Losing low limit players online: who are they?

[r0eKY]

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My mates who are generally loosing low stakes online players do it for a number of reasons:

They enjoy the game (therefore they enjoy playing lots of pots)
To blow off steam
To gamble (they gamble on other things so poker is no different)
They put together a nice run and think they are better than they are
They look at the short term (winning a big pot is more important than winning in the long term)

I don't really understand though given the reasons they play that they have no interest in playing better. They play a few times a week both online and live and will loose money in the long term (not huge amounts as they aren't terrible). Given the amount of time they spend playing I try to educate them to play better. I tell them to have a read of a couple of books, think about pot odds more than they do, reavluate why they are raising etc and to have a look at 2+2. None of them take this advice. We'll be playing a home game and a hand will come up. Afterwards in a non-patronising manner I will go over the hand with them asking them their thought process and how I think they could improve their play in that situation. They don't want to know and seem almost convinced I'nm trying to decieve them in how to play. Usually I get responses like 'It just felt like the right thing to do'. I guess the main thing is that they look to the short term and don't have the patience to find out that poker is potentially much more fun and sattisfying if you win lots of money.

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i have alot of dumb friends i try 2 teach the gossple 2 and i get the same response as above [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

so here's the trick, just keep telling them they are good and we all can ride this poker wave together [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[winky51]

All I have to say is thank you to these people.

#1 For me that "woo hoo" congratulations and the chips sliding over is what makes my nipples hard.

#2 The strategy involved in out witting your opponents.

But seriously if you are winning at poker look back at how long it took you. How many books did you read to get where you are at. If you look deep it is very very difficult to get good enough to make good money. You really have to have a love for the game and instincts.

discipline, patience, analysis, psychology, intraspectivness, mathematics, emotional stability, and money management.

Thats a tall order to fill to get good at a game. Most people don't get through more than one on the list and they do it half assed. These players seek their "right now" needs and luckily don't realize it takes more to play or don't want to put in the effort.

Gamblers have no patience, they like the rush of the immidiate gratification of winning. Others just like it for the entertainment. I was like that when the indians here had 25 cent poker. On $40 you could play for 2-3 hours. about 8 years ago when I thought poker was all luck.

[PocketElevens]

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Slot machine players.

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You summed up in one short sentence what I was trying to say in serval paragraphs [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

We aren't gamblers so we dont get it.

But what ever motivates those fools to pump half their paychecks into the slots week after week after week, motivates losing poker players to keep topping up their accounts.

[IDN101]

Maybe just ordinary people enjoying themselves, happy in the knowledge that it's actually going to cost them a small amount of money to do so. Just like many other forms of entertainment.

I think possibly you're asking the right question in the wrong place. By definition, (IMHO) 99.9% of people who actually read your question (ie here on 2+2) are taking the game pretty seriously (across a range of limits / levels).

Just my thought.

Regards,
Ian

[checkmate36]

My buddy says if you only play 15% of your hands everyone will know you have AA when you play and you won't get any action. Everyone knows its a game of luck and you can't win. I only play garbage because thats what wins when I have AA.

This was all said by my buddy who doesn't know any better. I prefer to keep it that way. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[satya]

I think there are many different types of losers. I was a loser when I started playing. I don't happen to like losing and I don't have disposable income or a rich daddy, so I stopped playing and started reading. My guess is that there are lots of losers like me. They either get better, keep losing 'til the money runs out, or leave and come back when they have the extra cash to try again with - i.e they don't learn from their mistakes.

I haven't checked the stats lately but the average US I-net user is/was male, 30+, college educated, professional with disposable income. Disposable income seems to be key for the been around the tables forever type "loser".

To be a consistent long term loser they'd have to have the income to feed the bankroll since they aren't winning it. So, that tells me, they are either addicted or are simply playing for the recreational value - so what if it costs them? Low limit is cheap fun, a release, something not the 50-60hr a week grind in a job they might not like. That or they're a spoiled rich kid who doesn't have to learn from their mistakes.

As far as identifying who plays which style? I'd think it's more personality based. Some people are naturally more aggressive than others. Could be though that the aggressives are passive in 'real life'. The "I can hide behind the monitor and act like an idiot" phenomenon is apparent in the rooms I play in - among the winners and losers! [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Of course then again maybe the maniacs just watch too much TV which tells us over and over aggression wins. In fact, I play limit and see lots of people (seemingly) play like it's NL. So, add "they watch too much TV and believe everything it tells them without question" to the list of traits! [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[UATrewqaz]

I seriously doubt those 70-90% VPIP guys I see on Party poker give a damn about proper poker strategy.

They want to play, not fold. Playing is more important than winning.

I was on a particularly loose table the other day (.5/1 PP) had 4 players over 60 VPIP and of course some table coach starts yelling at them how stupid they all are (some guy with T7o caught some crazy straight on the river) and the guy who he was berating pretty much summed it up

"It's only 50 cents to a see a flop"

The limits are so low .5/1 that it doesn't feel like that bad of a mistake to call anything preflop for "just .50 cents" when to an experience player it's 1/2 a BB, regardless of limits you are at.

Loose low limit losers jsut don't understand they spend about $20 chasing hopeless crap to win that miracle $15 pot.

[tom10167]

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I lost thousands last year learning how to play poker and an infinite amount about BR management.

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[belgianbeerlover]

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I personally don't get what kind of enjoyment someone could get with sitting down with $50 or something and just throwing it away when they could get a video game that lasts much longer or a lot of delicious turkey sandwiches.

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Mmmmm... I am also a lover of delicious turkey sandwiches. These people obviously are not, or maybe all they've ever had is that compressed water added turkey product crap. I'm quite sure if they ever tried a turkey sandwich from leftover Thanksgiving turkey or some really yummy smoked turkey- they'd quit dumping their money into on-line poker.

[XRolandX]

Many of the posters have talked about trying to "teach" their pals how to play better. They don't want to learn. If they did they would be seeking you out grasshopper. The difference is they like to play, we like to win!