berate - be right

[Talking Poker]

I never start it, but I have been known to go off a time or two or 100 under the right circumstances.

It's usually when a decent-but-not-NEARLY-as=good-as-he-thinks-he-is guy starts shit with me... I just can help myself from being a smart ass and pointing out how stupid he is. This generally end up being +EV if I had to guess, because the "other guy" tilts easier than I do, and he'll often start gunning for me.

The other times I'll get into it with someone is when he starts berating the table fish. I don't like this very much, so I'll usually go off on that guy and get him to focus his attention on me, rather than on the reason I am sitting at the table.

In live games, I'm a very friendly player... but as soon as someone at the table is a dick - to me or anyone else - or starts walking that fine poker etiquette line and bending rules, I'm the first to speak up.

I'm generally a very peaceful, friendly type of guy, but I can think of at least 3 times when I damn near got into a fist fight at a poker table: Home Game circa 2004, Borgata Open 2006 ($1000 satellite AND a cash game later - same asshole), and a WSOP cash game in 2007 (this one wasn't close to coming to blows from MY end, but I REALLY tilted this guy who was being a complete jackass - it was awesome). I think I've posted about at least two of those incidents on here, but don't feel like looking for them.

My advice: Don't get into it with anyone. If you want to though, look for the guys who are berating the fish and get into it with them. It's fun, if nothing else.