My thoughts on commenting

There are two kinds of comments on poker playing. The good kind and the bad kind.

The good kind of comments are made to people you like and are geniunely intended to help them. Hopefully a civil dialogue will commence and everyone invovled will learn something. This is the kind of commentary I try to foster at the Wall Street Poker table.

The bad kind of comments are made in anger, usually when you lose, and are meant to spew vitriol at your opponent. I never understood why someone would do this to another person. Other than not being nice (I'm a big believer in it), it doesn't have any beneficial effect on either player! If I'm in a hand where my opponent calls me down with a worse hand and wins, I try to focus on the fact that I wanted that call. +EV rules. If I'm in a hand where my opponent calls my play with a better hand, I try to think about what I could/should have done differently. Did I not bet enough? Did I bet too much? Did I give off a tell? Why did that person call? The last thing I want to do, though, is tap on the fishtank and put myself on tilt by being mean. That's a sure recipe for more losses.

There is a third kind of comment actually. When you are mean to another person intentionally in order to put them on tilt and induce a call. But you can only do that *during* a game, not afterwards!

*this post is inspired by LJ. We are all on your side here at Wall Street Poker.