The worst kind of Table Mate
When you’re in a public place, it’s inevitable that you’ll rub elbows
with various loud and obnoxious characters.
And of course it always seems that these characters will sit at your
poker table, frequently right next to you.
Add money and booze to the equation, and the number of people with
questionable behavior will inevitably increase.
So, what’s to do?
A. Do you leave the table?
B. Do you engage this person in conversation?
C. Do you call over the floor person?
All of the above could be done.
However, just as the game of Poker itself is one of patience and
waiting for the right opportunities, the art of working a table is
also one of patience.
I have found that there is a direct correllation between how loud and
obnoxious a player is, and how soon they’ll “Flame out” at the table.
You can be assured that although this loud person might win a hand
or two, over time their over-confidence will spell their demise just
as surely as it will for any player. The only difference is that
these players will blame everyone but themselves for their downfall.
So, just bide your time, be more choosy about the hands you go in on
with this person, and also try to take advantage of how they’ll
frequently raise the pot with less than optimum hands.
In the worst case scenario, you can either move your position on the
table, or take a break for a round or two while waiting for this
person to bust-out.
When I was playing recently, a person who goes by the name of “Loud
Al” was complaining about how quickly the dealer happened to pick up
discards. The person to my left was discussing this issue with him.
This guy was pretty big himself. However, (to myself) I questioned
his judgment. I find that it works best if you never get yourself
involved in any table dispute with either an obnoxious player and the
dealer. Chances are that nothing will happen to you. However, you
don’t want to take the chance that they’ll eject both Mr. Loud and
yourself. Certainly you should answer any questions if the floor
person gets involved. However, like stated above, eventually the
problem will go away.
In the meantime, sit tight, learn what NOT to do, and if there are
fireworks, just lay back and enjoy a little bit of human drama played
out in front of you. After all, nothing says that although it’s
“Real Life”, it doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy the show.