Re: 2-7 Split Pot Offer
Mark,
I could write for a longgg time on this subject. I said earlier that I used to never chop when I played live TDL and that I've changed my stance on that, I think what happened was more experience playing live and an appreciation for some of the things that occur in casinos that simply cannot happen online because the rules are set by the software. I definitely agree with you that there is a slippery slope when talking about making deals at the poker table because you can fall off the cliff and be talking about collusion with a bit of imagination. I think poker players in general have strong ethics about this type of thing and will not hesitate to call someone out when they think that line is being crossed.
If you could see things I see at Commerce every day which at the very least is blatant soft-playing and often straddles the line of collusion between many of the regulars in the game (and especially among many of the Asian regulars) you wouldn't think anything of the examples you mention in your post. The first time I folded to a turn raise and my two opponents checked it down blind on the river I was surprised but I have never had reason to believe they weren't playing straightforwardly right up until the point where I folded and then they were free to make whatever betting decisions they wanted. If I saw even once somebody show down total trash I would definitely speak up but I think its sour grapes to complain about them doing what they want after I fold and I've gotten used to it or over it - it's the way poker is in live games and you have to watch out for yourself. One more example of something that used to bug me...someone will raise and I'll fold in the SB and the BB will then ask the raiser "take the profit?" and pull back their BB and the raiser will get my $50 and let's deal the next hand.
Live players do have an "us against them" or "pros vs fish" mentality which is useful in that its exploitable, and most of them aren't very good at poker, but it would be extremely -EV to not at least appear to be on the right side of their ire for the sake of harmony and probably +EV as they give me certain breaks that I certainly don't reciprocate.
You mention they should extend the courtesy to the fish but one thing about fish is that they wouldn't want to take this deal because it doesn't have the right gamble to it and they don't have a conception of the ramifications of making the deal or not over a long period of time. They know right now they have a 4 card hand and if they don't find out what that last card is they will just burst. Maybe you could make a deal with them where they get to rabbit hunt after the hand but if they find out they would have caught well they will be upset they took the deal - it's just not a good situation and you won't have to be the one to refuse the deal because most fish would never ask for one.
I probably come off sounding like a softplaying, superstitious, silly live player but I'm not - I'm a 23 year old kid in the eyes of my opponents who has been lucky enough to play both live and online over the few years I've been playing poker and I've developed a certain respect for the code of conduct that live players have that is hard to find online. I also have started to develop a feeling for what variance is and what it can do if it gets mad at you and taking certain small -EV situations to avoid that is a good decision for me when playing in big scary dangerous games. I'm comfortable with the ethical leg I stand on in all poker situations I've been involved in so far and I definitely think about issues like the ones we are discussing.
-DeathDonkey
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