Playing poker is a journey of discoveries. When you play a table you know that people will play differently and you are looking for subtle mood-behaviors to clue you in. But, when the whole table is moody, it means you've discovered something new-something that may insurmountable, even for a good player.
I was recently playing a lower limit game while on the waiting list for my usual no-limit game. I was having a good time and the other players were responding to my invitations to be jovial. With this enjoyable table, I was also doing well in the game. Occasionally, I would run across a player who was non-responsive-that's usually their style of playing poker. In the midst of this joyous occasion, as I was doing pretty well-as good as you can at a lower limit table-I was called to my no-limit game.
What a vast difference! Players were very serious, sullen, and didn't respond to any conversation or my invites to be less serious. What a drag? They were all there to compete and didn't want to use poker as any kind of social outlet. I should have just gotten up and left the table. Instead, I went against my own standard. I guess because I had waited so long to get into the no-limit game. I remembered what I said in a previous article entitled, When Not to Play Poker. I actually advised against playing at this type of table:
Playing when you are not having a good time. Not enjoying a table may mean that all the other players are moody and seem to be having a horrible time or they are not there to have fun and are too serious. It's time to find another table. Perhaps all of them are chasing their losses and such down moods will eventually rub off on you. When you start not having fun and poker is more of a chore than recreation, move on!
I noticed that my jovial mood had taken on the sullen table mood, and I became sullen, untalkative, and began to lose any of my spontaneity. Of course, I began to make mistakes and went all-in when the top card on the flop was a king and I had A-K as my hole cards.
Of course this was a mistake, because my opponent raised with his pocket aces before the flop. When he called me, I knew it was too late. Luckily, it didn't wipe me out and I managed to gradually come back. However, that move didn't cheer me up and the rest of the time was boring. I wasn't having much fun. I violated one of my own rules. I stayed in a game when I wasn't having fun with the players around me. I know, I know... the way to get me off of a table would be to see that I am not having much fun. If you use this information against me, I will know it!
The other times not to play at a table, even if it is loaded with cheerful players, is when
1) You are depressed and are playing the game to raise your spirits.
2) Playing when you can't afford it. And
3) Playing when you are upset.
What I discovered this time was that playing at a table like this will depress, rather than raise your spirits. I also realized that I was winning at the lower limit game and leaving that game meant that I really couldn't afford to move to a higher stacks at the time.
Finally, I discovered that somehow I was becoming more and more upset-particularly when I went all-in and lost. So, it's a good idea to come to the game with certain standards and I discovered that I don't always follow my own advice.
Jim McKenna has been practicing psychotherapy for more than thirty-five years. His books include the acclaimed Beyond Tells: Power Poker Psychology, Beyond Bluffs: Master the Mysteries of Poker, and Beyond Traps: The Anatomy of Poker Success, all published by Kensington Press. Write to Jim@Jimmckenna-PhD.com.
