[BJK]

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I have been playing poker for a few years and the one thing I find in most serious players is that they think they know all about poker. Casual players or those purely playing for fun not so much. It just seems anyone who has read a poker book or discussed strategy with a friend thinks they have it figured out. One of the most common traits of these types is complaining when they lose to a flush but when they have the same draw they play it the same way and will then justify it to the guy he just beat who is now complaining. I am not complaining because I think this is what makes the games profitable but I am curious to others thoughts on the topic. What is psychogically that makes people feel they are superior to their competition in poker.

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I dunno....the ability to bring home wads of cash week after week?

Seriously, though, there are a few pretty good players I run across on a day to day basis in the B&M's, but only one truly gifted opponent. We've struck up a fast friendship for two very simple reasons. I view him as an honest man with integrity, and he helps me improve my game. I hope he views me the same way.

Very few are able to tell how skilled this player is at the table, either. The guy is always complimenting his opponents on obviously poor play, and he's just a real hoot to have at the table. He'll even throw out a pointer here or there to make his competition feel like their gaining an advantage. Fish seek this guy out at the tables even though he almost always takes their money. It took me a while to figure him out, but by the time I had grown to know him well enough to actually ask him what he did for a living, I already knew the answer. He's a professional poker player.

I try to emulate his behavior as much as I can at a poker table, and I have come a long way. I have no trouble keeping my cool in the internet when I'm playing three tables and variance takes a lot less time to even out. I still have some trouble in a B&M when the cards run bad for an extended period of time, but rest assured that I get mad at the cards and not my opponents.

I think what you are seeing here is that the players who really do know what they are doing at a poker table know this and try to keep it a secret. Doing otherwise would cut into their winnings. The players who have basic strategy figured out but either can't get their discipline under control or just don't understand some key elements of the game tend to berate other players for their shortcomings.

Yes, you are right when you say that these kinds of players are contributors, but they're kind of like the idiot who live straddles all night long. They are actually a detriment to the game because they scare other fish away. While I'll let an opponent straddle all night long and take his money, I'll call out the table coach each and every time. I'll let my opponent vent, but the second he starts telling others how to play, I'll say something like, "one player per hand, please" or "if you think he's such a bad player, then take his money".