I found myself in a very interesting situation the other night that really made me think so I thought I’d share it here and hope to get some response form other players. I also figure it might be a good thing for beginners to think about, so hopefully some of them will read this post as well.

During the past week I have been on a bit of a heater, finishing first in 6 straight $5 6 player tournaments and finishing second a few times. For the most part my week has gone the opposite of last week’s post, if you recall last week I was lamenting about players who were calling me weak and sucking out on me. I haven’t changed my play, it’s just that my hands have been holding up for some reason, and although that’s not the point of this post I thought I would mention it as it is a good reminder that if you’re playing well and losing keep at it. Now on to the point of today’s post, poker etiquette … and karma.

The other night I found myself on the bubble (these 6 player tourneys I play pay 2 spots) blinds were 200/400 and I had about 1,700 chips, the big stack (who really was not a good player) had 6,500 chips and the person to my right had about 800 chips, and he was sitting out – had been since about the third hand after he won a pot of around 400 chips. The chip leader got there by calling a pre flop all in earlier that was most of her chips with 45 and hit a straight and later called a significant all in with K2 and won that hand as well. She basically never folded and that was alright, if I could just get heads up against her I figured I’d have a decent chance of wining. As for the guy sitting out, some people get angry when players sit out but I could never understand that, first of all, I have started a tournament only to have something really important come up and had to leave the game so I never assume why the person is sitting out and besides, if he is giving us his chips uncontested why would I care?

I was on the button for our very first hand three-handed and folded a decent hand thinking she can steal his big blind and I will steal his small blinds and in 2 orbits he’s done and we’re heads up. I think that’s the way you play this situation regardless of the hand you are dealt and regardless of the chip count of either of the remaining players, and believe me I have been on both sides of this situation. What does the big stack do? She folds! Raise and he folds automatically and steals 400 from him, but no, she gives him another 200 so he now has 1000.

I send her a note saying let’s get rid if this guy. She responds by saying she’s the “big chips” so you 2 are playing for second (seriously that is the expression she used) I’ve heard of big stack, chip leader and other expression but never big chips, more proof that she has no concept. On the next hand I am in the big blind and she raises me all in so I fold. I’m still sending her messages trying to convince her that getting rid of him is the right thing to do, but she wants nothing to do with it and truly does not understand. Had she proven she had any concept of the game I might have played her straight up but she has no concept and I don’t want this to turn into me raising with a solid hand and getting called by her garbage and going out on the bubble with a player sitting out.

This went on for a while, at one point I folded on the button and she called (called the guy sitting out) then get this …. checked it down to the river (any bet and he auto folds) sitting out guy wins the pot. Alright now, this is getting more than a little ridiculous. I keep trying to explain the situation to her and finally when he is down to 200 chips and on the button she says, “Let’s get rid of him, since he’s sitting out”. No kidding! We took him out, I was seriously depleted and shoved the next hand and won with garbage, tried to grind it out to take her down but she hit a legit hand against my semi-legit hand and I was done.

Like I said, I have been on both sides of this situation and I play it straight and get rid of the person sitting out, as I think do most players who know what they are doing. Look, I understand that poker is a competitive game where you don’t do your opponents any favors, but now I have tagged her with a note so the next time we see each other at a table I might not play nice, karma is a funny thing.

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