poker etiquette

i worked with this guy in ann arbor years ago and we became friends. as he moved up through the company, he took a position in three rivers. now i am working in three rivers. the other day, he invites me to start playing poker with him and some buddies in a round robin kind of thing. going from house to house. i can tell in talking to him that him and his buddies probably play very loose and casual. would it be bad form to play tight and for all the money or should i play to the style of the house. it only concerns me because i had the same thing happen when i played with the husbands of my wife's friends. but in that case, i didn't mind taking the money. but i do remember one guy was somewhat upset that he had to write me a check at the end of the night. he hasn't played poker with us since. he wants to play euchre. lol.

well it shouldnt matter if u take money or not just have fun i say


*i would take the money no matter what but thats me*

well the key is if the other players aren't having fun giving you their money then you should probably change your approach

if they feel you are taking advantage of them then loosen up a bit and start showing down some bad hands

if they don't want to keep playing with you then well then you don't have a choice how to play ;]

Tok, you work the game, i my self can count cards and applie it to every card game i know. i have made big money, but its easy to get cought.

counting cards is not something i would do among friends. if i did, they wouldn't be friends for long, unless we are playing hearts, then all bets are off and we get vicious. luckily we never play hearts for money, only pride.

I would suggest playing a winning aggressive stlye or poker and owning these guys. Sure you can have fun, just have fun and win their money. Winning money isnt the hard part, but rather winning money and making them enjoy it.

I'd say you should just play how you normally do, but you dont have to play as tight as you normally would. Whenever i play house i games i still play my usually tight ways, but i loosen it up just for a bit because im amongst friends. True, we're trying to take each others money, but at the same time we're having fun. And having fun with friends in poker doesnt mean you have stray from your style of play. What i mean by loosening up is calling with hands your normally wouldnt call. im not saying call with every hand or very weak hands, but marginal hands that you wouldnt normally call. Ex: ill fold K/10 at casinos for a small raise, but i might call it at house games.

GGG

How about trying a buy-in system where everyone puts in 25-50 bucks first and then play tourney style with chips. That way everyone knows what they may potentially lose (or win) and no one will have to break the bank just to have fun.

The buy in system that freak is talking about works very well. That is the way we play our home games, then you don't gfeel bad about winning most weeks at all. I win 80% of the games and they all still keep coming back to donate. Try it out

Play your own game Omega. Stay conservative and catch those Mfer's when they are speeding. You will end up with all the cash. And remember "Patience is a Virtue." Play TIGHT!!!!

I've never had a problem in taking the money in home games but equally, have never wanted to play with my friends for more money than they can afford to lose. If the stakes are well within what friend would call acceptable and you and they are having fun, take your seat and bust them!

I say play the game you are most comfortable with. However, you may consider loosening up a little. When it comes to taking their money, the old saying still holds true, "You can sheer a sheep many times, but you can only skin him once."

Me, I prefer to sheer in cash games and skin in tourneys. :-)

I'm with the guy who says to have fun. The thing is, if you are tight and everyone's loose, chances are that you'll lose over time--or at least get very frustrated. I think you need to always play your game to get the most out of the experience--if you are just in this game to network, then match the style of everyone else not to piss them off--but if you want to play to have a good time, you need to find a group where you can play your game the way you want.