Ethics

Poker: The Power of Being the Stranger

By Ed Brayton

In the last few weeks, I've played several times in poker rooms where the regulars didn't know me. Most of the time I play with the same group of people who've played together hundreds of times. We all know each other's tendencies pretty well and it becomes more difficult to mix up your play to keep people off guard. And I've found that I like being the unknown at the table. Let me explain why.

A great example is Wednesday night, when I played at a room in Grand Rapids. The only person in the room who knew me was the lady who runs the room (she also runs the one I play at near my house). At one point she was dealing at my table ($1/$2 no limit holdem, my usual game) and I jokingly remarked that I got no respect for my raises because no one there knew me. This was early in the game, shortly after I sat down.

Full post as published by Dispatches from the Culture Wars on December 13, 2008 (boomark / email).