Nobody likes to get yelled at. Everyone enjoys receiving praise. Both of these things are important to remember when you are at a poker table. Be it online or live, how you act at the table can and will have a direct impact on how the table perceives you and treats you. By manipulating your table image you will be able to influence the other players in a manner that will improve your overall win rate. More importantly, by being a good sport and leaving a good impression with the fishier players you will help ensure that they will return to the game which will allow you to win more money in the long run.

A lot of poker players are prone to tilt and the most likely target of frustration and aggression will be the person who recently put a bad beat on you. This player will quite often have done so due to lack of skill. While their hitting a two outer on the river might infuriate you, it is vital to the poker economy that this fish is not scared off by a thorough berating for their terrible calls. All professional poker players should strive to be ambassadors of the game at all times. Essential to this is the practice of good sportsmanship.

Practicing good sportsmanship is just as important when you are winning as it is when you are losing. Fish are just as likely to be scared off by an arrogant winner mocking them as they are to be by a poor loser berating their bad play. By cultivating the image of a friendly, non-threatening poker player you are more likely to get the other players at the table to like you. For no reason other than this they will be willing to lay down big draws to you, and pay you off when you have big hands. Not only do you benefit from keeping fish in the game, but you will actually be more profitable! If you are sitting at the table all grumpy and surly, people won’t enjoy playing with you as much and will be more likely to play seriously against you. You would be surprised at how many people play poker to have fun and are more than willing to sit at a table and donk off a few buy-ins as long as they are having a good time.

Going on tilt is something that happens to every poker player in varying degrees. It can often be difficult to maintain control of your emotions after taking a bad beat. However, it is important that you keep your composure and not lash out verbally at the source of your beat. Bad players can only improve their game if they realize that they are playing poorly. Instead of sarcastically congratulating the fish on being terrible and sucking out just put a smile on your face, tap the table (if you are playing live), and as sincerely as possible tell them “Nice hand.” This makes them think they are playing fine and makes them feel welcome at the table. As long as they continue to make the same mistakes, as a superior player you will be able to exploit those mistakes and be more profitable in the long run.

You can also use the poor sportsmanship of others to induce tilt or magnify it. It can be quite beneficial to take the side of the fish if an argument breaks out at the table. Defend their poor play with such irrational arguments as “but it was suited!” or “I’d play J4o there too, he was in position.” This will confuse and tilt the players who think they are good but can’t handle taking a beat. It will also justify the play in the fish’s mind and allow them to think of you as a friend and ally. Be careful of how you play against the “good” players who are on tilt now, as they will most likely be more aggressive towards you. In this situation it is a good idea not to bluff as they will be looking for spots to bluff you and try and win a big pot.

If you are normally a quiet and reserved player, try mixing it up a bit and see how having a friendly table image can help your profitability. You might be surprised at how well people respond to a little positive communication. This mostly applies to live poker, but occasionally you will find a chatty table online as well. By watching the chat box to see what kinds of things people are saying you can often get reads on a person’s attitude and tilt level. If you are playing many tables watching the chat box can be distracting or even tilt inducing. Many people would recommend disabling chat if you are going to be playing more than one or two tables at a time. Your interaction with the other players is one of the largest components of the game of poker. By acting maturely you will be a great ambassador for the game and also help your overall profitability.

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