My first quetion as a newbie - idiots at the tables

Hi All,

My Problem,

Playing online you meet a lot of arrogant idiots. On occasions this has really put me off my game. I get so wound up, i do stupid things the next thing i know im out of the game.

Any tips on how to deal with this type of anti-social behaviour.

The first advice I could offer is to turn off chat so the comments don't affect you. This is bad as it does isolate you from the normal conversation of the game. You just have to get to the point where it doesn't affect you other that to make you focus your efforts on taking the offender out. Not a simple thing to do but it is doable...

Going on tilt because of some asshole is one of my only issues with tilting. When someone plays like an ass and hits runner, runner, then has the nerve to talk shiat to me, I come unglued usually. It is for that very reason that I normally, as a rule, do not chat at all. I don't respond to anyone or make any comments. I may look like an ass sometimes (which isn't new for me), but I find it much easier to concentrate on the games I am playing when I pay absolutely zero attention to the table chatter. I will, occasionally, type a NH or WP into the box when someone makes a great play, but it has to be something spectacular for me to comment. I don't see why it has become faux pas to not type NH, GG, TY all the friggin time while you're playing. Some people get offended when you don't respnd to their comments or get pissed off when you don't reply at all to their tirade of insults ans inflamitory speach.

I have actually found that often it has the exact reverse effect as the asshole initially intended for it to have. When you don't respond at all to the insults and derogatory comments they get frustrated because they're used to a specific reaction and being able to tilt someone with by employing this tactic. When it doesn't work you can actually see them begin to steam in some cases.

Long story short, I just refrain from being caught up in all the back and forth that goes on in the chatbox. I am a grown man and I am likely dealing with kids or someone with the intellectual level of a kid, so I see no point in indulging them. You would be surprised at how well this works to prevent tilt, and how much ignoring the table talk outright will improve your game.

The morons are trying to put you on tilt. They all think they're Mike Matusow but without the talent. Turn off chat and if you can't (like on UB) don't respond no matter what. After a while they'll pick on someone else.

I'd love it if there were some kind of filter on chat that you could set to block out anything but the briefest of comments, like nh and ty.

Seems to me (speaking from limited experience) that the people who make asshole comments are often the same ones who play incredibly loose and call/raise nearly anything. At least these folks tend to blow through their $$ pretty quickly and leave the table.

Like people have said, turn the chat off. It's largely unnecessary anyway.

Count DeMoney said:

Turn off chat and if you can't (like on UB) don't respond no matter what.

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Options ---> Chat Options ---> Uncheck "Player Chat".

Thanks for all your advice, will take on board and apply.

Sometimes I don't even look at the chat. I'm too focused on the game. cguru:

They're probably 35 year old, 30 stone virgins that still live with their mum. that's how i visualise them anyway, and it cheers me up no end!. I usually fight back by being annoyingly polite - Yanks cant seem to handle that.

What does being a "yank" have to do with anything...?

You're as pompous as any "Yank" on this forum, rob. Oh wait, are you a Yank? If so that would explain it.

See your statement makes no sense as the culprit of such asinine tactics at the poker table is as likely to be from the UK as he is the US or China or even Australia. Why are we "Yanks" the target of your accusation?

robwhufc said:

I usually fight back by being annoying - Yanks cant seem to handle that.

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There ya go, rob. I fixed that post for you. No need to thank me.

It was an assumption and I apologise for that. From my observations on line, the rudest most obnoxious players generally are from the US, but there was no suggestion from Killer Kat that this was the case in her situation. I play from time to time on Bet365 (UK & Scandinavian majority) and Betfred (UK majority) and rarely see any rudeness there,and I also remember Irish Dave making same observation (and he's a Yank!), so if i am right, maybe a change of site would help.

Sorry if I offended anyone.

(P.S Diablo, I didn't think you played on-line any more?. Presumably you do though.)

That's one of the reasons I dislike FullTilt so much. It's full of so called experts that will cuss, critique, and question every play made. Yes, you can shut off chat; however, I've always viewed poker as a social event where conversation is a normal part of the game. My choice was just to cash out of FullTilt and play elsewhere.

As for Rob's assumtion, I didn't take offense myself as it's probably true. Having lived in and visited a number of countries, I find that we Americans are among the most crass - just a simple fact. I suspect a large number of the worst offenders are young teens that stole Mommy's credit card to play and there's no protection from that. We can only hope they mature into reasonable adults - or get hit by a bus...

pmsl Irishdave

robwhufc said:

They're probably 35 year old, 30 stone virgins that still live with their mum. that's how i visualise them anyway, and it cheers me up no end!. I usually fight back by being annoyingly polite - Yanks cant seem to handle that.

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Your doing it now. How annoying! I'm telling mum.

It isn't crass so much as it is a difficulty being so superior. It really is hard to be number one sometimes.

For the record, no, I wasn't offended, it was more a tongue-in-cheek comment. Basically it seemed funny to me that Rob made the assumption that all the assholes and abusive players online were "Yanks".

PS--Before anyone calls me out, I was joking about us being better than everyone else....well, kinda.

This is a strategy, practice be almost all poker players at any level. They know that the stress is big and in the final they will tilt you. The close chat option is one, but you risk not to see important imformation, because a lot of new players after fold they will write in the chat the cards they just fold. Me advice is to make fun on there coments. If you see that they stell goinig and you can't manage it then ignore al mean messeges

There aren't huge numbers of them - although even one is too many. At any site where you play on a reasonably regular basis, you'll start to remember who they are, and when you're at a table with them, you can turn off chat or mentally discipline yourself to ignore it or not to read it at all. Also, if they act badly, you can try reporting them to the site.

I would say, in addition to the virgins living with their moms and mums, there are a lot of younger kids playing... young as in 12, 13, 14. My nephew has been playing online poker longer than me and a few times having played poker with him, he has "friends" about his age and they just verbally assault anyone who isn't in their little "clique". I mean, they were cool with me 'cause I bought them beer and got them escorts... jk... But seriously, kids are downright mean nowadays. I think it's because of people who drive Monte Carlos and think they could be in Nascar due to that fact. Does anyone actually know anyone who admits to watching that boring crap? I don't get it. I literally enjoy watching seniors play golf more. Don't let the bastards grind you down.

Random thought filled, post of the year award goes to...LuckyR.