Garden City: Fish identified 20-40
 

I'm sure you're all familiar with the saying that if you can't identify the sucker at the table when you first sit down, then you're the sucker. Quite often, there's nobody really that bad (I find), and it's just how the cards are coming out that night. However, every now and then, when I do find a "live one", I find myself torn between the desire to grow roots in my chair and stay at the table until the fish is sucked dry (including calling in sick to work if necessary!) vs. the emotion of pity and wanting to pull the fish to the side and say something after the fourth or fifth buy-in.

So last night (Tuesday) I'm taking another shot at the Garden City 20-40 game, and did rather well again. There was one guy there who seemed to be playing like it was 2-4, not 20-40. If he had ANY piece of the flop, down to the weakest three-card backdoor flush draw, he'd call to the river. This gentleman was an older white guy, 50+ and probably pushing 60, with brown hair in a combover, glasses, and a noticeable tremor in his hands. This last wasn't a tell - it was constant. He would go on these mini-rushes when he suck out impossible draws for 2-3 hands in a row, but patient TAG playing would wear him down. Just watching him play certain hands made me think that something was "off" about this guy.

It was great on the one hand. I mean, this guy called me to the river when my pocket Kings flopped a set and rivered quads, which gives you an idea of how much he was calling. It was just after fourth or fifth buy-in (I lost track) after calling down top set with Ace-high, that I started to feel bad.

I know I should toughen up; we're all adults, etc. This was just the worst (sober) example of piss-poor donatorhood - at a 20/40 table, no less - that I've ever seen.

Has anyone ever pulled another player aside and pointed them to the Gamblers Anonymous literature?

Re: Garden City: Fish identified 20-40
 

[ QUOTE ]
Has anyone ever pulled another player aside and pointed them to the Gamblers Anonymous literature?

[/ QUOTE ]

No, and since I play there a lot, I implore you not to either. Players like this will quit one way or another. Going broke is sometimes the best wake me up.

Garland

Re: Garden City: Fish identified 20-40
 

Some guy went 7 bets with me on the river, I had a straight flush and he had a deuce for the flush. I was so confused afterwards I asked him why he went so many bets.

"I've got terminal cancer and no kids, I don't care about the money"

I didn't talk for about the next twenty minutes

Re: Garden City: Fish identified 20-40
 

Pulling him aside and telling him he has a gambling problem is most likely not going to do anything other than insult him. Just let him do what he want with his money, in this case he is trying to give it to you and in the process maybe getting some entertainment or blow of steam.

People do self-destructive things, there is not much you can do here, and if it bothers you so much mid/high stakes poker might not be the job or hobby for you.

Re: Garden City: Fish identified 20-40
 

One time I was playing a 15/30 game, taking a shot at it, and took over 30 bets off the table; was feeling good and getting ready to rack up and go home when I hear, "yeah I'm so wasted I don't give a [censored] [censored] it I'm all in." Guy's clearly belligerent, sitting at a 3/5 game with an open seat to his left!

I sit down, my buddy who's at the table confirms my suspicions that this kid is tilting. He's my age.. 21-25ish.. doesn't strike me as wealthy. One of my first hands he raises to 50 UTG (300 max buy in) I call and it folds around. Flops A63 rainbow and he goes all in, he has me covered. I say call and he is like "what you call??~!" AK holds up against QTo. I take 3 buy ins off him and one against another guy when I flop 2 pair against his TPTK for a total of +1200~ in less than 30 hands. I was like man.. wtf are you doing.. go home. He flips out like who the [censored] are you to be telling me to go home, I just gave you a [censored] G. I told him I appreciated it in the nicest way I could and he was like "I can afford it I'm a [censored] drug dealer" so I was like okay w/e man. I left before I should have but it was the best cash game day I had had up to that point so I felt okay about it. But I know that kid blew his life savings that night, if it was even his money.

Re: Garden City: Fish identified 20-40
 

[ QUOTE ]
I'm sure you're all familiar with the saying that if you can't identify the sucker at the table when you first sit down, then you're the sucker. Quite often, there's nobody really that bad (I find), and it's just how the cards are coming out that night. However, every now and then, when I do find a "live one", I find myself torn between the desire to grow roots in my chair and stay at the table until the fish is sucked dry (including calling in sick to work if necessary!) vs. the emotion of pity and wanting to pull the fish to the side and say something after the fourth or fifth buy-in.

So last night (Tuesday) I'm taking another shot at the Garden City 20-40 game, and did rather well again. There was one guy there who seemed to be playing like it was 2-4, not 20-40. If he had ANY piece of the flop, down to the weakest three-card backdoor flush draw, he'd call to the river. This gentleman was an older white guy, 50+ and probably pushing 60, with brown hair in a combover, glasses, and a noticeable tremor in his hands. This last wasn't a tell - it was constant. He would go on these mini-rushes when he suck out impossible draws for 2-3 hands in a row, but patient TAG playing would wear him down. Just watching him play certain hands made me think that something was "off" about this guy.

It was great on the one hand. I mean, this guy called me to the river when my pocket Kings flopped a set and rivered quads, which gives you an idea of how much he was calling. It was just after fourth or fifth buy-in (I lost track) after calling down top set with Ace-high, that I started to feel bad.

I know I should toughen up; we're all adults, etc. This was just the worst (sober) example of piss-poor donatorhood - at a 20/40 table, no less - that I've ever seen.

Has anyone ever pulled another player aside and pointed them to the Gamblers Anonymous literature?

[/ QUOTE ]

For all you know, he can afford it. I used to work with a guy that looked like that. He was manager of engineers and his stock options were worth about 50 million.

Re: Garden City: Fish identified 20-40
 

Yeah man, there are a lot of rich people in San Jose. Unless I specifically know better (no examples yet), I assume every bad player I'm playing against is wealthy and can easily afford to lose whatever they're losing.

If nothing else, anyone who bought a house >5 years ago has about $400K+ in equity right there.

Re: Garden City: Fish identified 20-40
 

Once I found myself in a 6/12 game with a guy I went to high school with. It became quickly apparent that he totally sucked. Complete donator. I knew he still lived with his parents in our hometown and delivered pizza there, so when he's on his third $200 buyin we're talking real money for this dude. I managed to pull him aside and ask him if he was ok and if he maybe was on tilt (diplomatic?) and should take off. He told me he was fine, then went back to the table and proceeded to dump 2 more racks into the game.

I felt really bad and I tried, but in the end what was I going to do? I ran into another guy I went to high school with at the room about a month later and told him about it. He still hung out with the first guy and confirmed that he did this all the time and had a real problem.

Re: Garden City: Fish identified 20-40
 

I identify with feeling dirty (for want of a better word) when playing with somebody who clearly has a gambling problem. I quit playing poker when I was 15 because of taking too much money from wealthy friends who clearly didn't know what they were doing. I have come to realize that adults have to make their own decisions and bear the consequences of their own actions. That being said, if somebody came to me for help, and I believed they needed it I would do my best to help them even if it would cost me money in the short run.

I know more about alcohol addiction than gambling but the principals are presumably the same.

Saying something to a problem gambler while he is gambling would be like trying to tell an alcoholic to stop drinking when he is already 3 sheets to the wind. Nothing will get through at that point, IMO.

The "bottom" that has to occur for somebody to seek help, who has an addiction, in most cases, has to be severe. It often includes job loss, getting caught stealing from a family member, loss of a primary relationship, going broke, etc.

It is sad, but as in all addictions, you as a friend, family member, or acquaintance didn't cause it, can't control it, and can't cure it.

Re: Garden City: Fish identified 20-40
 

If I want to be a Good Samaritan at the table (not too often) I usually start off with "Are you feeling well now? You don't look very focused."