Why You Dont Play Cards Against "friends"

[delphi12 0]

Yesterday at Hollywood Park, I sat down next to a very nice lady who I'd been next to almost everytime I've played there. We were playing $500 min buyin $5-10 NL. We were chatting away like we always do and discussing different plays from the day before when I got dealt aces in UTG. I raised to $60, she immediately said, "$200." When it folded to me, she said, "I have a really strong hand - lay it down." So I sat there and kinda laughed and said, "We're friends, right? I'm stuck $1500 already - let me have this hand. I'm all in." The all in was for about $1200. She started saying, "Oh man.. I cant lay this down. Do you have aces?"I start laughing and say, "do you have kings?"She says, "just show me 1 ace and i'll lay this down."Then some people start taking bets that she won't call which really starts getting her angry. Then someone says the key, "hey man, show her 1 card lets get this over with."So i say, "im afraid if i show her one card, she'll call."To which she immediately calls and loses.Then she gets REALLY MAD AT ME saying that she shouldnt have lost that amount and that I should have just called her and checked it down. I said, "Im stuck and trying to get back in the game and you expect me not to try and win the most i can?"She then proceeded to lose KK to AA again during the game and then about 4 hands before I left, I was about even and had AQ clubs UTG. I raised to $60 again and she made it $200. DUH.. I know what she has. So, what do I do? This time I call and before the flop comes, I say, "lets just check this one down - I hope you catch a K." The flop comes AAQ. .. She flips over QQ and its just not her night. She of course says, "you arent supposed to call with that hand. Why did you do that?" I said, "be happy i didnt move all in on you again."New rule for me, though, I'm just not talking to anyone at the table. One other reason is that I hate seeing two or three people talking it up and being friends. I get the feeling that they will soft play with their "circle" but play me hard. I will not do that anymore and if i have no friends at the table, no hard feelings.

[109suited 0]

Some people get that way. If you play in the same place enough though, people will know that you are there to play for real, and it's not just a social thing. People I've got to know a little bit at the tables know I always play hard and don't get to worked up about it. Just be consistent is the biggest thing.

[danlux 0]

Umm talking to people is one of the biggest reasons Daniel is as good as he is. If she doesn't want you to take her money, she shouldn't be playing at the same table as you.

[petro1010 0]

Umm talking to people is one of the biggest reasons Daniel is as good as he is. If she doesn't want you to take her money, she shouldn't be playing at the same table as you.

yup...everyone is their to make money. Talk, have a good time, but in the end, your their to make money and it doesnt matter whos it is.

[Big Mike Watters 0]

Good story

[Teffy 0]

the lady is just a ****ing idiot.If you don't want every one of every single person's chips at your table, you shouldn't sit down nd play. EVER.

[nutzbuster 7]

Been here many times. you make a poker "buddy" and then crush him, or vise versa.It's a tough thing but we are all there to win, so tough titty. No different than a one on one Hoops or tennis game. Winner gets to gloat! Doesn't mean you stop being friends. She'll get over it.It is weird though and I hate taking their money...unless I'm taking Marks money! WOOT!!!

[TB17 0]

MarkandTeddyareMeanToMe@.blogspot.YSAP.com

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL, just wait till fake Teddy owns you.As for the lady, tell her to get the sand out of her vagina. Softplaying in poker is stupid. There's bingo if you want to be friends and play a competitive game.

[showstopper24 0]

some times, playing with friends is awkward

[mtdesmoines 3]

Yesterday at Hollywood Park, I sat down next to a very nice lady who I'd been next to almost everytime I've played there. We were playing $500 min buyin $5-10 NL. We were chatting away like we always do and discussing different plays from the day before when I got dealt aces in UTG. I raised to $60, she immediately said, "$200." When it folded to me, she said, "I have a really strong hand - lay it down." So I sat there and kinda laughed and said, "We're friends, right? I'm stuck $1500 already - let me have this hand. I'm all in." The all in was for about $1200. She started saying, "Oh man.. I cant lay this down. Do you have aces?"I start laughing and say, "do you have kings?"She says, "just show me 1 ace and i'll lay this down."Then some people start taking bets that she won't call which really starts getting her angry. Then someone says the key, "hey man, show her 1 card lets get this over with."So i say, "im afraid if i show her one card, she'll call."To which she immediately calls and loses.Then she gets REALLY MAD AT ME saying that she shouldnt have lost that amount and that I should have just called her and checked it down. I said, "Im stuck and trying to get back in the game and you expect me not to try and win the most i can?"She then proceeded to lose KK to AA again during the game and then about 4 hands before I left, I was about even and had AQ clubs UTG. I raised to $60 again and she made it $200. DUH.. I know what she has. So, what do I do? This time I call and before the flop comes, I say, "lets just check this one down - I hope you catch a K." The flop comes AAQ. .. She flips over QQ and its just not her night. She of course says, "you arent supposed to call with that hand. Why did you do that?" I said, "be happy i didnt move all in on you again."New rule for me, though, I'm just not talking to anyone at the table. One other reason is that I hate seeing two or three people talking it up and being friends. I get the feeling that they will soft play with their "circle" but play me hard. I will not do that anymore and if i have no friends at the table, no hard feelings.

It's not like you didn't help her out.Any more direct, and I'm calling "collusion" on you if I'm sitting there.

[psujohn 0]

1) this person isn't your "friend" they're just someone you were friendly with at the table2) anyone playing 5/10 NL should know better3) i highly suspect it was more an emotional tilt response rather than any long term resentment and it'll all be forgotten by the next session

[pbcsurfer 0]

Do you think the old bag would've taken the money from you? Of course, so just take it from her first, problem solved.

[dapokerbum 0]

No way i would of said "I will check it down" on the last flop. You shoulda taken her money and not been her "friend" after that. Who cares if she is a nice lady playing cards and you like her. She has probably seen more flops and more people come and go than you have so she should know that is just part of the game.Softplaying is for pansies.

[pbcsurfer 0]

No way i would of said "I will check it down" on the last flop. You shoulda taken her money and not been her "friend" after that. Who cares if she is a nice lady playing cards and you like her. She has probably seen more flops and more people come and go than you have so she should know that is just part of the game.Softplaying is for pansies.

Amen to THAT!!

[WallstreetMSU 0]

She shouldnt be mad...Its not like you came with a buddy and you broke him or anything. Theres one guy at Motor City that I soft play with b/c we have become kind of friends. The only reason is b/c he is a very good player and he and I both know we have really good reads on each other. I have lost alot to him in the past and he has lost alot to me so we kind of agreed to not get in each others way when we are at the same table and just concentrate on taking the money of the other 8 people at the table, mainly b/c the table is normally full of bad players.So whenever it is heads up between him and I we just check it down no matter how strong are hands are.you may think that softplaying is for pansies but i think it can be smart in certain situations.

[James D 0]

So whenever it is heads up between him and I we just check it down no matter how strong are hands are.

Has nobody you are playing with ever called you up, when they they see what you are doing?I don't know where you play, but in certain places this could be a slightly dodgy thing to do.

[silkyjonson 1]

if shes not given up da pppoooonnnaaneeeeeeee then take her money

[WallstreetMSU 0]

Has nobody you are playing with ever called you up, when they they see what you are doing?I don't know where you play, but in certain places this could be a slightly dodgy thing to do.

I understand what you are saying. But it is allowed where I play (Motor City Casino in Detroit) Its not collusion, we just choose not to bet against each other when we are heads up. We aren't "working together" or anything. Like, we arent raising and reraising other people. Its nothing like that.The way I see it, if we are heads up, we can do whatever we want. At this casino you are allowed to tell someone what you have and show your cards before you make a call and all that stuff.

[delasoul 0]

I had a good friend of mine that I play poker with a lot mostly limit when we play live so we can get wasted and not really think about the cards. He was in BB and I was SB. We both had AQ and during this time I was getting that hand shoved up my pie hole. So I raised pre-flop and he calls along with another gentlemen and the flop comes an Ace with rainbow cards. I bet on the flop he re-rasises the othe guy folds. I re-raise and he decides to cap it on me. I sit there and stare at him calling him an a-hole. I show him my AQ before I muck it. He doesn't even tell me he has the same hand. He waits till I muck my cards. I thought I was going to kick his ***Moral of the story is:If you are playing with a friend...Take his *** to the cleaners and buy him some drinks with his own money afterwards.Now when we play at a table as if we are both fishes lmao

[martinmc 0]

I like to be friendly with everyone at the table so this happens to me quite abit. I just act like I feel bad and apoligize and agree with them. I find this allows me to keep my friendly table image while i stack their chips.

[delasoul 0]

The only time I'm ever really friendly is if I have a hot chick next to me. THen I go into donkey mode and try to give her all my chips.

[dapokerbum 0]

She shouldnt be mad...Its not like you came with a buddy and you broke him or anything. Theres one guy at Motor City that I soft play with b/c we have become kind of friends. The only reason is b/c he is a very good player and he and I both know we have really good reads on each other. I have lost alot to him in the past and he has lost alot to me so we kind of agreed to not get in each others way when we are at the same table and just concentrate on taking the money of the other 8 people at the table, mainly b/c the table is normally full of bad players.So whenever it is heads up between him and I we just check it down no matter how strong are hands are.you may think that softplaying is for pansies but i think it can be smart in certain situations.

In my opinion if you guys have been playing together as long as you say you have then you should be able to bet with him and figure out if he has you beat not just wimp out and check it down.Like I will always say. Softplaying is for pansies.

[mrdannyg 274]

DN has actually said some interesting stuff on the matter. I remember him talking about the old days, where he played a regular 5/10 or 10/20 game. It was generally the same guys, and they were all friends, and so they'd softplay regularly (as a friend thing, not a collusion thing).Eventually it got to the point where half the hands were being softplayed, and it was stupid. DN basically declared that people could do what they wanted, but he was not going to softplay anyone from then on, and didn't expect anyone to softplay him.That's how i look at it basically. i'm very friendly at a table, and I might softplay a buddy if its HU in a 2/4 game, but if i'm ever playing someone i've just met (no matter how friendly we are), or if i'm playing for any kind of money, i just won't softplay. If someone expects it, i'll just say something like 'did we come here to play poker, or to watch him deal?'

[ReraiseAllIn 0]

In my opinion if you guys have been playing together as long as you say you have then you should be able to bet with him and figure out if he has you beat not just wimp out and check it down.Like I will always say. Softplaying is for pansies.

I agree with this statement 100%. My friend and I have been playing poker together since high school and we often sit down at the same table when we make our Atlantic City trips, more for conversation to help pass the time than anything else. But also, we have played together for such a long time that we know how each other play and largely can get out of each other's way without having any verbal cues or otherwise. Our language is through our chips, and so there is no soft playing involved. Occasionally we will get involved in pots against each other when we make an unexpected play against the other (this has happened much more in local games more than AC), but that is a very minor percentage of the time. We are highly competitive people and we do not condone slow playing one another. Don't slow play, it will cause undoubted drama amongst your table once they catch on what you're doing, and the last thing you want to do is splash the waters through your actions. Disturbing the fish is -EV.

[silkyjonson 1]

I softplay with my bestfriend simply for the fact that I don't want to take my friends money, I don't want to be driving home with the guy and have animosity because I sucked out on him in a huge pot. we have been playing in the same game togehter for like 2 years and I don't think its a bad thing. This is another reason why I don't like playing with friends if i can help it, whenever friends want to get home games together I usually bail unless its for like 40$ because I don't like taking my buddies money.