No more table chat!!!!

A lot of people probably dont believe me/think its possible but I shall try to no longer 'speak' on online poker tables. Most things people type I have seen before and it doesn't affect me in anyway whatsoever. However over the last few weeks several things have happened which have made me decide that I really am better off not typing anything in the chat window or seeing what some people type.

I hold my hands up to the fact that when I first started playing online poker I often overstepped the line with what i said. However when I first started playing poker online I had never played live poker and wasn't so clued up with etiquette such as not mentioning folded hands etc. Also if people sucked out on me I wouldn't hesitate for a second before telling them to go and fuck themselves the lucky donkeys. I recieved several chat bans however I was never as bad as many who say things like i hope your mother dies of cancer. Surprisingly enough even tho I had cleaned my act up I have still managed to get two chat bans on betfair poker this year. The first one was for calling a player called fastfoot cheating scum. He had been blatantly cheating and even tho betfair investigated they could not prove it. The exact words of a betfair member of staff to me "You know and I know they have been cheating however unless there is 100% proof nothing can be done other than to monitor them until we have undeniable proof of wrongdoing". So naturally out of frustration at lack of protection from two cheats on the table I was playing I called one cheating scum. Fastfoot being the snake that he is naturally contacted betfair saying he felt deeply hurt at the accusation. I know that it was fastfoot as the email from betfair read an opponent you were playing has emailed in a complaint, considering the chat was from a heads up game it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out who contacted betfair.

My most recent chat ban was for saying to somebody f urself after they slow rolled me. I personally find slow rolling more offensive than any swear word. Having had previous chat bans its a pretty much instant chat ban if anyone complains. So having had chat bans and campaigning to get a chat facility back it is now ironic that I am not fussed if I never have a chat facility again.

Reason 1 is abuse by somebody who plays under the alias slickqwik on betfair. Mr Silent is not my account but a friends. He was playing a heads up game against this person when over and over he typed cunt cunt cunt cunt in the chat window with lots of other abuse. My friend John is not too fussed about name calling yet in this instance his 13 year old daughter was watching him play. The very same person is reported to have been abusing somebodies family members during a game yesterday. Another time playing a 6pak game at 2 in the afternoon the same scumbag is again typing cunt cunt etc. If you do not like somebody for winning too much money from you do you think it is acceptable for four other opponents minding their own business to be forced into reading this kind of crap? Totally cowardly and unacceptable. Naturally these people try and justify there scummy actions by making lies up and trying to falsify a justifiable reason. Other than saying the likes of "what were you thinking", "donkey" "codface" and other mild jibes I challenge anybody to recall any recent (the last 12 months) examples of me either swearing or being deeply offensive to anybody. I have been busted out of some of the biggest poker tournaments in the world to bad beats and congratulated my opponent. When I get a bad beat in a $100 sit and go and call my opponent a fish it is just a bit of fun for me, it is not like I can truly be pissed off. I play 100 games a day sometimes I have recieved and dished out every bad beat possible many times. Even things like coming 40th in the main event on fulltilt so close to a first prize of 1.4 million I accept with the thought 'thats poker'. Sure I lost a race AQ v 99 to get eliminated, but I had plenty of luck to make the last 40 of 3000 in the first place.

(I have deleted a large section of this post which covered a situation with Azimut as it is of my opinion that even tho his recent actions are those of a Grade A1 cunt he used to be a good guy, however if any more funny stuff happens I shall stick it back up without hesitation)

Also I am going to quit posting on any forums that are not poker orientated. There simply is no value getting involved in arguements with people. It has taken me too long to realise this but better late than never! I was speaking to Heffernan earlier this year and he said how he often plays with his chat box closed as does Buzzer. These two players are Hans Vogl and Thomas Bihl who have both had huge success in online poker and with live poker so any advice from either of these only a fool would ignore. Hans explained how it takes one second to close a chat window and avoid all the shit people may say. You have nothing to lose doing this and you will make more money due to lack of distractions. The only negative point is that some people who are being polite may think you are ignoring them when they say nh gg etc. This is a small price to pay i feel for avoiding so much shit.

Lastly what finally annoyed me was chat in a 9 seat sit and go earlier. We had doubled our stack up when we raise a player (callataxi) from the button with 66, he goes all in and I decide I put him on AK. With chips I often fold here, however in this case I decided we have enough chips to chance a race and take out one of the better players. The extra value of eliminating a good player could mean that a race isn't 55% v 45% but in fact around 70% to your advantage if you get them out. Two minutes after the hand was over and he hit one of the overcards I predicted he had he made a comment. Along the lines of unlike you to call there. The guy has hit to stay in the tournament and then he wants to make a comment on my play? What on earth is the reasoning behind that? He should be grateful that he doubled up and not comment on this play. You get my chips and want to throw in a rubdown also?

So thats it a new leaf is turned, definitely no poker chat online again. There simply is more to be gained by having chat muted. I will simply have to find another way to avoid boredom during games. So with one simple decision I have now eliminated having to see chat that some scum type in, avoid people creating new aliases trying to wind me up and overall will be able to pay more attention to the tables = more profit.

I would like to add the exception to the rule will be some heads up tables where I know the opponent. Some people I have played over 1000 times and I am not about to just ignore them

The next post shall be more light hearted about a hustle gone wrong!