Monday, November 06, 2006

"He hasn't played a hand all night"

The first time this happened (a few days ago at Flamingo), I didn't think much of it. But tonight I played for a while at Circus Circus (a pretty revolting place, but I'm gradually trying to get around to try all 52 or so Vegas poker rooms) and the same thing happened again.

At first blush, you wouldn't think much of it. Somebody bets, I put in a hefty raise, everybody folds, and the last guy to fold says something like, "I believe you--you haven't played a hand in hours." That was the Flamingo guy. The Circus Circus guy addressed the comment to his buddy in the next seat: "He has a real hand--he hasn't played a hand all night."

But the strange thing is that in both cases I had been at the table for less than ten minutes.

And no, they clearly were not being funny or ironic. In both cases, they really just hadn't noticed that somebody new had come into the game.

Brilliant way to inform the whole table that you're not paying any attention to who you're playing against.

Too many poker players have forgotten Mark Twain's advice: "Better to keep your mouth closed and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt."

4 comments:

rakethetable said...

Great Blog! I always enjoy reading the postings from Vegas. As I live in Atlanta, and never get out there. All I have are dreams of Vegas.

I will definitely add you as a link.

Thanks and good luck.

Frank said...

Just wanted to say that I'm enjoying your grumpiness. I also fare alot better playing live than on the net, and I prefer cash games over tournies, although I stick with limit games.

Anyway, keep up with the posts, they are enjoyable.

Donny The Nuts said...

Isn't this kind of an "anti-grump"? Whenever I sit at a table I want people telling me exactly how they think I play. It helps me bluff the ones who think I'm tight and trap the ones who think I'm a calling station. Too many mediocre players are so focused on getting tells from others that they forget they are shouting their own out. Exactly why I love playing in AC after 11pm.

Rakewell said...

Hey, pal, I'll decide what's grumpy and what's not around here! :-)

You're right, in a sense, of course. It certainly doesn't make me upset when opponents reveal their own stupidity. But this blog is intended to be a little broader than things that make me crazy--it's about all the stupid things that go on at a poker table. So people showing that they're not paying any attention qualifies, even if I find it more humorous than annoying.

Thanks to all for reading and commenting. And, BTW, suggestions of your own poker up-the-wall-isms are always welcome.