Philisophical Dilemma

What was said in the middle of a hand was inappropriate. So Moron #1 was correct in my opinion. Discussing somebody's strategy while they are still in the hand is very wrong if there are other players in the hand. Especially if it leads to assumptions about the strength of their hand.

Also, for the record, when a player limps after another player limps it is very different than if the player was the first limper. You didn't say whether or not LJ had been the first limper in any of the previous hands.

In terms of your question I always love it when people get drunk at the table. Typically they play a lot worse after they have been drinking. When their behavior goes south then it gets difficult. And I will always stand up for the person or people they are offending/attacking. I usually do what you do in terms of ignoring them (not putting something in my ear but just not talking to them).

If there aren't other card rooms nearby that have good games (better fields) then I would figure out a way to make it work.

When I started in the 20/40 LHE game at Foxwoods many years ago, I ticked off a player who was a bully. He went after me personally for the next 6 years. It was brutal. But because the game was probably the best 20/40 LHE in the country at the time because of the field, I didn't consider not playing in it anymore. And I would try to respond to him in a way that was funny. The other irony was that whenever he took a bad beat because I had made a mistake, he would try to humiliate me by telling the entire table what I did wrong. So I learned more from him than basically anybody else including mentors... One time when he came to the table drunk he pointed to each player at the table saying "I like you". He got to the guy to my right and said "I don't like you" then he pointed at me and said "I hate you" and of course he then liked everyone else at the table. I just ignored it and was glad he was drunk because he was probably the best player in the game when he was sober.

To answer the questions above:

-no its not really affecting my bottom line, the house gave me a stern warning and it upset my mood at which point I just stopped talking, the players near me (including the MP player that had limped a lot, whom I'm friends with) laughed a bit and thought it was funny that I would get a warning over something so trivial. I played another hour winning a bit but felt off mentally and so eventually booked a modest win and left.

-there are other rooms around I could play in they're just farther away. Not sure if their games are better or worse. Overall this room is not the best I've played, the room itself is nice but the player pool is on the tighter side with a few winning players that frequent the room.

-moron #1 has been banned from the room multiple times already, whenever his ban ends he comes back and goes right back to the same behaviour which inevitably escalates (over several weeks to months) until he eventually gets banned again.

Agree with Rick. You picked a bad example to frame your philosophical question, because in this case you were wrong and they were right. Don't comment on other people's play (IMO ever, but especially when multiway). If I were a floor called over, even if I shared your belief that these other players are toxic, you'd still be the one getting the warning for this.

Moving past that...

Some rooms will deal with *******s and correct them and then 86 them if the behavior does not improve. There is a spectrum (i.e. maybe they give more leeway to their biggest pit whales), but generally speaking the best rooms will get rid of a poorly behaved player even if they play a lot, because they understand that these players actively drive away other players and inhibit the room's long term performance and growth.

Worse rooms with weaker management will let this behavior go, either because they are lazy, weak, need better training, have marching orders from above, or any number of other possibilities.

Is it worth it to continue to play in these rooms? As with all things in life, it depends. How much does it bother you? How bad are they? How bad is the play in the room? What other rooms are available? Are they nearby? How different is the rake, or promos, or food, or whatever else you find important?

Generally speaking, my advice is to complain about the behavior to the floors, then see what happens, then reevaluate your options. But no one else can tell you what to do, definitely in in some vague general way, and probably not even if we knew where you are and what the other options are. Because you're the only one who knows what things you value and what you can't tolerate.

Side note which I hope does not offend you: your choice to refer to these guys as moron 1 and 2 gives me some pause, especially in the context of your chosen example to complain about them, and makes me think that there is at least some chance in this situation that you are the dick who management should be thinking about excluding. General advice: keeping it friendly at the tables generally makes things better for good players, and a key to making it friendly is to actually be friendly.

You sound like the ahole here in the situation as described. There is absolutely 100% no reason to make any comment about a player in a multiway pot, even less reason to do so when you are folding.

You just helped all the other players in the hand by pointing out a pattern of weakness. And on later streets someone might remember your comment and use it to bluff, pick off a bluff, fold a value bet? etc.

Dealing with drunk idiots is a bread and butter skill of poker players. It sounds like the only thing these idiots are doing that is particularly egregious is cussing at others. That’s a no-no. But just being a jerk is not against the rules, so if you can’t deal with jerks either get a table change or work on your mental game.

Something else that might help is working on your table presence. Be the guy that people like at the table instead of the nit with your headphones in. If it’s truly unbearable I get it, but I would try to put in at least an hour of friendly vibes so that if you’re being picked on people will stick up for you. As we see time and time again in the high stakes world, soft skills can be very important for longevity.

First your comment was wrong. Doesn’t matter your intentions but it could impact others. House was 100% correct in agreeing with #1. House should have warned or even penalized you.

So in this case you are not putting up with crap from players or house. The are putting up with and protesting crap from you. If you switch casinos over this, I expect you will not be happy there either.

Stupidbanana usually entertains, never disappoints.

It's probably a had-to-be-there moment, but commenting on MP's action while the hand is on *is* pretty bad form. If you guys and everyone else in the game are just jovially bantering back and forth, ok, I guess, whatever. Otherwise, moron actually had every right to call you out (although it admittedly isn't great for the vibe of the game to do so).

You should have taken the high road (especially since you are actually in the wrong), agreed immediately with the moron (who is correct), apologized with a genuine smile, and done your best to keep as good a vibe going as possible.

I mean, it's difficult to get an exact read on the situation without being there. And if you're just playing for fun, then obviously sit in the game you have the most fun in. But overall, it's kinda if you're not part of the solution then you're part of the problem. I mean, you're the one sitting there with earbuds on.

GcluelessgamevibesnoobG

Is OP by any chance living in a halfway house?

Agree that this is a bad example, although it's a bunch of B.S. considering what is obviously going on. That said, I'll put up with anything from fish I can win lots of money from. Seriously. Just smile and keep them happy. I even engage with these guys -- make jokes, agree with them -- whatever keeps them happy.

I had one who complained about my husband and I sitting next to each other and made sure we didn't. Nobody else cared because they know us. The entire table are friends and/or related -- and they check it down and check the nuts on the river constantly. My husband and I never collude. Anyway, I was pissed at him and he knew it. However, the next few times we played together I was all sweet sugar. Now he loves me and never complains about anything I do 😉

Don't tap the glass!

You were in the wrong and moron was in the right so your question doesn't make much sense...

I mean obviously it's pretty meaningless but why would you try to embarass a guy who normally plays TAG who has started to play like a fish?

Technically, you were wrong but it's not really a big deal. Lower stakes games are full of rules nits. Your remark was meant to be in fun and shouldn't affect anything.

With players like this in the game you have to just capitulate on these points. Know if you show your hand to a neighbor, they are going to spazz out about "show one show all" and if you say "hasta la vista," they are going to say "English only!" and so on.

In theory it's worth putting up with whatever if they lose and don't diminish your hourly by more than their losses. In other words, if they take all the fun out of the game for other players and slow the game down so much that your hourly still goes down even with their losses, you should avoid them. It depends how unhappy they make you as well. Maybe it is worth $2/hr to not deal with them.

To the house, it is nice that they tip, buy drinks, pay rake and contribute to the poker economy. Do many other players feel as you do?

One player to a hand sir.
You are the only moron in this story.

There is a whale who occasionally goes south and no one says anything to her. VIPs get away with anything, including being an ***hole.