[eguie921]

I posted this very thread over at TPF. After reading this post here - > http://chiptalk.net/forum/showthread.php?t=11614 has inspired me to take a shot and post here as well.

Post:

I’ve been running a home game for some years now with a group of friends. At first, my friends didn’t play as much as I did but since then, players have gotten much better. It’s a blast and we get some good games in. Once in a while, we invite other players in to mix it up a bit. This year I started to invite a friend from work.

Let me give you some background on the guy. He’s single, nice guy, you can say happy go lucky, and makes good money. So, to him money is just money. To use a quote from TILT, he’s not a card player; he’s a player who plays cards. He plays anything , relies on luck more than skill, gets lucky, and sucks out quite a bit on other players. However, by the end of the night, he leaves with nothing. To put it in perspective, since Feb when he started he has not had a winning session. Usually 40 – 55% of the total money played on the table is his with his buy in and reloads! I've tried to stop him sometimes but he will be like, hey it's only money. On numerous occasions, he’s stated he wants to learn to play better and we have all tried to show him things but, he still plays the same. To his credit, I’ve seen him try and sometimes he will fold more than normal but usually he just goes right back to his norm.

My other friends have showed concerns that his erratic play changes the game and that it hasn’t been fun anymore. They’ve stated, you can make plays on him and he catches s*** on the river a lot. Then, he loses what he just sucked out on you to another player the next hand. How can you play against that? It has bothered some players to the point that some regulars avoid coming out because he is there. However, others invite the action and some ask will he be there? and when i say yes, they are like – Good!

I‘ve replied back to the other's bitching oops I mean concerns with,

1. You have to play your game and adjust to the people at the table.
2. If you can’t learn to play with one player like this, you will have a hard time playing at casinos where you may have 2 or 3 of these types.
3. Man, adjust your play.
4. Dude this is poker not go fish! There will be suck outs and swings. It’s part of the game.

IMO if you want to be better (or consider your self a decent player), you should be able to play and adjust to different player’s styles. Now, I like the hanging out part of my games. However, I play for the strategy of the game, to better my game, and of course to make a little cash to build my bank roll as most of the guys there do as well. I’m kind of tired of hearing the bitching but at the same time, I want my games to be enjoyable. LOL Hey, It’s enjoyable to me knowing that there is more money to win.

My questions are:

1. Have you had an issue like this at your home games?
2. What’s your take on the situation? Should they man up and just play? Or, should they pick up playing Go fish.
3. Or, am I too serious for my home game and should try to do something about it?

I appreciate your honest opinions.

[VARoadstter]

I really don't get the "serious" guys acting all high and mighty here. They were just as bad as your coworker once, according to your thread. If he's not a social misfit then I'd just tell the guys to just chill out and play cards. If the guy is acting like God's gift to poker while playing horribly, then I could understand them getting pissed. Even so, he's not harming anyone.


I think your response has been pretty good. It sounds like this will work itself out eventually. Relax and enjoy the time with friends.

[omar]

I have a guy that comes only occasionally who is similar to your friend. I personally like the guy, he's a pretty good dude and I enjoy his company. He is a decent player, but he is a blackjack player first and a poker player second. That is, he likes to gamble, not stratagize and consider odds to closely. net-net - he plays more pots than the average guy, tends to have weaker starting hands and yes, does sometimes suck out. Do we remember his suckouts more than the hands where the better cards won? probably. Some of the guys don't appear to like him but use his loose (wild) style of play as the excuse. I just say that his syle of play will get him busted out more often than not and frankly, should just bocome a part of anyone's overall game strategy when he is there. Just account for his style and play accordingly. If you mix it up with that player, you might get rivered. Suck it up and go on. I think you have all that covered in your list. Not much more that you can do.

[Fins]

Tell your friends to ***** & just have fun!

... and I agree with your "learn to adjust you game" comments.

[whitepotatoe]

There is something wrong with your friends. Of course it can be frustrating, but when half the money on the table came from one fish, you want to keep him there regardless of how many bad beats he lays down. Tell your friends to suck it up and quit whining.

[Brewster]

This sort of thing used to drive me nuts whe I started playing online, but after recogizing their style and adjusting my game accordingly, I have grown to love having them at the table. Sure bad-beats happen. This is poker. You just have to live with it and play smart. In the long run you will come out ahead.


Above all, relax and have some fun with the boys.

[Poboy]

Next session, make it dealer's choice. Then your friends can pick 6 card Hold Em when it's their turn to deal.

[jojobinks]

i agree with others that when you pay your buyin, you are allowed to play your hands as you wish. suckouts happen, but as we see with your buddy, searching for that thrill gets you broke.

i say keep inviting the guy. the only exception to that is if his presence was scaring off players i wanted there more (for whatever reason). if he's going to be a guy that ends up breaking your game b/c your players dont' like him for whatever reason...in my opinion the health of the game is most important.

he's not gonna change how he plays, it seems. so you have to figure out whether he's worth it. my answer is a resounding "yes he is" but that's assuming the game stays healthy with these other goofballs that don't understand how much they should love him.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I have 2 or 3 similar guys that are semi-regulars in my game. I used to hate having them there and sometimes would even hesitate to invite them. Then I realized that they thought nothing of 2, 3, or even 4 rebuys and were basically helping to build up nice pots. I also learned how to play against them.

Instead of worrying about this guy, I would work on your friends and try to get them to come around on how valuable this guy can be to your game. If they want to be better players, they need to learn to adapt and play against maniacs.

Quick story to give you an idea on one of my maniacs. We're nearing the end of the rebuy period and our maniac busts out and rebuys. Next hand will be the last before rebuys are over. Another one of my regulars who's tight as can be goes all-in. He's got about half the starting chips, so it kind of looks like he's trying to double up or bust and rebuy. Turns out this time he had woken up with AA. Our maniac, who had just rebought remember, looks down at 62o, calls, and wins! Any two'll do, right?

[Double Eagle]

Originally Posted by eguie921

He plays anything , relies on luck more than skill, gets lucky, and sucks out quite a bit on other players. However, by the end of the night, he leaves with nothing.

So what's the problem?