Recreational player redefined

I know, oh yes, that the free play games, the pale ghost left for many of us, may be a conversation better left unsaid, perhaps like one's favorite porn sites.  Even to imply...

And yes, the victories are shallow, hollow and the denominations garnered fallow.

So, why do people collude?

As I've mentioned in the past, I've been playing a lot of O-8 and for a little variety, Five Card Draw, both Fixed Limit.  (Why anyone would want to play these as NL games is beyond me.) I've noticed in the O-8 games that people get very upset when some nut case comes to a table and raises or re-raises every hand. "There goes the game." The same holds true in 5 Card. I've been at a passive table playing the latter and been chastised for raising AATT from late position. People want to see the flop or get a draw for every hand just to see if they hit, which, to my mind, is the height of what it means to be a recreational player. Almost.

Add to that, there are some tables on which any hand won is followed by a bevy of "nh," "n3," "VVNH," etc. Maybe the last is called for when one has quads or gets paid off handsomely for a better FH or scoop, but otherwise, gimme a break. Not surprisingly, some of these tables are chat-fests, and, indeed, it is evident that many of these players are very familiar with each other, using first names, talking about family matters or, in the case of one player, complaining about how grossly overweight she is while confessing to eating three boxes of Girl Scout cookies in one sitting. I shit you not. And then there's the player who relates the problems she is having with her 15 year old daughter, yet she can be found in a low limit 5 Card game at any time of day or night. Figure that one out, lady.

Along with all of this chatty familiarity among players, I've noticed in one 5 Card game the occasional typed "d" or "db" where the betting among the regulars all but stops, leaving only one of them and the aggro or stranger in the hand. It took only a few hands to realize what was happening.  Why?

It goes against my online nature to pass judgement on how people spend their free time, even if it appears that all they have is free time to play poker for no monetary gain whatsoever. And, I can even tolerate the limp fests, although I refuse to accommodate their style. The same goes for the excessive chat, as long as they can type fast. But the cheating? I have begun to avoid the table where these players congregate, although I do wonder if the site should not be informed.

Lazy fuckers.