Sore Losers Suck

One thing that really irritates me when playing in tournaments is when someone goes all-in and loses, and then feels the need to yell at the player that busted them out; calling them names and telling them how stupid they are, and how lucky they just got. People need to just let it go. Its part of the game. You are going to have bad beats, and you should be thankful for people making horrible calls against your all-ins because in the long run, you are going to come out ahead.

Last night, I was playing, and this guy on a medium to short stack goes all in after the flop of [5d Ac 7d]. He gets called by the chip leader who turns over [Jd 2d]. The short stack had an ace. A fifth diamond comes up on the river to complete the chip leader's flush and eliminate the short stack. The guy in the short stack then types "Fuck you Ass hole. Lucky bastard. Who calls an all-in on a draw?". Now, I don't what he expected to happen. There are only a few reasons he would go all in. He either had the best hand and wanted to get called, or he thought no one else had a hand, and was bluffing, or semi-bluffing. If it was the former, then he got what he wanted, and maybe he should be a little more careful in what he wishes for. Going all in with top pair, and two cards to come is anything but a sure thing. Its hard to fault the chip leader for calling when he has the chance to eliminate a player, and losing won't put much of a dent in his lead. If it was the later, then, he needs to learn that bluffs don't always work. In any case, there is no reason to be an ass about it. You lost, just say "nice hand" and move on. There will be other games where the luck ends up in your favor.

Later in that same tournament, I was in a comfortable second stack when I get wired kings in the big blind. The two short stacks both went all-in and I called them. One had a pair of sevens and the other K-Q off suit. I am by far the favorite in this scenario, but a seven came on the turn to beat me. Did I bitch and moan about how lucky the guy got, and how I should have won? No. I kept playing and hoped that the next time I would be the one that gets the lucky card.

This type of behavior is much more prevalent online, but it also happens in live games. Take anytime Phil Helmuth gets beat for example. One of the guys that regularly plays in the big tournaments at a coworkers place in Chicago has the same problem. Every time he suffers a bad beat, the rest of us have to listen to how he got screwed by some idiot who made a bad play and got lucky. Even worse is that half the time he's wrong, he made the bad play and got what he deserved. If it wasn't so annoying it would be funny because it puts him on tilt or the rest of the night.

Anyway, I guess the whole point of this ramble is to tell all the people who make asses out of themselves when the lose to just shut up and play poker. You're going to win some hands you deserve to lose, and just as often lose some that you deserve to win. That's part of what makes it fun.