Poker is a game of competition, and a lot of emotions are involved. However, it’s important to keep all your feelings under control at the table. If you can’t do that, you’ll find yourself in the middle of some very tense situations.
One of the most common situations that can cause players to get tense is when they’re slow rolled by another player. This is a form of bad poker etiquette that many players find to be unfair and uncalled for. It’s also a way to rub your opponent’s face in their losses.
There are no explicit rules against slow rolling, but it’s generally considered to be a breach of good poker etiquette. In addition to that, it can also ruin your reputation at the poker table. It won’t help you make any friends and may even turn other players against you. This is especially true if you’re playing in a large or televised game, where your actions can be seen by a wider audience.
It’s important to remember that while some players slow roll other players deliberately, most of the time it’s just a coincidence or an accident. They might be focusing on something else at the table and forget to check that they have the best hand before they raise. They might also have a nagging headache or just want to take their time before they call an all-in bet.
Besides being frustrating for the victim, it can also be a big pain for the person doing the slow roll. This is because they are putting their opponent on edge and making them angry. It’s a bit like throwing a tantrum. The slow rolled player is likely to lose focus and start to play poorly.
The player who does the slow roll is likely to receive a lot of criticism from other players in the room. They’ll be seen as the villain in the game and will have a tough time winning a multi-way pot. It’s even possible that the whole table will want to bust the slow roller.
Some poker players might even resort to this tactic in order to provoke a reaction from their opponents, especially when the two players have some history with each other. This is often the case in larger or televised games, as these players want to make the game more interesting.
A famous example of this happened at the WSOP Caesars Cup in 2005. Phil Hellmuth, known as the ‘Poker Brat’, threw a massive temper tantrum on international television after he thought he was slow-rolled by T.J. Cloutier. This incident was caught on camera and is a great example of how a slow roll can ruin a game of poker. However, it’s also important to remember that even if you are being slow-rolled, it’s usually best to let the issue go as quickly as possible and compliment the player who has the winning hand. This will put an end to any impact these acts might have over you, and might lead them to abandon this strategy altogether.