Poker nights should be more fun: A rant (1 Viewer)

Beakertwang

Beakertwang

Royal Flush
Tourney Director
Joined
May 22, 2018
Messages
12,509
Reaction score
23,960
Location
Iowa
It was a bad night tonight. We've been having some nice low-stakes games lately, but tonight kind of stunk.

I schedule the games, I have the chips, I have the folding poker table. I agreed to have it at a buddy's house, because his pregnant wife wanted play. 7:00 start time. Their take-out food arrives at 10 after 7, so they're eating. 4 players no-show, and 3 show up at 7:30, which is fine, since the homeowner (HO) and his brother are still eating. One guy shows up (late) with his girlfriend (unannounced--I told him we could have a learning night sometime for those who, like her, who have never played). She spent the night looking over the hand order list, taking a minute to call any bet. HO's wife shows up to the table at 8:15, and he buys her in.

HO and his brother say they don't want to play a tourney where top two cash out (three after all ten are there). They always play winner take all, and every (dice) chip is a dime. Do you want to play cash, or tournament? We finally agree to tourney, and top three pay. Since we only have 6 at the time, we do deep stacks so we can play for a while. Do a card draw for seating assignments, and HO refuses to move from his chair for some reason (I missed this part, as I was busy handing out chips). I hand out the stacks and fire up the timer app. Then, 4 more players show up. There were 8 re-buys in the first 3 levels--everyone but me and HO. And now, I'm pretty much out of chips for color ups. Lesson learned.

Brother has all his 100's and 500's hiding behind his 5's. He bets 500 into my Aces up, I ask him how much he has, and he won't answer, so I suggest that the big chips should be out front. He and a new guy complain that it's a dumb rule, then he grabs a stack and puts 800 more in, and throws a fit when I tell him he can't do that. "You hadn't done anything yet, so I can change my bet." It didn't matter, since I was going to shove over him anyway. He calls and busts out. He and a new guy gripe at me about relaxing; those things don't matter anyway. It's supposed to be fun, right?

The aforementioned new guy gripes that he wants to go home at about 10:30. I told him he can leave, and we'll blind him out. He keeps complaining, so I ask him if he really wants to go home. He says yes, so I offer him his buy-in back, just to get him out of there. Then he wants to keep the 500 chips that he was up over his original stack and keep playing. Was mad when I wouldn't let him.

HO wants the blinds to stop at 50/100, pregnant mom also wants to stop playing, so we give her buy-in back. Then when my son busts out in 3rd (AJ vs AA), and HO doesn't want to give him any money, because "he lost".

Then, to top it off...I'm the big stack at the table, 4-handed. several limpers to me in the BB, I check with 72o. Flop comes 7K2 rainbow. I check, get a raiser, and a big re-raise from the homeowner on the button, and I shove. I barely have him covered, and he calls with K 10. Turn 5, River 5, and he wins with 2 pair, and acts like he outplayed me. (OK, this is just poker. I got my money in way ahead. It sucks, but I'm never tilted when I make the right play and someone sucks out on me.)

Honestly, if they wanted to run the game their way, it would be fine. I could play and have fun. They can get their own chips, invite people, etc. They could play Indian poker for pistachios all night, and I could enjoy myself. I jsut feel like I let the game get hijacked from me, and it's not the kind of game I would want to host. I should have known it would be like this. HO and his brother are both type-A personalities, and tend to run over people in a lot of different situations. Don't get me wrong, they're decent guys, and I like them a lot. Well...I like HO at least. Just on their turf, I should've known it would be an issue.

We have a FB page. I'm thinking about posting the kind of game I want to host, with a link to the PDF rules. If they want me to host the game at their house, I'll make announcements, I'll bring the chips, table, timer, rules, etc., but I run the game. If they want to run their own game, that's fine.

Rant over.
 
Last edited:
Not to mention HO constantly throwing his bets across the table. And a guy deciding the break needed to come before his deal, instead of in 20 minutes, like scheduled, so he could get his smoke, and it turning into 20 minutes, while people talk, run to the nearby convenience store, and then finally decide to use the restroom.
 
If it makes you feel any better one of my group of friends (who only comes along to make numbers up really and doesn’t much like poker) wanted to cash out his profit at 10pm because that’s the cutoff I set for earliest cash out and then continue playing with only the profit.

Just to keep the peace I allowed it. So annoying.

I’ve been slowly trying to find players at my local casino that I can invite so that I don’t need to invite the friends that are useless players.
 
I'm like you man, I'm all for a small stakes, social, relaxed game. But it didn't sound like poker was being played, they were just throwing cards and chips in the direction of people and making it up as they go.

You like the guys, but I don't think you need the stress of hosting this group again. Playing yes, hosting, maybe not. This is just me personally, but I'm not a fan of hosting at other peoples houses. The host sets the tone for the game and it sounds like since it was his house, and he is an alpha personality, you were put behind the eight ball from the start. If you end up hosting from your house, then it can be your game, your rules (and someday soon, your new spirit molds) and I think there would be less chance of the stragglers, which seemed to throw the game off.
 
Beakertwang said:
It was a bad night tonight. We've been having some nice low-stakes games lately, but tonight kind of stunk.

I schedule the games, I have the chips, I have the folding poker table. I agreed to have it at a buddy's house, because his pregnant wife wanted play. 7:00 start time. Their take-out food arrives at 10 after 7, so they're eating. 4 players no-show, and 3 show up at 7:30, which is fine, since the homeowner (HO) and his brother are still eating. One guy shows up (late) with his girlfriend (unannounced--I told him we could have a learning night sometime for those who, like her, who have never played). She spent the night looking over the hand order list, taking a minute to call any bet. HO's wife shows up to the table at 8:15, and he buys her in.

HO and his brother say they don't want to play a tourney where top two cash out (three after all ten are there). They always play winner take all, and every (dice) chip is a dime. Do you want to play cash, or tournament? We finally agree to tourney, and top three pay. Since we only have 6 at the time, we do deep stacks so we can play for a while. Do a card draw for seating assignments, and HO refuses to move from his chair for some reason (I missed this part, as I was busy handing out chips). I hand out the stacks and fire up the timer app. Then, 4 more players show up. There were 8 re-buys in the first 3 levels--everyone but me and HO. And now, I'm pretty much out of chips for color ups. Lesson learned.

Brother has all his 100's and 500's hiding behind his 5's. He bets 500 into my Aces up, I ask him how much he has, and he won't answer, so I suggest that the big chips should be out front. He and a new guy complain that it's a dumb rule, then he grabs a stack and puts 800 more in, and throws a fit when I tell him he can't do that. "You hadn't done anything yet, so I can change my bet." It didn't matter, since I was going to shove over him anyway. He calls and busts out. He and a new guy gripe at me about relaxing; those things don't matter anyway. It's supposed to be fun, right?

The aforementioned new guy gripes that he wants to go home at about 10:30. I told him he can leave, and we'll blind him out. He keeps complaining, so I ask him if he really wants to go home. He says yes, so I offer him his buy-in back, just to get him out of there. Then he wants to keep the 500 chips that he was up over his original stack and keep playing. Was mad when I wouldn't let him.

HO wants the blinds to stop at 50/100, pregnant mom also wants to stop playing, so we give her buy-in back. Then when my son busts out in 3rd (AJ vs AA), and HO doesn't want to give him any money, because "he lost".

Then, to top it off...I'm the big stack at the table, 4-handed. several limpers to me in the BB, I check with 72o. Flop comes 7K2 rainbow. I check, get a raiser, and a big re-raise from the homeowner on the button, and I shove. I barely have him covered, and he calls with K 10. Turn 5, River 5, and he wins with 2 pair, and acts like he outplayed me. (OK, this is just poker. I got my money in way ahead. It sucks, but I'm never tilted when I make the right play and someone sucks out on me.)

Honestly, if they wanted to run the game their way, it would be fine. I could play and have fun. They can get their own chips, invite people, etc. They could play Indian poker for pistachios all night, and I could enjoy myself. I jsut feel like I let the game get hijacked from me, and it's not the kind of game I would want to host. I should have known it would be like this. HO and his brother are both type-A personalities, and tend to run over people in a lot of different situations. Don't get me wrong, they're decent guys, and I like them a lot. Well...I like HO at least. Just on their turf, I should've known it would be an issue.

We have a FB page. I'm thinking about posting the kind of game I want to host, with a link to the PDF rules. If they want me to host the game at their house, I'll make announcements, I'll bring the chips, table, timer, rules, etc., but I run the game. If they want to run their own game, that's fine.

Rant over.
Click to expand...


That sounds like a nightmare.

I would say forget the rules. Forget 'teaching' them what a game should be.
Get Out ! run don't walk, to the nearest exit and dont look back.

For sure post a game you would like to host on FB or wherever, have the itinerary layed out, blinds, buy-ins etc. and emphasize house rules.

Yeah poker is supposed to be fun. But only when everyone is playing by the same rules.

Good luck.
 
MatB said:
That sounds like a nightmare.

For sure post a game you would like to host on FB or wherever, have the itinerary layed out, blinds, buy-ins etc. and emphasize house rules.

Yeah poker is supposed to be fun. But only when everyone is playing by the same rules.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

To add to this idea, try and find a few players that you know play by the rules and schedule games according to when they can make then. Then at least you'll have some backup when it comes to playing by the rules. But yeah, I'd rather not play than play in a game like this.
 
Perthmike said:
If it makes you feel any better one of my group of friends (who only comes along to make numbers up really and doesn’t much like poker) wanted to cash out his profit at 10pm because that’s the cutoff I set for earliest cash out and then continue playing with only the profit.

Just to keep the peace I allowed it. So annoying.
Click to expand...
I feel like a good natured ball busting could take care of this situation. That way he would do it once, but only once.
 
longflop said:
I feel like a good natured ball busting could take care of this situation. That way he would do it once, but only once.
Click to expand...
Don’t worry I busted his balls no end. I let him get away with it because we would have been down to 5 handed. Hes also not a winning player and mostly comes because he is in my group of friends so his presence keeps the numbers up.

It helps build his interest if he leaves with some profit.
 
I lost interest at "every (dice) chip is a dime".

Nothing that happened after that was a surprise, and could have been worse.

Set up and run a real poker game/tournament with rules, and stick to your guns. Or go play in the clueless kiddie game, and enjoy it for what it is.

But don't try to do both simultaneously.
 
Sounds pretty crappy for sure.

I remember I attended a game about 5-6 years ago for a tourney. I was at the hosts wife table and she acted like she knew everything about poker. 3 table tourney.

She limps in and I am two seats to her left and raise pre flop. Goes around back to her and takes her chips back out of the pot and says " I didn't know you were going to raise so I'm taking my chips back."

I tell her she cannot do that. Gets all pissed off and still keeps the chips. So I let it go because she was a complete bitch about it.

I then get moved because another player gets knocked out. An hour or so passes and she was knocked out. She comes up to me and taps me on the shoulder and says hey can we talk. God dammit. I say well I'm still playing. She says just a minute. I agree.

She then bitches me out again and says this is her house and she can do whatever she wants. I say calm down but you cannot do what you did. I say you this is your house but those are poker tournament rules. I'm not here to argue with you. I'm still in and need to keep playing. I sat back down and she hasn't liked me ever since.

Ha ha!
 
Last edited:
Kyle said:
Sounds pretty scrappy for sure.

I remember I attended a game about 5-6 years ago for a tourney. I was at the hosts wife table and she acted like she knew everything about poker. 3 table tourney.

She limps in and I am two seats to her left and raise pre flop. Goes around back to her and takes her chips back out of the pot and says " I didn't know you were going to raise so I'm taking my chips back."

I tell her she cannot do that. Gets all pissed off and still keeps the chips. So I let it go because she was a complete bitch about it.

I then get moved because another player gets knocked out. An hour or so passes and she was knocked out. She comes up to me and taps me on the shoulder and says hay can we talk. God dammit. I say well I'm still playing. She says just a minute. I agree.

She then bitches me out again and says this is her house and she can do whatever she wants. I say calm down bit you cannot do what you did. I say you this is your house but those are poker tournament rules. Im not here to argue with you. I'm still in and need to keep playing. I sat back down and she hasn't liked me ever since.

Ha ha!
Click to expand...
Its funny because I don't think that these type of people know that they don't really like playing poker, they just have fun making the physical motions of looking at cards and tossing chips around. I get that. I'll go down to my table by myself and shuffle and pitch cards to an empty table, deal and play out hands to see how the cards fall, and shuffle chips, because that's a fun break to me. But that's not playing poker.

I'm no Analrapist, but I think it has to do with people not being able to accept that sometimes things don't go their way, even when it is supposed to, and they just can't handle that.
 
That sounds absolutely horrible. I probably would have gotten shitfaced drunk and never play with them again in that environment.

In the future bring one of them at a time into a real game so they are the only idiot and everyone else will get on them for their horrible behavior. Morons is groups feel stronger.

But realistically, I’d cut all poker ties with them all.
 
Sprouty said:
Anytime I have come across someone saying this, they are always an Analrapist.
Click to expand...
One of my favorite episodes

Tobias Fünke: You're forgetting, Lindsay, that as a psychiatrist, I was a professional twice over - an analyst and a therapist. The world's first "analrapist".

Lindsay Funke: Yeah, and you were almost arrested for those business cards.

Tobias Fünke: [after showing the business card] Yes, but I didn't stop because of the police inquiries, I stopped to help raise our little girl. Where is Maeby, anyways?
 
Anthony Martino said:
ugh, "casuals". Yeah, I remember a game where if two players tied (i.e. they made broadway) these guys would go to the 6th card to break the tie. Run away from this shit, it's tilting to play with people who have clue zero
Click to expand...

Wow that makes no sense.

They just burn and turn until someone makes a flush? No other hands make sense if they're sharing the cards that make broadway.
 
JustinInMN said:
Wow that makes no sense.

They just burn and turn until someone makes a flush? No other hands make sense if they're sharing the cards that make broadway.
Click to expand...

Let's say the board is 8TJAK and one player has QT and one has Q7. They would award the pot to the guy with QT because his 6th card (the Ten) was higher than the other guys kicker. So he had a straight to the Ace with a ten kicker and the other guy had a straight to the ace with a 7 kicker, yeah, I know, wtf????
 
longflop said:
One of my favorite episodes

Tobias Fünke: You're forgetting, Lindsay, that as a psychiatrist, I was a professional twice over - an analyst and a therapist. The world's first "analrapist".

Lindsay Funke: Yeah, and you were almost arrested for those business cards.

Tobias Fünke: [after showing the business card] Yes, but I didn't stop because of the police inquiries, I stopped to help raise our little girl. Where is Maeby, anyways?
Click to expand...


That poker game need a new start. 'Anustart'
 
longflop said:
One of my favorite episodes

Tobias Fünke: You're forgetting, Lindsay, that as a psychiatrist, I was a professional twice over - an analyst and a therapist. The world's first "analrapist".

Lindsay Funke: Yeah, and you were almost arrested for those business cards.

Tobias Fünke: [after showing the business card] Yes, but I didn't stop because of the police inquiries, I stopped to help raise our little girl. Where is Maeby, anyways?
Click to expand...

For those that still need more context...

 
Anthony Martino said:
Let's say the board is 8TJAK and one player has QT and one has Q7. They would award the pot to the guy with QT because his 6th card (the Ten) was higher than the other guys kicker. So he had a straight to the Ace with a ten kicker and the other guy had a straight to the ace with a 7 kicker, yeah, I know, wtf????
Click to expand...

Oh I get it now, but that's still pretty dumb.

So what if there is no T on the board and both players hold QT for the straight? That's a chop?

Does this practice apply to other situations. Say A8 v A6 on a A44QJ board? What about on an ATT64 board, does "Three pair" play? These are the "logical" extensions of trying to go beyond the five card rules.
 

Create an account or login to comment

You must be a member in order to leave a comment

Create account

Create an account and join our community. It's easy!

Register

Log in

Already have an account? Log in here.

Similar threads

3
How do you explain to someone why they weren't invited to a game?
2 3 4
Replies
112
Views
4K
doctorchips
D
TheYeti
Progressive Bad Beat - should new players be immediately eligible?
Replies
5
Views
227
kingdeuceoff
K
JLK8
Player Left Without Counting His Money WWYD?
3 4 5
Replies
148
Views
7K
Labrat
L
Preditor
Uninviting Friends?
2
Replies
59
Views
3K
Preditor
Preditor
Lord_Foldemort
How do you deal with drunk players? WWYD?
2
Replies
43
Views
2K
LowerBama1714
LowerBama1714
Back
Top Bottom