How to (get better at) speech play? (1 Viewer)

[Roslindale]

Nice insights @Headhunter13

As was said in a famous movie once" I always tell the truth, even when I lie"

Good talk, as stated earlier, can make the game an event to attend.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

Nice insights @Headhunter13

As was said in a famous movie once" I always tell the truth, even when I lie"

Good talk, as stated earlier, can make the game an event to attend.

Ey, I know its not your point, but just imagine how miserable it would be to play cards with Scarface. Whatta shitshow.

Cocaine everywhere, lustful glances at his sister all while not remembering that a flush beats a straight.

 

[BarrieJ3]

I think there’s some additional information needed, specifically are we talking only speech play, or also social convo. And home game or casino? Everyone’s answer is trying to guess what OP is talking bout, because it’s very diff answer, setting dependent.

I gather from the question that there’s two totally separate parts here. Being comfortable, and being good. From OPs own words it looks like there is a certain amount of uncomfortability.

For me personally, I have no fricken clue. I KNOW that I give away way too much information. If it’s hold ‘em, and I shove all in, almost every time the other person will make the right decision because they know exactly where I stand. I have 0 poker skills, I refuse to study, and we rarely play (twice in the last 6 months).

That being said, I know it starts with comfort at the table.

I don’t have “speech play” ability, but I’m loud as hell, play poker to have a good time, and the tables are damn sure gonna hear about it. Mix that with a sky high VPIP, and magically most people’s ranges will open a tad. If I join a table of regs in Vegas drinking water, coffee, tea, and whatever that delicious joose is at Wynn, at least half will have a drink or two. I can get entire tables to blind straddle with me in a WSOP event.

I’m not trying to make this about me, but I do feel it’s a really good example. What are you trying to do?

In my world, I just want to play every hand as an action junkie and not lose my shirt. The only way to make that work is to be loud, have a great time, and get everyone else to be loud and have a great time. So I guess my speech play does generally get the desired result.

 

[Roslindale]

Ey, I know its not your point, but just imagine how miserable it would be to play cards with Scarface. Whatta shitshow.

Cocaine everywhere, lustful glances at his sister all while not remembering that a flush beats a straight.

Too true.

I've already kicked out the coke junkies from the game.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

Too true.

I've already kicked out the coke junkies from the game.

Talk about real life variance, mother of God. I can handle most downswings unless a bottle of jack is attached to the swinging arm.

 

[TheOffalo]

Thank you all for your responses! I'm glad my questions started some interesting discussions. I didn't go into too much specifics in my OP because I wanted to leave things open-ended and solicit a range of responses, but I am primarily talking about a home game situation, not at a casino. I generally find myself playing poker in one of three situations:

• The home game that I "host" (I provide chips, cards, etc., and I bank; I organize and schedule the games; I just don't have room to physically host) at, where I feel most comfort with, since I've been playing with these guys for a dozen years. I definitely trash talk, give people a hard time when they make a bad play and suck out, and expect the same from my poker buddies.
• The home games that I am invited to, some of which I've been attending for years, others where I've only been a half dozen times. I do engage in table-talking, make jokes, laugh it up, trying to be a fun player whether I'm up or down, so I continue to be invited to these games.
• Casinos relatively near me, like Hollywood Park or Lucky Lady or Hustlers or Commerce (haven't been to the Bike or Gardens yet), where I keep relatively to myself, but I will engage with people who engage with me first.

In none of these situations so far do I do anything I'd consider "speech play". That's why the title, if you take out the parenthetical part, would read "How to speech play?" To me, speech play is using talk while in a hand to either try to induce a player into taking (or avoiding) an action, or to obfuscate my own holdings with words, and I don't do either of those. It doesn't mean, if I'm in a hand, that I'm silent, though; I'm just not trying to use talk to affect the outcome (mostly to avoid inadvertently giving a tell).

So I was mostly wondering how I could incorporate this aspect into my play, primarily in the first setting above, where I feel most comfortable. I have a friend who's "good" at speech-play in that I can't really get a read out of the additional "information" he's giving me. So I am not getting any advantage, and sometimes his table talk may cause me to reconsider my action (usually in a more conservative fashion).

I do like some ideas in the thread, which I will try out. It'll probably feel uncomfortable, but hopefully I'll be able to tell whether that discomfort is just because I'm new at it, or whether it's because it's just really not my style, and so I can decide whether to continue with trying it or not. (I definitely won't give up after just one try.)

 

[MrBoosh]

I do like some ideas in the thread, which I will try out. It'll probably feel uncomfortable, but hopefully I'll be able to tell whether that discomfort is just because I'm new at it... (I definitely won't give up after just one try.)

I hope you are talking about the advise to tell everyone at the table that you will have sexual relationships with all of their mothers. I heard it gets easier the more you do it!

 

[upNdown]

Don't be afraid to flat out lie about your hand or theirs ... many people don't mind bluffing, but they don't like outright lying.

I think this is bad advice. You can bullshit, mislead, deceive all you want. But when you actually outright lie about your hand, I think you’re going to lose at least half of the poker players out there (and I’d guess a lot more than half.). Once you lie, a lot of people won’t trust you and won’t like you. If that’s fine with you, carry on. But since lots of us like to play poker with our friends, that might be a decision that you don’t want to make lightly.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

I think this is bad advice. You can bullshit, mislead, deceive all you want. But when you actually outright lie about your hand, I think you’re going to lose at least half of the poker players out there (and I’d guess a lot more than half.). Once you lie, a lot of people won’t trust you and won’t like you. If that’s fine with you, carry on. But since lots of us like to play poker with our friends, that might be a decision that you don’t want to make lightly.

We know how you feel about lying at the poker table.

 

[Headhunter13]

I think this is bad advice. You can bullshit, mislead, deceive all you want. But when you actually outright lie about your hand, I think you’re going to lose at least half of the poker players out there (and I’d guess a lot more than half.). Once you lie, a lot of people won’t trust you and won’t like you. If that’s fine with you, carry on. But since lots of us like to play poker with our friends, that might be a decision that you don’t want to make lightly.

That's one reason I asked if this were a home game or card room/casino. Many people don't like to outright lie in a "friendly" home game.
OTOH, if you're bantering with the opponent, and he looks you square in the eye and says "can you beat a straight?" what do you do? Just answer truthfully? Suddenly stop talking?

 

[CraigT78]

That's one reason I asked if this were a home game or card room/casino. Many people don't like to outright lie in a "friendly" home game.
OTOH, if you're bantering with the opponent, and he looks you square in the eye and says "can you beat a straight?" what do you do? Just answer truthfully? Suddenly stop talking?

No, you reach for your drink and ask what game are we playing?

 

[SeanGecko]

Look them dead in the eye and say, "You look like friend from back east..... before the accident."

 

[ekricket]

OTOH, if you're bantering with the opponent, and he looks you square in the eye and says "can you beat a straight?" what do you do? Just answer truthfully? Suddenly stop talking?

I would shrug and say “can you?”

 

[Headhunter13]

I would shrug and say “can you?”

Fair enough