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WELCOME TO THE SHARK POOL |
 | WELCOME TO THE SHARK POOL:
WEEKLY POKER NEWS: 12/07/2008: 08:00
Poker Guru, Peter Sharkey, keeps you up to date with what's been happening in the Poker World each week
Full Story Below >>>>> |
In many respects, John Bonetti the thick set, Brooklyn-raised, foul-mouthed poker professional whose death was announced this week, was the personification of an old-fashioned American poker player. His frequent use of phrases such as “fuggedaboutit” (and considerably worse) made him sound more like wiseguy Joe Pesci in Goodfellas than someone capable of winning more than $4 million after taking to poker like a duck to water in his late fifties.
His swearing and abuse were legion; he was the only person in poker history to be penalised when away from the poker table after he was overheard cursing his bad luck while walking across the floor, an infringement which brought him a suspension. Yet most poker commentators appreciated that his aggressive manner and playing style underpinned his success; he may not have been top of every opponents’ Christmas card list, but he did win three WSOP bracelets. Moreover, beneath a gruff exterior lay a much more agreeable cove – Bonetti was rarely averse to staking poker players enjoying a miserable run of luck.
The late Stu Ungar was another renowned for his foul mouth, yet he became one of poker’s most successful players (winning five WSOP bracelets) in between suffering drug addiction and a stormy personal life which only exacerbated matters.
Poker’s very nature can cause some players to explode, particularly when on the receiving end of a bad beat. There is nothing worse than losing money to a lucky opponent or an unforgiving river card when you’ve played well and done everything right. However, players such as Bonetti and Ungar were good enough to rant and curse on such occasions, yet regain their composure and focus on winning even before the next hand was dealt. It is here that poker displays similar characteristics to golf.
There isn’t a golfer alive who has missed an easy putt and taken his sense of grievance onto the next tee; the good players learn to “forggedaboutit”, whereas the rest of us harbour the injustice for too long. The same is true of poker, but while some players quite literally curse their luck, successful ones accept matters and move on.
Both Bonetti and Ungar were exceptions for generally speaking, it does not pay to lose your composure when playing poker. It might be difficult, but if you remain polite, respectful and accept bad beats without making a song and dance (after all, they happen to everyone), it makes it incredibly difficult for your opponents to antagonise you, even though that might be a specific part of their game plan.
This was shown a few years back when another player renowned for his use of ‘verbals’, Mike “The Mouth” Matusow made the final table at the WSOP. He found himself up against Steve “Mr Nice Guy” Dannenmann who refused to rise to Matusow’s constant baiting, a strategy which first exasperated and eventually placated ‘The Mouth’. “I hate everybody at this table, except you” Matusow finally declared; it was a statement which represented a massive psychological victory for Dannenmann.
Scoring such successes was never a part of either Bonetti’s or Ungar’s style, but for most of us, refusing to respond to antagonism or remaining silent when it would be easier to shout and berate our luck is the cleverer way to play.
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