Table Talk

I recently read an interesting article by Daniel Negreanu about talking at the table. The article explains that when you do chat away at a table, you can get information about an opponent's hand but you could also gice away too much information on your won hand. If you use it properly and against the right opponent, it's worth the effort.

The atricle lays out several rules:

1. Don't attempt it if you are a beginner. You need focus on fundamentals. More experienced players usually prevail when you get into a table talk psychological attack.

2. Don't talk at all. You probably be better off sitting still and be quiet unless you think you get your opponenet to do whay you want him/her to do.

3. You should throw your opponents off by sometimes telling the truth and lie. You need to lie effectively and do it the same way as telling the truth.

4. Don't leave patterns like talk when you are bluffing and staying quiet when you have a good hand. Good players look for these patterns.

5. Be relaxed when you are chatting becuase you would be able to get your opponent to do the same thing causing your opponent to be less aware of the information he/she is giving away. If you're relaxed when you're talking to your opponent, you increase the chances of him being the same. And when he's relaxed, chances are he'll be less conscious of what information he is giving away.

6. Do use it towards weak players.

Above all else, do not be rude or mean in any way. As the article explains, "being a jerk at the poker table does not help your bottom line. People are generally a lot looser with their money when they're having fun."

I agree to a point, but i have noticed a Tell that when our gal members are chatting away, they make mistakes, nothing against the gals, but i noticed that a year ago, and i do take advantage of it, i do very little chatting at the table most of the time, but when i do it messes me up, i lose my concentration, now im talking about online poker, not at a live game. At my age its easy to get confused, lol....... buck

I somewhat agree with what daniel negraneau had to say about table talk. You cant be a stone cold begginner and think it will improve your game, but you cant be an expert and expect the same thing. I do agree with the last point where you should be nice to all competitors to keep the game fun and loose. With online poker though I dont think it is much of a playing factor during the game unless it is something really obvious. You should check out the betting pattern online more than anything.

Table chat can cost you.

Was playing a final table 2 of us in pot.

I was on button with QQ, had raised to 4X bb, $12000, one caller.

Flop was A T 6 rainbow. The other player made a comment "This could get ugly". I immediately put him on smaller pockets or A with weak kicker.

He checked I bet $22000 into the $30000 pot.

He mucked with the following comment, "Hate laying down these ladies."

We both had pkt Q's but his comment cost him the pot.

In our buyins playing with people I play with frequently I will chat quite a bit. In a MTT or SNG with folks I don't know; nh, ty & lol, although gg after the final hand is frequently the only comment I will make in an entire game or tourney.

That's a very good point. I think chatting at the table sometimes does the opposite for me, though. I sometimes get bored and lose concentration during regular play, and a bit of chat keeps me interested and alert. Since I don't typically multitable, it also keeps my attention on the game rather than going off and entering sweepstakes or something when I'm not in a hand.

A guy at the live game I played yesterday was chatting me up quite a bit. I'm sure he thought I thought he was just being friendly, but I know he was trying to milk me for information. I gave out as little as possible.