Controlling Your Ego At The Table

We’ve all been there. You’re seated at a table, whether online, in a casino, a tournament, or even at our home games, where there is one loudmouthed, total egomaniac. Since physically assaulting them would be poor form (and get you booted from most casinos/tournaments, while online would either break your computer monitor or fist), here are a few tricks as to how to tune them out and play your game, not theirs.

Sometimes, the simplest thing can make the world of difference. Wearing sunglasses, and trying not to look in the general direction of the loudmouth is easier said than done. But try to do it anyway. Bite your teeth, but do not let them get to you and more importantly, do not let them see it. A player like that is like a bear or coyote they feed on fear and total loss of better judgment. They are relying on you to forget that you are playing poker, and instead trying to goat you into stepping outside.

If that does not work, try bringing an iPod, (come on, do not tell me you do not have one by now), and listening to some of your favorite tunes while raking in those monster pots. If you cannot hear what the maniac is saying, you are less likely to fall prey to his shenanigans.

If music and poker do not mix for you, try rearranging your chips. Seriously. Granted, you should always be studying your other opponents, and be trying to pick up any patterns or tells, but, if you already seem to have a good read on them, ignore the hand. I have often built a model of the castle of Camelot out of my stack; just in order to try and tune out someone at my table that otherwise might get the better of me.

Another option is to just get up and take a stroll close enough to your table to not miss any action, but far enough away to tune out the proverbial idiot. The point I’m getting at is: do anything at all to ignore this guy. The less you acknowledge his antics, the faster he’ll shut up, and be more likely to give you all of his chips.

In other words, attempt to turn the tables on him. (Again, not physically, of course). I cannot express how many times I have seen a player look so cool, calm, and collected, that it actually throws the said joker off his game, by not getting a single rise, or even a response out of the cucumber.

Some players need to be loud and obnoxious, while others are quieter than a mouse on Christmas Eve. Whatever type of player you are, part of the game is figuring out your opponents, and finding a way to equalize whatever they feel is going in their favor. If you are able to control your own ego at the table, and zone out the loudmouths, you will already have a huge advantage over them before the first card is even dealt.