Older men complaining about my cbet.

[dune]

Thanks for all of the advice.
I care about the social side as I spend a lot of time there.
Plenty of these guys bluff up a storm when they sense weakness. It's a very passive game and I think it could be because they're not used to being pressured unless their opponent has something.

[Moozh]

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In the casino I play at, I cbet a much higher % than everyone else. I've noticed that, from even the best players that are say 55+, I am consistently being talked down to whenever I cbet and they are much more likely to cr me or call w not much. Of course, I use this to my advantage but the "social" side of it isn't always pleasant as they go on and on in a harsh tone about how if I was against them that hand they would have called or when I fold to their cr they mock me and say they knew I had overcards. Is their frustration just because I take them out of their comfort zone? I find it highly peculiar.

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Wait long to post?

This seems more like a strategy question than a psychology question. If you're playing at a casino with other regulars, sure you want to maintain a good atmosphere. But changing your game to create this is not the right approach.

Regarding the guys who complain, just be pleasant and don't take things personally while you continue to play the best poker you can.

Regarding their adjustments, this is pretty straight-forward stuff here. If they bluff a lot when they sense weakness, tighten up and don't c-bet/bluff as much. If they just talk the talk but don't like to commit their chips, let them talk and keep c-betting more. I feel like all of this is basic stuff though.

[justaPlayer]

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I care about the social side


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lol

[justaPlayer]

Knitting Nancy needlepoints daily with all her friends, and they gossip and have gingersnaps over noon Earl Grey.

[dagreez]

Put yourself in their shoes for a minute. They're old. A lot of the time that means their mental faculties are wearing down and/or they've becomes used to playing a certain way... their 'style' is more defined and they have trouble adjusting to others, or have trouble thinking on their 'toes'.

Enter young whipersnapper who in their eyes is being aggressive and continually putting them in difficult spots with c-bets that could mean a variety of things... top pair, middle pair, a draw, air etc...

They don't want to, or are unable to, make difficult decisions, balancing your range of hands and such, so they get uncomfortable in these situations where they can't easily put you on a hand.

You confuse them by mixing up your play and they get angry because they can't keep up.

On the theoretical poker side, this is what you want, playing against people who are on the cusp of acting emotional, out of anger, snapping back at you etc.

On the social side, you don't want to be the source of their anger and resentment which brings up a somewhat of a conundrum. In Zen they call it a Koan.

Here is the Koan as I see it:

To play optimally, you want them to not know what you have. But by them not knowing what you have, it elicits in them sense of unknowing to which they react negatively... criticism about your play and an out-to-get you mentality which is harsh rather than playful.

You don't want them to be angry since this causes them to target you negatively, but you don't want to not play optimally for obvious reasons. And since you're optimal play causes them to be angry/act negatively, the question is, what do you do?

[SellingtheDrama]

Of course they're complaining - you're making it harder for them to maximize their win rate (which is probably zero or negative, but that's another story).
I tend to be less than happy when people at my table are cutting into my win rate too.

Also - you're probably going to have to make a choice - you are either playing poker socially or for profit. It's pretty tough to achieve both, so you're probably going to have to choose one or the other.

[dune]

dagreez,
all good points. doesn't sound like there is a 100% winning solution to this that involves me playing there.

StD, I understand the choice but as I consider the casino my "working environment" I would prefer to work with people 40+ hours a week that aren't complaining about me the whole time. Some of the posters think, I'm being a wuss and maybe that's the case. But I'd rather spend my time working at something I enjoy rather than sucking at life spending it all in a casino dealing with nasty people and having it tear apart at my soul. Of course, they would prefer that as well so in effect they encourage me to see the light.