Bullies and Goaders

I've gone to the Casino enough to start to get to know some of the other players. Most of them I've made my own names for.

Grumpy Old Guy (see last post) is a bearded older fellow who seems to never speak unless it is to criticize the play of others. His style is to try to get under the skin of his opponents, so that when he has a strong hand they will allow their desire to beat him get them into trouble. He is a goader. I like playing against goaders because they tend to be unimaginative players- they don't tend to try outrageous bluffs or weird moves. When GOG gets a strong hand, he makes a big bet. He is hoping that his big bet will be seen as an extension of his verbal bluster, and that someone with a weaker hand will "stand up to him".

Here is the difference between a bully and a goader: a bully acts aggressively to get you to fold while a goader acts aggressively to get you to call. While their boorish table manners may be the same, the bully bets big with weak cards to steamroll opponents- and eventually people catch on, and start pushing back. Goaders want to be mistaken for bullies - they want you to push back, because they have the cards to back up their hands.

When you are playing with a loud, rude person try to determine if he (or she) is a bully or a goader by paying attention to the relation between the size of their bets and the strength of their cards. Adjust your play accordingly.