Tell us about any kindness

#1 June 14th, 2020, 4:40 AM

Please tell us about any kindness you've witnessed, received or given on the poker tables.

A beautiful thing happened to me while playing an SnG online today. One of the other opponents took out another player and took down one player to 600 chips. The one with only 600 chips instantly left the game and became a ghost. I had 1200 chips and the others had well over 3,000 each and we were on the bubble.

I thought, cool. That player just gave up. Didn't even want to try. But as often happens, at least I see it a lot, when the blinds ate him up the ghost kept winning until I was in danger of blinding out. With all my chips except for 35 in the 300 big blind, the player on the button called, the small blind folded, and me with my Q6s, actually the best hand I'd seen in awhile, went all in for another 35 chips. To my surprise the player on the button folded.

I was shocked, knowing I had no fold equity in my raise. Then it dawned on me, he was doing me a kindness. He would rather someone who fights to the bitter end succeed, than let someone who gives up prevail.

That's something I'd never seen before, and I pledged to do the same for others who I find in the same predicament that I was in because I respect those who never give up much more than those who quit.

#2 June 14th, 2020, 4:58 AM

Don't always interpret this as kindness. It's often in the interest of a big stack to prolong bubble play because they can keep pushing the shorter stacks around and continue stealing the blinds from players who are trying to fold their way into the money.

#3 June 14th, 2020, 5:13 AM

Originally Posted by Hsac

Please tell us about any kindness you've witnessed, received or given on the poker tables.

2019 was my first WSOP. The buy-ins for the WSOP events were also more than the normal buy-in for me. As one would guess, this kind of pressure and excitement makes it difficult to remember every little detail.

In aEvent #37 $800 NLHE Deepstack after about 6 hours of playing I was all-in. The dealer did not put my chips in a good stack when she counted them, they were really messy in the middle. I was struggling to count the stacks when a pro I have seen on TV with WPT events asked the dealer to stack up the chips so that I would be able to count them easily.

Really nice of the pro to see the struggle and to step in at the right time on the table to make sure the game was managed well.

#4 June 14th, 2020, 6:36 AM

Originally Posted by Propane Goat

Don't always interpret this as kindness. It's often in the interest of a big stack to prolong bubble play because they can keep pushing the shorter stacks around and continue stealing the blinds from players who are trying to fold their way into the money.

Hi Propane Goat, I thought of that, but it makes no sense. We were on the bubble. Next one out would be the bubble boy. There were no short stacks to push around, just another player with the same size stack as him and two critical stacks. He saved my critical stack when for another 35 chips he could have tried to take me out. I've been playing for almost 40 years, and never saw anything like it.

#5 June 14th, 2020, 3:15 PM

Originally Posted by Hsac

Please tell us about any kindness you've witnessed, received or given on the poker tables.

A beautiful thing happened to me while playing an SnG online today. One of the other opponents took out another player and took down one player to 600 chips. The one with only 600 chips instantly left the game and became a ghost. I had 1200 chips and the others had well over 3,000 each and we were on the bubble.

I thought, cool. That player just gave up. Didn't even want to try. But as often happens, at least I see it a lot, when the blinds ate him up the ghost kept winning until I was in danger of blinding out. With all my chips except for 35 in the 300 big blind, the player on the button called, the small blind folded, and me with my Q6s, actually the best hand I'd seen in awhile, went all in for another 35 chips. To my surprise the player on the button folded.

I was shocked, knowing I had no fold equity in my raise. Then it dawned on me, he was doing me a kindness. He would rather someone who fights to the bitter end succeed, than let someone who gives up prevail.

That's something I'd never seen before, and I pledged to do the same for others who I find in the same predicament that I was in because I respect those who never give up much more than those who quit.

Hsac, I love your observation; not only because it helped you, but to note it enough that it warranted the time to comment on the occurrence. I spent 25 years in prison and now I'm retired and on a fixed income, so I play small tourney and stretch my pennies as far as they can go because I love the game of poker. I have caught myself intentionally folding my small blind (when all others had folded) so that bubble boy could make pay-dirt (and he did make pay-dirt and climbed so fast I just started laughing to myself). I made about $15 and bubble boy had a monster stack last I saw. It has also happened to me on several occasions. I had been losing tourney after tourney by the bubble or on the bubble and had been on a losing streak and there I was again. There had been an All-Inner on the table and I had a smallish stack. The All-inner started calling all players on the table, "Idiots!" After calling everyone, idiots, he would shove all-in. Well, I decided to make a sacrifice call, so that others could see his cards. I answered his Shove with an unsuited 3-2. The flop produced three more 3's (end of story). Mr. All-inner then started calling me ugly names and things. I ignored him. Soon after, he was eaten up by the others at the table. Well, near the bubble, I hit a strait on the flop and that hand cost me some good chips (flush). So, at the "bubble" the player before on several occasions folded his small blind and I raked up the pot. I made pay-dirt and earned about $50. I guess the idea of playing hard and to the end and sticking to your guns payed off. Players do not like those that Goad, or are so High on Themselves, or Braggers. These things make you a target; everyone wants to bring down. Being nice and kind is okay, I believe. I still play just as aggressively and cautiously as everyone else. No room for Cheap Shots! GOD bless you all.

#6 June 14th, 2020, 7:43 PM

Originally Posted by Alberto Martinez

Hsac, I love your observation; not only because it helped you, but to note it enough that it warranted the time to comment on the occurrence. I spent 25 years in prison and now I'm retired and on a fixed income, so I play small tourney and stretch my pennies as far as they can go because I love the game of poker. I have caught myself intentionally folding my small blind (when all others had folded) so that bubble boy could make pay-dirt (and he did make pay-dirt and climbed so fast I just started laughing to myself). I made about $15 and bubble boy had a monster stack last I saw. It has also happened to me on several occasions. I had been losing tourney after tourney by the bubble or on the bubble and had been on a losing streak and there I was again. There had been an All-Inner on the table and I had a smallish stack. The All-inner started calling all players on the table, "Idiots!" After calling everyone, idiots, he would shove all-in. Well, I decided to make a sacrifice call, so that others could see his cards. I answered his Shove with an unsuited 3-2. The flop produced three more 3's (end of story). Mr. All-inner then started calling me ugly names and things. I ignored him. Soon after, he was eaten up by the others at the table. Well, near the bubble, I hit a strait on the flop and that hand cost me some good chips (flush). So, at the "bubble" the player before on several occasions folded his small blind and I raked up the pot. I made pay-dirt and earned about $50. I guess the idea of playing hard and to the end and sticking to your guns payed off. Players do not like those that Goad, or are so High on Themselves, or Braggers. These things make you a target; everyone wants to bring down. Being nice and kind is okay, I believe. I still play just as aggressively and cautiously as everyone else. No room for Cheap Shots! GOD bless you all.

Thanks Alberto, great story.

I thought I had the coin when to my surprise the player who quit won two rounds of blinds while a ghost. We were both down to one blind bet each and my turn was coming up first. That player really threw me a lifeline. Then that player finally took the other player out on his blind.

I disengage the chat while I play so I don't know if there could be ulterior motives for the player to do that. Regardless, I still perceive it as an act of kindness and have vowed to repeat the act whenever I can for others during play.

May the poker gods favor your journey

#7 June 14th, 2020, 7:56 PM

back when i was 19 years old, i was playing a $10 rebuy tournament at a live event at my local casino and i busted against a higher straight and one of the regulars gave me a rebuy so i could keep playing.

#8 June 14th, 2020, 8:06 PM

nice to meet at the table geltelmen-they die out as a species!Nowadays, people who live not by money look like idiots, I want to believe that people will still change, although this is utopia

#9 June 14th, 2020, 8:14 PM

Once i got repaid by a kind man gambling last money. Last time i played poker with intention to win money Tell us about any kindness

#10 June 14th, 2020, 8:51 PM

No collusion. Just a hand you played bad and let 2 players try to outdraw you.

#11 June 21st, 2020, 12:23 AM

I don't remember the particulars, but in live poker at a casino, I have seen a player mistakenly muck the best hand, where they had lost their whole stack for like $200, and the winning player gave them back like a $100. They weren't friends, and it wasn't made known if the losing player was going to be able to rebuy or anything, it was just the winning player knowing he wouldn't have won that money otherwise, and handled it like a gentleman.

#12 June 21st, 2020, 12:52 AM

Not sure if collusion or not, but I had a MTT online where I just wasn't getting much luck and was barely scraping by to the bubble. I was playing well and the table recognized it, so when I was in danger of being the bubble guy, the entire table used their time banks to let me get in the money. I appreciated the gesture.

#13 June 21st, 2020, 1:57 AM

I had similar situations. I have to disappoint you, but this is not kindness, but an attempt to leave those players in the game against whom it is clear what actions to take. In other words, I myself allow, depending on the situation, to feed the tight players with small stack a bit or to provoke someone with an all-in to the dough raise, so that the other player calls. Thus, the prize zone comes faster and people left tournaments. Sometimes it’s more convenient to leave not tight players, but aggressive ones, because they play so badly that almost any pair hits them.

#14 June 21st, 2020, 2:01 AM

Originally Posted by Igor Popadyk

nice to meet at the table geltelmen-they die out as a species!Nowadays, people who live not by money look like idiots, I want to believe that people will still change, although this is utopia

I think that such kind actions are reasonable on the final table or after the final table. Dividing the bank at the final table also applies to these Tell us about any kindness

but I�m afraid that before the bubble it�s pointless, because hardly anyone will support and appreciate it

#15 June 21st, 2020, 5:14 AM

Today on table a girl just keep called someone, so I say to him to answer her, he just say "thankyou" I guess he didnt see her talking because she was not in the table.

#16 June 21st, 2020, 5:15 AM

players constantly donate their stacks to me, they are far too kind

Tell us about any kindness

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