Keeping frequently losing players happy?

[ImGoodToGo]

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Have any of the losers at your game indicated that they're on the verge of not playing?

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Well, every week it seems like somebody who's been running (or playing) extrememly poorly the last couple of sessions comes up with a really lame excuse to miss a game or two... and trust me, most of these guys would arrive late to their grandmothers wake in order to play another couple of pots... I just don't want to see this game die off, considering it's not only very profitable, but very fun.

[You're No Daisy]

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Food and beer... what's left everyone?

Get some women coming to the games.

:-)

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Me and my buddies did the same thing in college 10-12 years ago in our dorm suite. We would usually have Friday night cards and as we got to know the girls on our floor they'd ask if they could play too. At first we were like, "No...you girls probably don't even know how to play." We didn't feel like teaching them how to play Jacks or Better, stud, or draw poker. However, a couple of the girls already knew how to play, so they showed their friends how to play and they ended up joining us the next time we played. Needless to say, when you mix cards with beer and college girls some interesting things can happen toward then end of the night when everyone is drunk and inhibitions are all but gone. We got the girls naked a few times playing strip 5 card draw. For the guys who lost money, the naked chicks made it well worth the buy-in...especially if they hooked up [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

It was pretty fun because we became good friends with girls and they looked forward to Friday night cards...as did I. God I miss college!!!

[ChrisAJ]

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I suggest befriending them and even talking to them before the game starts and offering them pointers. I GAURANTEE that they will keep coming back if you offer them advice and make them into better players.

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Good suggestion, just don't sound like an ass when doing this. It's really easy for someone to take good advice the wrong way and it all backfires on you. My core group is four of us who've talked strategy and tried to educate each other, but some people just plain don't want to hear about odds or position or outs... They just want to play and gamble.

This same thing has been a discussion between the four of my group who's been running a local game for about two years. Every now and then it seems like it will all collapse but the same people have been coming back to lose multiple buy-ins every week. Free food is awesome, and if you're friendly, which it sounds like you are, it goes a long way to creating a good atmosphere.

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Exactly. If you happen to have a good poker book or two, you can always ask if they'd like to borrow it/them. In addition to talking to them before the game, grab them after - mention a play they made, ask if they considered playing it differently, and possibly mention that the subject came up in a book you read.

[flatline]

Don't give poker advice unless asked. People don't want to hear it. If they really wanted to know how to play better, the information is easily accessible on the net; no one is hiding it.

[ChrisAJ]

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Don't give poker advice unless asked. People don't want to hear it. If they really wanted to know how to play better, the information is easily accessible on the net; no one is hiding it.

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Valid point, but in this case it might be worth it. Don't be obvious about it - treat them as an equal and it might pay off long-term. I think the objective here is to engage them in "poker talk" and maintain their interest. Just a thought.

[Rican 904]

Dakota hit it dead on. Free food and social interaction = All right!

[ChrisAJ]

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Dakota hit it dead on. Free food and social interaction = All right!

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You're probably right... been so long since college I forgot the draw of free food (not to mention social interaction).

[pfapfap]

This is how our trickle-up economy works. Someone has to lose for us to win. The nature of any game is that the losers rotate in and out while the winners consistently profit over time.

Instead of trying to keep the game going with a set number of people, maybe you can focus on creating a game where people can play or not play as they choose. Enlarge your player pool, work on getting it known that there will be a game at the same time and the same place every week. If you have limited space, then the first-come first-seated aspect of it might sustain the "high demand" appeal of it.

And don't be afraid to buy a bottle of hooch now and again, too. Make the environment pleasant. Maybe you know some people who don't play but aren't against hanging out and chatting or playing videogames or whatever else in the same area. That way when someone busts out, s/he's not limited to standing around staring at everyone else play with his/her chips.

[ZenMusician]

The nice folks at the Watham game let
me win every once in a while. It keeps
me coming back!

-ZEN

[Rican 904]

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The nice folks at the Watham game let
me win every once in a while. It keeps
me coming back!

-ZEN

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Nuff Said [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]