Most days I truly enjoy playing poker. I love the game and enjoy the social interaction. Unfortunately, every once in awhile, I am seated at a table with a Phil Hellmuth wannabe. Granted, this can be entertaining for a short time, but it gets old fast.
At a Lucky's tournament last weekend, one player was antagonizing another player regarding her “I voted” sticker. He was clearly trying to put this player on tilt. Another player at the table called for a decision and the brush was called over. Since this occurred during a tournament, the clock kept ticking while all of this unfolded. I guess the tactic worked because virtually all the players were on tilt from the experience. Four hours later, it was still the talk of the tournament. Just for the record, the player who started everything was NOT at the final table. I am sure many of you have poker pet peeves too! Following are a few more of mine:
1) Don’t show me your hand. I don’t want to know what you have. If you are so proud of it, play it until showdown!
2) Don’t act out of turn. This materially impacts the game and cost somebody money!
3) Don’t blame the dealer. Instead, tip the dealer – it’s good karma.
Finally, enjoy the game. If you don’t enjoy it – stop playing and take up tennis. From the looks of his cereal commercials, John McEnroe could use a new opponent... maybe someone should suggest this to Phil Hellmuth.