Why do folks play crazy?

We had a thread recently asking why we kept the 15 post requirement on our buy-in events. My answer is that we want a refuge from the crazies that we normally face in non-forum events. Played a few at Stars this weekend and I was just amazed how some folks will play anything and hope to catch a winner. Watched one guy play every hand and he won often enough to stay in the tourney until half we're knocked out (45 seat SNG). I don't chat that much during non-forum event play but many of the "proper" players at the table were giving the guy hell for his style.

I've come to realize that it is probably the fact that we're for the most part strangers that encourages this crazy play. In a live game this type of person would catch so much hell that they'd leave and probably the same goes for our forum events. I suspect at the higher limits ($25 or higher SNGs) that the sheer dollar amount keeps the crazies at bay but even then I've seen it at this level. Just looking for some opinions on this one and also want to pose a question. Since the online poker world is filled with the idiot players, why do we struggle so to fill our events?

I think we struggle to fill our events cause 99% of our players play very well, there are no All-in>Allin> All-in every hand like our freeroll. Yesterday in our freeroll one guy went all-in every other hand with junk cards ( he showed them> his name Mr. Destiny ) and he just plain got lucky and won most of them> for example he goes all-in with 3c 4h gets a call with Kd As he ends up winning the hand with a pair of Fours. Thats why you have to fold so much in the freerolls. If you can make it past those IDIOTS then you got a chance to win it. The first 1 and 1/2 hours of our freeroll can be a disaster, after that the play improves.
buck

I've been questioning the same thing all weekend. I'm not sure if there is some weird gravitational effect on people, pokerstars aren't aligned, or people are just crazy, but there has been no rhyme or reason for the play I've been involved in of late. The good news is that this off the cuff style of play might score some short term victories, but solid players do have the long term advantage - or at least thats what I keep telling myself

NATURE of online poker
leads people to PLAY DIFFERENTLY.

The CARDS and ODDS are the same.

It's the PLAYERS that aren't the same.

What I mean is that for online poker, a LARGE
portion of players adopt the style of
LOOSE-AGGRESSIVE.

Translation? Manic.

They act irrationally... play hands they shouldn't
play... and bet way too aggressively for most
given situations.

Why?

Because online poker isn't as "real".

The money isn't as real. I mean, heck... the
casinos give you so much "free" money when you
sign up, how COULD it feel real?

The cards aren't real. The chips aren't real. The
table isn't real. NONE OF THAT STUFF EVEN EXISTS.

All you see when you play online poker are some
silly little animations. And you hear some
"clickity-click" sounds of fake chips.

That's it.

Nice copy/paste. ^^

People play crazy because they either (a) are crazy, or (b) just don't know how to play the game. If you've been playing for a while, it can be hard to understand how some people just don't have a clue about the game.

Why do you want to keep them out, anyway? The real thing keeping the hardcore donks out is the fact that there actually is an entry fee to the tourneys, and if the others want to play I'll gladly take their chips (no suckouts pls).

You make a good point here in that it ties back to the adage that skill will triumph over luck in the long haul. The prime reason I want them out is that it provides probably the only opportunity many of us get to "play correctly". When you play super tight against the crazies it's not because this is best in all cases it's because you have no choice...

why do some people play crazy?

because it's an open invitation

if you're having a party poker at your house, but don't want the place trashed, what do you do?

invite your friends, people who think and behave like you do

or nail a poster to every lamp post in town 'party at my place, everyone welcome'

why do we have trouble filling our events?

that i don't understand, thinking about it

anno

I got soooo frustrated last night. I was playing at a tourney with a $19 buy in. Unfortunately, this was not a freezeout tourney. Some guy claimed that he was playing on his father's account. He made these wild bets, and, if losing his stack of chips, merely rebought. I saw him rebuy several times myself. I am pretty sure that he rebought around five times, meaning that he spent over $100 in buy in fees! Now - the problem: How do you play against this guy? If I had a hand that I thought was worth the big blind in order to see the flop, this guy would raise, raise, raise! I felt like I had to play ultra-conservatively. Meanwhile, this guy finally hit with some of his junk, and ended up getting a big stack. Only moral victories I had were knowing that this guy was just gambling, not really playing, and seeing him on the leaderboard, but knowing that he lost at least twice as much as he won due to the rebuys.

Lightning.. depends on if you are on the left or right of him. Being on the right is a definate plus. Any raise he makes and you have junk... you can fold. Now you play tight, I'd say top 10 hands and re-raise him so it is just you and him. Basically isolate the maniac 1-1.

lightning, some very good players use that strategy also. Their reasoning being that they either (a) get lucky and build a big stack early on, or (b) lose and flood their table with chips thay they feel they can win by outplaying their opponents after the rebuy/addon period.

If you're not comfortable with it, don't play rebuys.

does no one actually play with a split personality?....sometimes i play really good and get pats on the back by the pros when i make it into top table....other times i play really stupid and leave quickly before they start slaggin me off....this is only online mind you as i have so far have profited when playin with the boys in real time tourneys.

"/me people play crazy to give taztaz chips"

I seen it over and over the crazy players staying and getting hands to win. But most of the time. The crazy players will not last long. I will set out when I see this is happening. One tournament I was in,One crazy player won 15 hands in a roll, could not loose. He had callers every hand because they knew he was staying on junk cards. I check to see if he won any money at the end of Tournament and his name was not there.