It’s been said a million times already, but seriously. People need to stop berating the fish already! Every time I play online poker, I see some idiot yelling at the fish for making a stupid play. Usually it happens when a fish makes a bad call, gets lucky and then wins a big pot from some guy who immediately throws a temper tantrum.
There are two major consequences to berating the fish:
- It discourages fishy play
- It sets you back in controlling your emotions
The biggest problem with berating the fish is that it discourages poor play. Why would you want to tell the fish he’s an idiot for making a bad play? Do you want the fish to start playing perfect poker and stop handing out easy money? It’s one thing to ruin the game for yourself, but don’t go ruining the good games for everyone else.
Berating the fish makes them feel uncomfortable so that they will either leave the game or stop trying to get lucky. Yelling at someone for making a bad play is akin to shooting yourself in the foot. Good luck getting your money back if you scare the fish away.
Additionally, berating the fish encourages bad habits in your own life. Yes, yelling at some idiot can be therapeutic, but you really need to learn how to get over bad beats without raging. If you constantly scream and yell when you take a bad beat, you’re never going to learn how to roll with the punches.
We all get frustrated when people make stupid plays and get rewarded for it, but that’s where emotional control comes into play. Rather than yell at the fish, just take a deep breath and keep grinding away. Remember that poor play is what makes the poker world go ‘round.