Gavin Griffin -- Poker Questions Asked And Answered

People in the poker community often come up to me and ask about whatever is on their mind. Some of these questions are good questions, and some are bad beat stories in disguise. I’ve been through quite a few things in my poker career and I like to help whenever possible, and in this new Card Player series, I’d like to share my experiences and knowledge. Feel free to ask any poker-related question, and I’ll do my best to answer it in the space below.

Question: I got my start playing in home games with my friends and have since moved on to playing professionally. All of the other guys that I started in the home game with still play on a regular basis, but they all have regular jobs and don’t take poker that seriously. I’m heading back home for a visit and they’ve asked me if I want to play. I really want to, but I kind of dread the comments that I know they are going to make about me being a professional. What should I do?

An interesting question, and one that not many other professions have to deal with. Can you imagine if you were LeBron James and you went back to play basketball with the hacks from your neighborhood? They wouldn’t have any fun because you’d carve them up without trying and you wouldn’t have any fun because, honestly, there would be no competition. One of the great things about poker is the fact that you have luck as an equalizer. No matter how much better than them you are, they can always get lucky and beat you.

I would suggest trying to get into a mindset where you are just having fun and enjoying the company of your friends. Don’t take the game too seriously, revel in the silliness of the kitchen table games you guys play, and avoid strategy talk at all costs. If your friends are anything like mine, you would get endless crap for bringing your ideas about poker to the table.

Finally, presuming you are playing at much lower stakes than the games you usually play in, make sure you gamble it up plenty and screw around some. You don’t want to cause resentment because of that one time you came back to the home game, played like a nit, and took everyone’s money. Play goofy hands, show your ridiculous bluffs, needle, have fun.

The truth is, these guys are your friends and you shouldn’t dread anything you do with them. If they give you some grief about being a professional poker player, I’m sure you can find something to needle them about to. Just make sure you keep it civil and fun.

Question: There has been quite a bit of debate about Greg Merson’s tweets regarding “private” games at the Aria, care to weigh in?

The story goes like this: Greg Merson showed up at the Aria to play in a game that was going and was stonewalled by floor and players alike. He complained about it, somewhat loudly, on Twitter, and the internet has taken sides.

I don’t live in the world of high-stakes poker games anymore, but I spent a little bit of time in it a few years ago. It’s always been a question of who you know being just as important as your skill as a poker player. The best players are sure to keep the pockets of the floormen lined with tips so that when a whale walks in the room, they are the first to get a call. They might even get a seat locked up for them before they get to the casino. It’s a dirty little secret of live poker, but it’s how it’s always been done and it’s most likely not going to change.

In Greg’s situation, I can understand both sides of the issue. I’ve certainly been upset when a name gets put ahead of mine on a list because that person tipped the floorman more than me, but there isn’t much that can be done about it. Conversely, I understand that the people who spend the time year round to get these whales into the game and keep them happy while they lose their money don’t want some guy who’s only in town for a few weeks, coming in and taking money out of the game.

The truth is, at the live high stakes, there is more sales and customer service needed to keep your players around than at lower stakes or online. I remember playing with a couple of guys in L.A. that when they walked in the door, the table filled up and when they left, the game broke. People would come rushing in from other tables to fill seats. It was disgusting to be fair, and if I were that player, I would certainly be turned off by the behavior of those around me.

If the pros that play in these “private” games have been working hard to keep their players happy and have hustled to find new players and keep them around, I support not allowing other players in the game. The problem I have is when the casino makes it seem like the game is public when it actually isn’t. If someone had just said to Greg “Listen, I know you want to play in this game. The reality is, these guys get together, play a few hours, and then quit. They don’t want new players in the game and they especially don’t want someone coming in to the game that will only be around for a few days or weeks. I hope you understand and I’m sorry for your inconvenience,” I think things would have gone much smoother.

Finally, I think Greg should have handled this better as well. Instead of taking to twitter and badmouthing the people in the game, he could have talked to them civilly and/or tweeted with a little stronger filter. He is, after all, the current world champion, and a flag bearer for the poker world. A little less whining and a little more decorum would have been advisable.

If you have a question for Gavin, send it to [email protected].

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