ‘Was my hand any good?’ - play along with their poker table talk.

For example, when somebody asks you ‘Will you show your cards if I fold?’ you could answer the following ways (taken from reddit topic How to not look like a dick?):

The best answer for the standard ‘If I had made it bigger, would you have folded?’ was provided by BornIn1500:

Editor’s Take: Image DOES Matter

Of course, there are some people who say not to care about what others think of you when playing live poker. While this might be a valuable piece of advice in everyday life, ‘I don’t care’ type of attitude isn’t that efficient on the green felt. Image DOES matter and it matters ALOT if you want to become a successful live poker player.

Contrary to the online grinding, you have to think yourself as an entertainer at the live poker tables. You can’t expect people to lose money and have a bad time at the table on top of that.

Live poker is a different animal so don’t treat it like your usual 12-table PJ evening online session. Instead try to entertain your opposition with your plays and your demeanor. Invest in your image like you would do it with your game and yes, that means playing looser and fancier just to show your foes you are there also for the fun and gambling part not just profit.

It also means interacting with them, joking and talking casually so they can have a good time around you. Some of them will continue to make mistakes no matter what but now, after you’ve applied these guidelines, they will call you lightly and basically hand you their stack. And on top of it all, you will receive further invitations to private games and word will spread about a fun poker player ruling the poker scene. And you know what that means: better games to play in.

You don’t have to take the editor’s word for it, you just have to look at a Poker Hall of Famer like Daniel Negreanu. He’s the most accomplished live poker player and a living legend just because he is a true entertainer at the tables. He invested and still continues to invest in his fun-to-play-with image as he knows he will be rewarded greatly in the long run with more info about his opposition and why not bigger and juicier private games.

So are you ready to change gears regarding poker table talk?? Do you agree with the editor? Do you have a different approach? Share your thoughts in the comments below.