Beating Poker Table Bullies

You've known bullies your entire life, right up from childhood. Bullies are highly eccentric individuals with very peculiar interests like flushing your head down the toilet or flicking paper balls drenched with saliva. Bullies are fascinated with the concept of wet willies and harass innocent victims as a hobby, and as much as they are a part of your everyday society, it is probably best to avoid them.

A bully on a poker table though, is another story.

Remember that boxer avatar on FTP? I have seen most bullies pick that avatar on that card room. Poker bullies thrive by displaying aggression and harvesting everyone's pot money. They are not your typical player and everything about them is obnoxious and appalling. With poker bullies on a poker table, winning will not be your top priority. Being able to grab your poker chips and fling them at their faces like a spinning shuriken is enough to make you feel incredibly triumphant. Unfortunately, not all people are born cowards, so if you are one of those fearless people then listen up. Here are several tips to beating poker table bullies by using what these obnoxious personalities do not use most of the times: their brains.

A poker bully's mission is to make you fold. His entire being revolves around making you give up, that he likes to call all-in all the time even if he holds a hideous hand of cards. Poker table bullies love fighting weak players who aren't gutsy enough to fight and put some money into the pot. They also enjoy playing poker with tight-aggressive poker players who won't fight without having the perfect set of cards.

In order to bring this bully back to the bully-jungle where he belongs, you should be using a different tack than his to beat him at his own game. It would be too tempting to give him a taste of his own medicine but instead, do what he is NOT doing. Beating poker table bullies require slowplaying. The bully will be counting on you to raise the stakes so you could beat him. He will constantly taunt you to bet so that he can win and make things worse for you. Haven’t all of us had that idiotic chat aggression and slights?

This bully will take advantage of you by tricking you, intimidating you, confusing you and check-raising you. His ultimate goal in life is to abuse your blinds so that you are left with nothing, and he is left with everything. Poker bullies are foreseeable elements that you shouldn't trifle with. They are formidable opponents despite their seemingly mindless nature. Remember, even airhead players may occasionally have a good hand, and they may not be bluffing. Try your hardest to learn the language of the bully species. Analyze his body movements and try to see if he's bluffing or not. Be aware, that some bullies are actually gifted with an intellect. Players who are bullies as part of their own game plans are the players you should watch out for. Intellectual poker bullies are demi-gods who are born to make mortal players suffer. Idiot bullies, on the other hand, are just simple minded annoying guys. You can analyze their game and you can be perfectly fine. Try it.
  
I think beating poker table bullies is easier if you sit on their left side. This way, you can play your hand first and save yourself from maximum bully exposure. It is incredibly difficult to concentrate on your hand, but try to do so. The bully wants you to waste all your focus on HIM and not your cards. Psychologically trick this nitwit by always doing opposite of what he expects you to do. The bully wants you to lose your concentration and make bad calls. Stun the poker bully by showing intense focus and determination. You can win just by focusing on yourself. Never be afraid of poker bullies, and if you are, it’s better not to show it. Poker table bullies are counting on your fear to take you down. This is part of their strategy and the last that you should do is to help them implement it.

Trample over these poker bullies by showing them how much of a bully you are too. A poker table is too small for two bullies. Unfortunately for them there's only one space left - and that space is for you. TAKE IT!