To Talk or Not to Talk

Are you the quiet one at the table or the noisy one? What does table chatter at the poker table really mean? What can we learn from all the noise and nonsense that surrounds us as we try to play poker?

I am normally a quiet person until I get to know you and then I never shut up. When I first started playing poker I was very quiet, hardly saying a word. I had many reasons for this, part of it was my over all shyness in new situations, some it was nervousness and part was because I was trying to pay attention and not embarrass myself.

As time went on and my confidence rose I thought about opening myself up by joining in the table chatter. I could not get comfortable with the bragging, exaggerating and out right ego stroking that was going on. Maybe that is one of the many differences between men and women. Men use words at the poker table to boost themselves up like a peacock fluffing up its feathers. Women are more modest and quiet by nature.

How important is all of this talk and how much am I losing out if I don’t join in? You can get information from people when they talk. You can also get information from them when they don’t so I think its up to your comfort level.

I have tired to find other poker players with a style similar to mine so that I could learn from watching them. I put myself in the same category as Dan Harrington, Allen Cummingham, Chris Ferguson and Greg Fossilman. I used to think that you had to be in the middle of the table talk to be accepted by the players. I now know that this is not true. I don’t have to change the basic me to be competitive at poker, especially when playing with men. I can be aggressive and quiet at the same time.

I definitely observe all of the table chatter around me. You can pick up tells from other players. In general I find that the players come in the following groups:

Whiner: A player who spends most of their time whining about all of the bad beats they suffered. They are easy to put on tilt.

Bragger: The ones who brag about their car, house, money, women etc have a big ego and are aggressive. This can be exploited because they do not want to lose to a woman and find it hard to lay down their hand. If you can show one bluff against them they too can be easily titled.

Loose: This is a player who is there to have a good time. A lot of time they are drinking and playing with their buddies. They will make statements such as “lets gamble”, “I know it’s a bad call but what the hell I came to play”. They are usually the players who will straddle to induce action. Patience is the key to taking down this player. They do tend to suck out more often or so it seams but if your hand holds up you will win a larger than normal pot. Finding the big hands to push hard with is important. Let this player lead the way to the bank when you have the nuts.

Lastly what I consider my style, the quiet player. Because I am quiet at the table I generally establish a tight image whether I am getting hands or not. I can use this to my advantage even when I am card dead by making well timed bluffs or semi bluffs. To help counter my tight image I will try to be very aggressive when I am in a pot. I don’t want to appear so tight that every time I raise a hand everyone folds. You can’t make money if no one will play with you. On the flip side I give the same credit to players of similar style unless they prove otherwise.

You don’t have to participate in table chatter for it to be of benefit to you. Let how much you talk it up be based on your comfort level.

Lisa "Shion" Torres