Table Etiquette when it comes to Nits and OMCs

People that I see complain generally fall into two categories:

1. They are somewhat aware they play too many hands and also aware that it's worse for them if enough other players are tight. This could be anything from playing normally too loose, to wanting to play every hand.

2. Players who like to pretend to be loose/crazy when they sit down and then quickly change to be tight. Tight players who don't take the bait means they are mostly punting on their pretend hands and never make it back later.

In neither case are the players good enough to adjust, so complain instead.

Openly warning other players about some OMC being an OMC is a shitty thing to do, plain and simple.

In my room we have the biggest OMC nit there ever was. He's there most days, I guess, and he limp/calls pocket pairs, limp/raises huge with AA/KK, openraises AK/AQ/QQ/JJ and that's about all he does. Post-flop, he barrels overpairs or top pairs until he's all-in (mostly on the turn, since he never has more than 100bb anyway), maybe he's betting a missed AK once. And that’s about all he does. Now, clearly a guy like that isn't winning anything long-term. Even short-term he's hardly ever winning anything, since my room has only one table of the lowest stakes (2/2 with a 10%, cap 15 rake (yikes), they just upped the cap from 10 to 15, so basically none of them are winning anything anymore), and on any given night at least nine out of ten players know exactly who he is. So no one ever pays him off. And still, everytime he limp/raises, half the table starts uh-oh'ing, warning the maybe only unknown new player that "someone woke up with AA".

If I was that OMC, it would make me furious, to be honest, and I would certainly call them out for it and try to put a stop to it. In my opinion it's cheating. Don't get me wrong, I would rather play with literally anyone else but this guy too and secretly wish they'd just kick him out of the casino altogether, but I still think it's shitty to feel the need to warn others about him. Just ignore the seat and let him do his thing and very slowly bleed off his money.

If I've been engaging in friendly conversation with a player sitting next to me, I'll sometimes whisper something to them about the NIT sitting at the table.

I recently saw a grumpy OMC go off on his opponent after the OMC lost a big all-in. He storms off in a huff, comes back 20 minutes later, and calls his opponent a jackass before he even sits back down. Way out of line.

It was the second time I'd seen him do this, and I started to imagine making an announcement to the table the next time I see him sit down in a game - basically letting everyone know the guy's just an angry old a$$hole who gets his diapers in a twist whenever an opponent has the audacity to win a pot he's in.

If I'm friendly with another reg at the table, and I see the reg pay the nit or OMC off, I'm not generally shy about asking the reg out loud what the hell he was thinking.

I really don't give a flying f**k if the nit or OMC doesn't like it. Eff those guys for sucking all the joy out of the game, sitting there all sour-pussed, folding every hand for hours on end, waiting to limp-jam their stupid 33.3bb's in with AA. I laugh my balls off when they go broke jamming AA into a limped pot, and get snapped off by someone who flopped 2P+.

Really is amazing I don't have more friends...

Actually laughed out loud at this line, almost worth the thread.

I'll be here all week!

the amount of entitlement in this thread is hilarious. or maybe sad.

"how dare you not do exactly what I want you do to whenever I want! not fair!"

Just had a guy flat AKo in the SB and xcall xcall donk river for 3/4 pot on 59KAA. I thought for a little while and just called with 55. When he showed his hand, I called him a nit to his face and snap racked up, but in reality he saved me several hundred dollars, so I should have just smiled and said, "nice hand" I guess.

I agree with the general sentiment in this thread, just want to point out a distinction between playing tight preflop, which is obviously correct in a raked game, and someone, like the above bad reg, who is straight-up nut-pedaling. I don't really think the former should even be called a nit IMO, but maybe most live fish can't make the distinction.

Personally, I don't think there is any distinction to be made there.

The point is: who cares? Who cares if they are playing good poker with a tight preflop, or if they are playing bad poker with a loose passive preflop.

The only reason to call someone a nit after losing a pot to them is because you are angry and can't control your emotions. Which is normal, lots of people get angry and lash out when they lose at anything.

But I don't really understand the distinction you are trying to make. What's the difference between a good player playing tight and a bad player that plays another way?

There is no 'right way' or 'wrong way' to play poker, and there is pretty much never a legitimate reason to be upset with another player unless they are intentionally being rude or cheating, etc.

I agree with you that there is no legitimate reason for my action. I was tilted and let my emotions get the better of me.

But you don't think there is a difference between a player who plays tight preflop, but bluffs and bets thinly for value postflop, versus a player that only ever bets with the nuts? In my opinion, the second player is a nit and the first player isn't.

I am not making a comment on the "right way" to play poker, just helping to define a slang term as I understand it.

So if a player fits the consensus definition of what a nit is we're allowed to be rude to them?

GcluelesssportsmanshipnoobG

Soooo a couple of things I think I should have clarified in the original post.

I am not the type to be disrespectful, confrontational, or antagonizing at the poker table. Ever. I've played this game long enough that nothing gets to me.

At my local room there are all types of players. Some are nits, some are TAGs, some are LAGs, some are fit-or-fold, and a select few are MANIACS. Despite all of these player types each individual has their own personality. Some are miserable Maniacs, some are happy Nits, and some are quiet LAGs. Here are three more specific players that I run into CONSTANTLY at my table.

Player 1 - Solid, Nit/TAG player. Buys-in for max, plays solid, reads newspaper, rarely engages into table talk and gets upset when they lose a big hand gett/sucked out on. Bet sizing is always on point, and plays aggro when in a hand.

I counter his style by essentially avoiding him. Rarely sit at his same table, and when I do I seek a table change almost immediately. Maybe this is Venice10? Once an a while I attempt to 'get lucky' against him and will call a pf open or C-bet in hopes of hitting a nutted hand and stacking V just to get a reaction out of him.

Player 2 - Nit, buys-in for $100-$150, makes comments about other players, calls players out for 'misplaying hands', 'getting lucky', etc. He usually avoids pots that I am in because he folds 95% of range. I counter his play by almost always opening on his blinds, and strad when he is in the blinds at all times, and just slowing down and avoiding giving him action every time he plays back or when he rarely opens.

Player 3 - Old mis reg - who buys in for 50 10x a session, limp-folds until he gets down to 20-30 dollars and open shoves. I counter his play by almost always raising when he limps, and calling most of his shoves for 20-30 dollars just to knock-him out so he can min-rebuy.

Based on these three examples of players maybe my question should have been the following; You are at a good, action table, pf ranges are loose, straddles and even blind bets are on, there is constantly bomb pots going on during dealer switches and everyone is having a good time. A seat opens up and one of the three players above are about to sit down into the game and will not play along with the dymanic of the table. Do you give them a heads up ahead of time so they know what there getting into, or do you take the chance they sit down and 'ruin the game'.

Maybe this should be its own thread but I ask the group which room would you prefer to play at.

Local NH room - mainly plays 1/2, 50 min-300 max, rake of about 8 dollars (includes HH and tip), 2-5 tables running, smallish player pool, 15 minutes from home.

Encore - 1/3 100 min-500 max, 2/5 min 300 - max 1k, rake of about 14 dollars (includes HH, BBJ, tip), 8-12 tables constantly running, much bigger player pool, 45-1:30 minutes from home.

Well, this isn't really what your OP is about, is it?

To be honest, I have a little bit of a problem with the players at the table running the stakes / rules / reindeer games / etc. The game stakes are posted. The player asks to sit at those stakes. The player is seated at that table. They can play however they want. If you and everybody else at the table (and I can guarantee you not everyone at the table is thrilled with the games you are playing but are not saying anything in order to not put themselves in an uncomfortable social situation) want different stakes / rules / reindeer games, then ask the floor to arrange that table for you. Otherwise, respect the right of players to play how they want in the game they signed up for.

GcluelessrespectnoobG

By playing at Encore, you'll be spending much more on rake, gas, and driving. Do you currently play in Dover? I moved out of Dover, NH not long after the room opened, and prior to this I generally drove to either Hampton (now closed) or to Chasers, which was a 40' minute drive.

No my room is in Nashua

Why would you drive all the way to Encore rather than plan at Chasers?

I mainly play at BBCC/Gate City. I don't live in Nashua, I live in Westford MA.

Chasers to my house is about a 20-30 minute drive. Chasers does have better action but the room isn't as nice, the bathrooms are disgusting, and there is literally no where to wait in Chasers if you don't get a seat.

Rake at Encore is brutal and, in my experience, the games in New Hampshire are actually better. A small player pool isn't a bad thing IMO if you are capable of making significant adjustments to your opponents.

If you are near Nashua, then you have Gate City, Revo Manchester, and Chasers all within a ~30 minute drive. I would never leave the state to play poker again.

Of course a local card room isn't going to be as nice as a brand new casino, but unless Chasers has really gone downhill since my last visit pre-COVID, I thought that the room was spacious, decently furnished, and had a good "sports bar" vibe...although the bathrooms are undersized for either a cardroom or for the restaurant it was previously.

100% agree.

OP thinks they are "ruining the game", but they seem to feel that is some objective truth instead of their own subjective feelings.

Nobody is ruining any game. The idea of only wanting players at your table that will play how you want them to play is just ridiculous IMO.

You come to sit at the table, and you play with whoever is there. If you don't like something about it, then you can leave but why start insulting players or 'warning' others about them?

This is a _very_ different question ... and I think it's 100% fine/good etc. to explain what is going on at the table if any newcomer would be surprised by it, and then they can decide if they want to try to sit somewhere else instead.

100% put it on you and don't say anything negative about the new person.
Maybe something like "Hey, just to let you know we've all been drinking and are gambling a bunch at this table with bomb pots..."

Like if everyone is happy after you say your words, then it's almost always a positive thing.

1. No, it's not kosher to make any sort of "announcement" to the table that the player in seat X is a nit who only plays premiums, and as such other players shouldn't get involved in pots with him.

2. Yes, it's fine to call someone a nit to their face, though not during a hand unless it's heads up between them and us, whether we're joking or not. If they don't like it, too bad.

I've been called out for my aggression, and never thought to make a stink about it. I like to think I'm good enough to tighten up and cut the $hlt when the table thinks I'm getting out of line. If the nits can't adjust to the table when the table knows they're nits, that's on them.

I recently lost two hands to the same opponent who flat called my pre-flop raise with AK, and flopped or turned top 2P. He laughed and showed his hand when I told him how much I loved the way he slow-played AK, as I was folding to his turn bet or raise. There's a way to make a point without being rude or confrontational.

3. I see and hear comments from other players, about my playing style. These comments are not just made to me directly, but also made about me, while I'm sitting at the table, so I don't think it's too out of line to quietly make similar comments about nits at the table, if we so choose, so long as it's done in a discreet way, such as whispering a comment to a neighbor. Generally, though, it's never a bad idea to step away from the table before making such comments.

4. If a game is lively, with everyone voluntarily agreeing to straddle and play bomb pots, I think it's fair to advise a new player before they sit down, regardless of what we think their play style may be. If you know the player is a nit of some sort, and there are other tables he could move to, I don't think it's out of line to politely suggest he may find a different table more to his liking.

That said, I think there's a sort who somewhat enjoys sucking the fun out of the game, and will sit down with the intention of being the one player who doesn't straddle, or whatever. If the game is otherwise good, I'd stay. If the game starts to suck, I'd leave.

5. If a player is a nit or an OMC, but otherwise not bothering anyone, I generally wouldn't bother to say anything to him, and may not say anything about him to anyone else. If the guy's also an a$$hole, I'll likely find a way to put an unflattering spotlight on him, in such a way that doesn't get me in trouble with the floor. Playing tight is fine. Being an a$$hole isn't.

Might not be good to teach fish not to call raises. Plus someone might not like my style of play, raising more than calling, etc.

Some amateurs limp everything and when they raise it is JJ+/AK, maybe tighter, but they still get calls at 1/3 etc. Plus many amateurs and regs you bigger sizing for big hands, but they still get calls.

FWIW, I don't read a newspaper in the room and I'm old enough that bad beats don't cause me to react anymore. Although I know a couple of players that do read the papers.

Having a gtowizard dweeb go to another table is +ev for me. Read what I said in my previous post, you are giving off the vibe I am talking about. Its not so much the tight aspect of certain players that piss you off its more that they are winning money and playing tight that upsets you. Its amazing how many times my nit table actually becomes the table to be at after an hour or 2 and the kid that left in a tizzy is doing his usual poker room mongoose impression getting even more tilted he left the better table and can't get his seat back. I am convinced a lot of pros are just professional live bum hunters that have to always be picking a fun player off and when they don't have a huge spot at the table and they are forced to play real poker they just run away.