[OrrLives]

Thanks for your comments everyone. I'll address everyone in one reply.

(1) Talking to LAGP about his situation.
I am not good enough friends with LAGP to do this and I think if anyone talked to him about this matter it would be terribly awkward.

However, it may be possible to have someone in the game talk to LAGP's wife, who has considerable influence over him [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] Other players in the game are much better friends with LAGP's wife.


(2) pfapfap:
"Maybe help him learn to play better?"
GoodP and I have tried to help him in the past at the table, but he is very stubborn in his poker beliefs. It seems he gets a lot of advice from WSOP coverage. [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

A typical situation: 0.25/0.50 blinds. LAGP (~$120 stack, large for this game) raises preflop to $3 with QT and GoodP calls.
GoodP check/calls $3 on the flop with a straight draw.
On the turn, GoodP checks, LAGP bets $6, GoodP raises to $20, LAGP shoves (drastically overbetting the pot) and flips over top pair and GoodP shows his straight.

We ask LAGP why he bet so much. 'I had to push because I wanted him to pay for his draws.' We suggest that maybe just calling would have been better (he would never consider folding) but he shows no interest in listening.

LAGP is aware that good poker strategy exists. I keep a collection of poker books on a bookshelf in my living room and he has looked through them. Skimming through 'Theory of Poker' LAGP jokingly said, "Ohhh... it says you should occasionally 'semi-bluff'... I've just been bluffing the entire time." GoodP and I laughed.


(3) mr.spam:
"Also, your stakes are very weird. You play with $0.25/0.50 blinds but everybody buys in for $10-$20. In my opinion, it means that people aren't really "ready/prepared" to play 50NL. Play 20NL or 10NL for that matter, and let those few who want to buy in for more buy in for more."

If the fishies want to buy-in for 40BB, I let the fishies buy-in for 40BB. I adjust to the short-stack strategy until one of them doubles up.

Note in the OP that I never said it was capped at 40BB. If any of them buy-in for more, I usually match their stack.

It is actually LAGP that pushed for the 0.25/0.50 stakes. Everyone else likes the stakes too.


(4) scott1:
"Before that he's just losing money at poker, but when it's down to the two good players and him he's just getting hammered. Sounds like the other good player will back this up. Just say when it gets down to 3 players that "it's not really poker anymore", or something."

I may go with this idea. He will still be a losing player, but maybe not as bad if we quit at 3 players.

My only concern is that if either GoodP or myself is stuck for the night, we may want to recoup our losses from LAGP.


(5) tuq:
I am 100% sure he should not be playing if he is going to lose this much money. Their financial situation is not a secret. He was a home appraiser and got laid off during the housing market collapse. His wife makes a bit above minimum wage. They don't have any savings.


(6) Playing limit:
I will have to think of some way to make the betting easy for them to understand (I don't know how it can be easier). They like to bet whatever they want.