Anger Management - Part II: Aggravating Factors

Anger management has always been a problem in poker, but it has recently become much more serious. We now see more shouting, trash-talking, threats, and other forms of nastiness, which greatly increase anger and its destructive effects.

At least five recent developments have aggravated the problem: the poker explosion, television broadcasts, online poker, the popularity of no-limit hold'em, and inexperienced dealers and supervisors.

The Poker Explosion

The millions of new players have caused long waiting lists and crowding. After waiting hours and being squeezed into crowded rooms, people will often overreact to frustrations.

Because they don't know how to act, the newer players increase the frustrations. They slow the game down, act out of turn, show their cards to each other, discuss hands while playing them, and so on.

Television Broadcasts

Jeff Shulman pointed out in the Oct. 8, 2004, issue that some players "have been acting like fools because of the television cameras." The TV producers encourage childish displays because they add "dramatic value," and far too many people play to the cameras. They know that acting stupidly can get a lot of attention, and some of them are too immature to resist the temptation.

When viewers – especially new players – see tournament players screaming, trash-talking, jumping up, pumping their fists, and giving high-fives, they naturally conclude that they can do the same.

They also posture, try to stare down opponents, count their chips, or ask, "How deep are you?" (And they do this even when playing limit poker.) I heard that a dealer once told a young player, "If you're finished acting, it's your turn to act."

Online Poker

When you play at home, you can scream and swear at the computer because nobody can hear you. You can also make extreme insults and threats without being embarrassed or afraid, because nobody knows your real name. Some comments made in "chat" are almost unbelievably nasty. If people acted that way in poker rooms, fights would break out.

Since many new players started online, and they have seen such outrageous antics on television, they naturally do in poker rooms what they have done at home and seen on TV. They scream, curse, threaten other players, and so on.

The Popularity of No-Limit Hold'em

No-limit hold'em games were once scarce, but now they are everywhere. Because you can play well for hours and lose everything in one pot, the tension level is always higher. When the inevitable bust-outs occur, some people blow up.

Until recently, most no-limit hold'em games had large buy-ins, and the players were usually experienced and emotionally controlled. Now, most games have maximum buy-ins of $300 or less, and many players have hardly any experience, self-control, or idea of how to play or behave.

First, many pots have six or more players, which almost never happened before. Second, because they learned how to play from watching those highly edited television broadcasts, some new players make outrageous moves such as all-in bets or calls with trash. Third, if they win a huge pot, they may insult or needle the loser or even emulate those fools on TV. The first two differences greatly increase the good players' profits, but all three of them escalate volatility and frustration.

The novices' terrible play has also caused some experienced players to play for more money than they can afford to lose (in both limit and no-limit games). After expecting huge profits, they become enraged when they lose. John Bushnell, a dealer and floorman, told me, "The tension is higher than ever because people are playing for their paychecks." When they lose the rent money, they erupt.

With six- or seven-way action, bad beats have become extremely common, and losing your entire stack to a trash hand is devastating. If the winner is screaming, trash-talking, and giving high-fives, the experience can be almost intolerable. Almost all of the stories of extreme anger I have heard lately are about no-limit hold'em bad beats.

Inexperienced Dealers and Supervisors

All over America, new rooms have opened and old ones have expanded. Many rooms have been forced to hire and promote inexperienced people who aggravate the problems in three ways.

First, they act slowly and make many irritating mistakes. We go to poker rooms to play, not to wait around, and we become frustrated when the dealer does not control the game.

Second, they occasionally make big mistakes that cost people money. Players become furious when they are dealt pocket aces or kings, but a dealer's error causes a misdeal. When a large pot goes to the wrong player because a dealer burned and turned too soon, the loser can go ballistic.

Third and most important, the new people don't know how to handle nastiness. Again and again, I have seen dealers and even floorpeople freeze at exactly the time they should have taken charge. They don't have the experience to handle nasty situations tactfully, and they lack the confidence to insist that people shut up or get out.

They sit there, looking like a deer caught in the headlights, hoping the problem will go away, but it often just gets worse. I have seen several shouting matches and a few incidents in which men had to be forcibly restrained, and two players once left the table to go outside.

The Bottom Line

Because of all these factors, there is an unprecedented amount of nastiness and tension. Lots of people – including a few who would normally act better – become angry, and nobody stops them from going over the line.

My next column will discuss what players can do to control their own anger, but I must make one point here: The problem of anger management isn't going to correct itself. It is management's responsibility to take control.

When the rules are clear and firmly enforced, most people will obey them. Conversely, if they don't know the rules, or they sense that they can break them with impunity, some people will test the limits until they get stopped. Poker room managers must take two actions:

• Clearly state and enforce a zero-tolerance policy.

• Provide more training and supervision to their inexperienced people.

When a new dealer slows down the game or the action stops completely because of a dealer's inexperience, the casino loses serious money, and everybody gets annoyed. In purely bottom line terms, the time and cost of training people are justified.

Most importantly, managers must train their people to prevent abusive language, threats, and violence. If a dealer or supervisor sees threats or, worse yet, actual violence, he must immediately take firm action. Otherwise, the casino can lose a huge lawsuit. The manager would probably be held accountable, and it could be the end of his career.

Alan's book, The Psychology of Poker, is available through Card Player.