The Super Friends
I have recently come across an interesting situation at the tables. Being a friendly person I tend to make friends with the people I am sitting next to. I have noticed that in doing this the players to my left and right begin to talk to me about the habits and styles of the other players at the table and sometimes they even talk about their own habits. In particular they like to talk about the players at the opposite end of the table.
“That guy has been aggressive all night”
“Last time he had two pair he did the same thing”
“I know he has a flush draw because_____”
“He went on tilt 20 min ago and never recovered”
“I play with him all the time and he tends to ______”
In addition to this free information my new friends will often play soft against me. If they have a large hand they will let me know and they will almost never make a move on me. They like to chop the blinds, check down hands, chase a lot less, and they say things like “Don’t bet dude I got a monster”. These helpful hints are rarely returned on my part but I do throw them a bone or two to help keep the friendship alive. This is important, because, if they think I am not listening or that I don’t respect their opinion they will stop talking.
This doesn’t happen all the time. It seems to happen 3 out of 4 times. The information is always accurate or at least the person giving the information believes that it is true. The hints are the most useful if one of my “friends” a Super Aggressive Player or a veteran of the card room.
This really got me to thinking about Social strategies, table Image, etc and how valuable it can all be.
Question of the day
What strategies do you use concerning friends and enemies at the table?
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Comments
Being friendly can really help. I was at a table two days ago and within 5 minutes of sitting down the guy next to me was telling all about the other players. I thought it was going to be a good night but then I got sucked out on the river SIX TIMES in a row. the new year is starting off great!
Sometimes I end up making enemies with one person at the table. If I do, its because I have done something to piss them off i.e. win a hand. Enemies can be real money makers as long as they are the ones getting pissed off and going on tilt.
You have to keep your emotions in check. As an example when I got beat on the river six times in a row the other day, I started to cry. Crying is a good sign to call it quits for the night.
I agree, Zombie Jack..
I tend to play “friendly players” the same way.. I noticed if they share an opinion of another player it helps reveal points about their play too.
I’ve got to be honest.. I have a friendly flirty nature about myself and sometimes I can flash a smile and a male opponent won’t challenge me… In college, my male friends would tell me I was “pure evil” when we would play cards because of this…
I’ve also gotten older men who wanted to “take me under their wing” a the table because I’ve been playing tight and just observing (picking my spots carefully)… but they think I’m new to the game.. that’s always awkward when I end up taking all their chips.
Enemies, I avoid. I don’t want to go on tilt because I feel emotional about something.. like what made them my enemy.