grandpas playing POKER

lef1000 · #1 11-29-2006, 12:46 PM

while i wasw playing a marathon at the Borgota this weekend i found this grandpa at 6/12 and i couldnt help but feel bad for him. He was a bad player most of the time and kept rebuying (only 100 each time) untill he lost about 600 at 6/12. I know i shouldnt feel bad as someone is going to take his money why not have that person be me, but i just felt realy bad when the game went from a short handedd game to 3 way and i was realy putting pressure on him. I mean i wanted his money but i didnt wanan take all of it esp not so fast u know? anyone else feel this way or am i just being emo cuz i love old people.

LovinItAll · #2 11-29-2006, 01:24 PM

My Dad loved to play poker. The year before he died (76 years old), he was in Vegas playing 12-14 hour sessions of stud. He was a good player, but like everyone, he ran cold from time to time. If you had leaned over and whispered, "Hey, old man, I kinda feel sorry for you, so I'm going to go easy when you're in a hand.", he probably would have slapped you out of your seat.

The "grandpa" wouldn't be there if he didn't want to play. Do your thing when playing against old people, young punks, girls, etc. They'll know when it's time to leave....

Reef · #3 11-29-2006, 04:34 PM

Let them play and enjoy their $ as entertainment.. unless their family is starving because of a gambling addiction, best to just keep quiet IMO.

vhawk01 · #4 11-30-2006, 03:25 AM

[ QUOTE ]
while i wasw playing a marathon at the Borgota this weekend i found this grandpa at 6/12 and i couldnt help but feel bad for him. He was a bad player most of the time and kept rebuying (only 100 each time) untill he lost about 600 at 6/12. I know i shouldnt feel bad as someone is going to take his money why not have that person be me, but i just felt realy bad when the game went from a short handedd game to 3 way and i was realy putting pressure on him. I mean i wanted his money but i didnt wanan take all of it esp not so fast u know? anyone else feel this way or am i just being emo cuz i love old people.

[/ QUOTE ]
If you dont feel comfortable taking someones money, dont. Honestly, you dont have to be cold and heartless at the poker table. And I'm not saying people who take his money ARE being cold and heartless, because they dont feel the same way about him that you do. But you dont HAVE to ignore your feelings if you dont want to. Dont play with people it makes you uncomfortable to play against.

El Diablo has made some excellent posts on this topic, you might want to look them up. He has said that he will get up from the table when someone sits down who he knows is a gambling addict, because he refuses to contribute to the destruction. And thats perfectly fine.

For what its worth, I'm not a huge fan of the "someones gonna get his money, might as well be me" line of reasoning. Might as well NOT be you.

wickedgoodtrader · #5 11-30-2006, 11:02 AM

The thought of feeling bad for taking someones money at the poker table has never crossed my mind. i don't think it should cross any real poker players mind. 600 to gramps is prolly nutin anyway.. gets his blood flowing a bit.

Unknown Soldier · #6 11-30-2006, 12:22 PM

you should be willing to ruthlessly bust your own grandpa at the table. If you aren't then you shouldn't play. It's his choice to play, not yours. If you're really worried about a player losing too much money then speak to them after the game (best not to if you dont know them).

lef1000 · #7 11-30-2006, 04:08 PM

i dont feel that bad about it
i mean i still will take every last dollar of him
i just sorta feel a lil bad cuz i diddnt think he was some rich elderly man he came across as more middle class and i felt a lil bad about it thats all i felt like he wasnt enjoying himself and the game was too fast paced for him short handed. I am serious about poker i just know how it feels to get owned by better players and not realizing it until after the fact.

Unknown Soldier · #8 11-30-2006, 05:42 PM

this is an example to the fact that any emotion in regards to gambling is always -EV

vhawk01 · #9 11-30-2006, 08:21 PM

[ QUOTE ]
you should be willing to ruthlessly bust your own grandpa at the table. If you aren't then you shouldn't play. It's his choice to play, not yours. If you're really worried about a player losing too much money then speak to them after the game (best not to if you dont know them).

[/ QUOTE ]

This is absurd. You certainly do not have to feel this way to be a winning player. You just shouldn't play at tables with people you are uncomfortable destroying.

portisfreak · #10 11-30-2006, 08:24 PM

The fact he's sitting at 6/12 might be an indicator that:

a) he might have a gambling problem, though if money was that much of an issue, I think he'd get the same kick as playing 2/4.
b) or he's quite rich, and while he doesn't seem to show it, has an ego problem with playing a less tougher game.
c) or all of the above.

I'd be unlikely to have any qualms about taking his money. Though if you're that concerned, try getting some table chat going and find out where he is in his game to get a hint why he's donating so much.