While on the train to the BDL tournament last weekend, I shared a car with a small group of middle-school students and their teacher. One of the boys in the class had found some used scratch-off tickets on the floor and was playing with them. “I’m gonna win $100!” he declared, showing one of the cards to his teacher.
“No you’re not, you’re not playing the game right.”
“Yuh-huh, I’m gonna win $100. Look how many words I found.”
“You’re not following the rules. You’re only supposed to scratch off your letters.”
“Look how many words. I’m gonna win $20,000!”
“You can’t win $20,000, you’re 11 years old.”
“I’m ’bout to win $20,000!”
“No, you’re not. Those cards were already scratched off, that’s why someone left them behind.”
This finally quieted the boy for a moment. Then he looked up at his teacher and told her, “Yo, you bad luck!”
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While playing at the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, I watched a regular with a set get all-in against a flush draw and lose on the river. “You always do this shit to me!” he shouted at the dealer, in such an exaggeratedly angry way that I assumed he must know her and be joking around with her, because how could you actually be that angry at the dealer?
It quickly became clear, from the way the other regulars reacted, that this clown was serious. They tried telling him to call down, but he kept on. “No, you guys don’t see it all. It’s just her, and she’s been doing it to me for months. Stay away from me!” he told the dealer.
Finally an old Chinese man sitting to his right chimed in. “What you yell at her for? She don’t shuffle the card, the machine shuffle the card. She don’t do nothing to you.” You know you have a problem when an old Chinese gambler tells you you’re too superstitious.
ROFL great story! I saw someone live 10min time bank pre-flop after 3 other ppl were all-in and he was only one left to act. He turned his TT face-up and entire table knew it was a snap much. Finally he folds and gets shown AA, KK, QQ. Flop is Txx and he effing loses it about what a horrible fold he made, blah blah blah.
Was 100% not a level.
There was a logic-less wonder back in a casino in Kingston I used to go to. He played a lot. One time he 3 bet me on the button and got cold 4’d huge by some old lady in the blinds. He said “guess its going to be a quick buy in” and called all in for significantly more. He tabled QQ to her AA and then was distraught, end of the world. When he binked the Q on the flop he pumped both arms in the air (this is a 30-40 year old man) and was hollering. He gave a beat his chest like a gorilla finale to the celebration. I couldn’t resist and said something to the effect “Who won?” his response (shouting at me) “Hey that’s my money out there!” I didn’t really know what to make of that hahaha
Anyways maybe a week later I was there and he coolered me with 55 on 775,3 versus my A7 and he immediately stood up and started yelling at the dealer “don’t do it to me!” He was dead serious. I had to laugh at that (on the inside).
I can’t say that I didn’t experience schadenfreude upon future encounters. Some players just make things way too hard on themselves.
Nice.I expected from Tandler that he will analyze such examples in detail in his book.
I give you my analysis.
Earlier I will have similar observation(judgment) like you. -Unlike this this (tilt-monkey)regular I am beyond that -I am fu Budda.
Let’s say I lose 10 buyins in row in similar circumstances.(your set vs flush draw, turn-allin) .
I seems I still take this sequence just as a duck takes to water. NO hostility toward my opponnet or rigged poker site.
Earlier in my mental poker development I felt anger and frustration towards irrational entities.Should I be proud because of this progress? LOL.
Probably no really.I learned from experience that you make progress and ego make progress too -reinventing itself.
If you are able to carefully observe your mind you will see that this irrational hostility is not lost.
In my case after 10 buyins is lost I experience precognition-illusion in allin situations.
I know before turn or river card is dealt that I will loose because river will complete his flush or str8.
This is impression is so fu real that it starts bother me.
At intellectual level I know that this is illusion and I can not trust my mind. Clearly my perception of the reality became very selective.
And I do not identify myself with my mind like you or most poker players.-I do not take my mind seriously OK?. How I am better that this regular? Tell me.
So Andrew my conclusion is: Do not be so proud that you are fu Budda unlike this tilt monkey.You are not.
You should ask yourself question: what is new coverup created by your ego to make you feel good?- better that the rest.
Whenever I am in danger of losing my cool, I remember Herbert Yardley – “I don’t believe in luck – only in the law of probability”.
The thing that gets me is the players who feel personally offended somehow when a 20% chance comes off – as if it is somehow ‘unfair’. I remember once a conversation with a player who had folded 3-3 and there was then a flop of (I think) A-Q-3 or something similiar with K-K, A-K and A-Q also in the pot. He kept talkinga bout how he ‘should have played’. I eventually said – “Mate, if you sit on 19 in blackjack, and the next card is a 2, do you keep talking about how you ‘should have’ taken another card?
He was quiet for a while after that.
I have a quote I remember whenever I’m in a situation with someone losing their cool. It comes from Tilt (TV show about poker from ESPN Production, I think from 2005). Micheal Madsen’s character and some board member guy make a power play to oust the president of the casino. After the ousted president goes on a tirade Madsen says something like “Forgive him. When someone goes on tilt you have to give them certain allowances”. He said it in a sarcastic, badass kind of way, and it’s probably because of the delivery that it stuck with me. However it truly is great advice for all situations. I’ve tried to explain it to my non-poker playing friends and coworkers, but they just don’t seem to understand.