While some players might think that by constantly complaining at the table they will get the sympathy they “deserve”, this strategy will backfire and even lead to more abuse from their opponents. Because all poker players have had their own share of bad beats, they come to accept that this game is about failing flops.
Consequently, they stopped caring about opponents who have a streak of bad luck and will eventually get irritated by the constant whining. Besides annoying other players at the table – especially when you’re not listening to them – you are also limping your own game. This is also true in the virtual environment offered by online poker rooms. Here is what happens when you start complaining excessively during a poker game.
1. You’re no longer focusing on the game
As you allow your state of mind to take over, you will get distracted and pay less attention to what’s going on at the table. For instance, while you are discussing the poor hands you got consecutively with the guy on your right, you might have missed out on another player making constant oversized raise flops. Moreover, if you are only seeing the bad parts in your game, then you won’t take even the small slip-ups very lightly. In short, you’re trapping yourself in a vicious circle.
2. You’re allowing opponents to take advantage of your state
Because your misfortune has become a public display, know that the experienced players will start taking advantage of you. To put it simply, they realize that you are in a bad mood and unable to concentrate, so they will start playing more aggressively against you to add to the pressure. Furthermore, your negative thinking might lead you to believe that your opponents have hit better draws. This can be very dangerous because the hands played against you will gain a bigger expected value.
3. You’re losing the respect of the other players
By constantly complaining, the only thing you will manage to do is create the image of a novice poker player, whose every weakness will be perceived ten times bigger. The other players at the table will take you for granted and when you will finally get a hand with high EV, everyone will fold.
4. You’re losing the opportunity to make friends
In spite of the popular belief that poker players are there for the big cash, in reality most of them are not really sitting at the table focused on winning. In other words, people prefer to spend their free time playing poker because they enjoy the excitement, like spending time with their friends and have a good time. In the light of these facts, you can now understand why the atmosphere is ruined when the classic helpless individual decides to sit down at the table.
5. You’re missing out on important hands
In the eventuality that you play no-limit Hold’em then you surely know that you could end up with terrible hands in late positions (8-6) or that you might be forced to raise in early position while holding a low pair. However, if you only see these bad hands that you think you are constantly getting, then know you are missing out on situations with long-term positive expected value.