How can we make poker more fun for recreational players?

Following Daniel Negreanu's lead, Barry Carter addresses how even the most introverted of poker players can make the game more enjoyable for new players.

2014 firmly looks like it is the year of “making poker more sociable”. The debate has been on the top of everyone’s lips since Joe Hachem criticised the approachability of modern Main Event champions, and has since been furthered by Daniel Negreanu sharing his vision of how to grow the game.

Negreanu said:

“My vision for a poker world that works is one where the professionals are aligned in their goals to work together to make sure we aren’t just taking, but also giving back for the greater good. A world where amateurs look forward to sitting at a table with the pros to both satisfy their competitive spirit as well as be entertained. A world that they feel comfortable and encouraged to join without fear of humiliation or embarrassment. A world where the game is fun first and a competitive endeavor second. A world where players think about what’s best for everyone first, understanding that in the end they will benefit from that as well.”

I love Negreanu’s vision for the future, however I am concerned that to expect everyone in the poker community to suddenly change their entire demeanour is too big a goal.

If you want to make big changes, you need to start with small and easy to action habits. Expecting everyone to act like Antonio Esfandiari at the table will never work, but hoping that at the least we can all say hello when a new person joins the game is not beyond the realms of possibility.

Bringing back the small talk

The biggest problem as I see it, for whatever reason, is not that serious poker players are rude, but they are sometimes introverted. Small talk is not in many professional poker player’s toolbox. You may learn about human nature at the poker table, but it doesn’t (always) teach you social skills.

We have a generation of pro players who have only ever known poker after leaving education. For most of us who have had “normal jobs” that involves spending 40+ hours a week socialising and cooperating with people of different backgrounds, ages, genders etc.

Not like in college where you inevitably form cliques, and not like poker where you surround yourself with like minded players in a competitive environment. I know lots of poker players who hate making small talk, but it is one of those important life skills that conveys respect towards each other.

I don’t want to go down the easy route of claiming that the skills that make you good at poker are also the ones typically associated with the socially inept, but the one thing I think is fair to say is that poker is an attractive pursuit for shy people – at least online poker is.

I am generally quite a sociable and extroverted person myself, but I have noticed that after years of working from home, I have become a little bit more introverted than I previously was. In the case of young online poker professionals this must be even more of an issue, because they might never have had a solid experience of working with others to compare their current lifestyle to.

Fear of missing out

I must add before I go any further that this is not just a poker issue, this is widespread issue in society which is abundant since the advent of the internet. We have more people working from home than ever before, and the staggering rate at which mobile technology has advanced has meant that we have unlimited opportunities to be distracted in social settings.

It’s hard to get poker players to look up from their phone at the table, but is equally as hard to get people to do the same thing in bars, restaurants and every other social setting. This phenomenon even has a name – Fear of Missing Out – where we are so desperate to always be in tune with what is going on online that we miss out what is happening right under our noses.

This is also by no means a young vs old issue. It is true that the examples I have given so far have focussed on younger online players, but that is mostly because they are the largest part of the demographic. I’ve also experienced plenty of older and/or live players who could also benefit from learning the softer skills (The only times I've seen sexism and racism at live tables has been with older players,for example). This is not a debate about young vs old or online vs live, and taking it that down the road only derails the conversation.
 

How to welcome recreational players to the game

It is 100% true that the people who are calling for poker players to be more engaging are doing so out of their own self-interests – but it is one of those rare self-interests that genuinely is a win-win for all parties. It makes Daniel Negreanu’s life better because more ‘bad’ players will play, it helps people who work in the industry like myself because it will grow the game and it makes life better for the recreational players because they have more fun.

We do have to be careful, however, that in our quest to make the games more fun that we don’t come across as manipulative hustlers. Maybe that is ultimately what we are, I think the only way we can do this with integrity is to be upfront about it.

My worldview on this has been shaped by a profound experience I had a few years ago, which I often quote. For her birthday, I took my Mother to play live poker for the first time. She had always been intimidated by live poker because of her experience of trolls in the online chat boxes.

However, she was lucky enough to have UK poker legend Tony “Tikay” Kendall at the table, who put on a master class of how to treat new players. He engaged her in conversation, he explained the etiquette of live poker, whenever a new player or dealer joined the table he politely explained it was her first game and everyone should look after her, and whenever she won a pot he cheered her on. He eventually bust her from the tournament, and she was genuinely happy to bust out to the gentleman that made her feel welcome. She had the time of her life, and she enjoyed it even in defeat.

I’m pretty certain a lukewarm table with nobody chatting would have put her off the game forever, but she still plays to this day.
 

Small actionable steps forward

If we are going to make poker a more fun game in 2014, I genuinely believe that we need to teach the introverted how to act around recreational players.

I don’t think if we added a ‘how to make small talk’ series to our video section of PokerStrategy that it would be particularly popular, but it is probably what the industry needs at the moment.

It is great that the industry is talking about this, but I think if we are going to make progress we need to get our head out of the clouds and start talking specific tangible things shy players can do right away to make the game more enjoyable.

I’ll start with some really easy suggestions. A lot of people will dismiss them as obvious, but it is remarkable how many of the same naysayers still don’t do them:

• Say hello, good game & nice hand (You don’t need to be a smooth talker to make your table mates feel welcome).
• Don’t talk strategy and definitely don’t tell someone that they made a mistake.
• Put your phone into airplane mode and put it in your pocket (This might also improve your focus).
• Start a conversation about whatever is on the TV in the casino (It’s usually sports).
• Play side games like the 7-2 game.
• Play Lodden Thinks.

Give me your thoughts. What simple and easily actionable thing can we all do to make poker more sociable? Let me know in the comment box.  

by Barry Carter