Interesting ideas, would be nice if there were some regulatory safeguards. Bars are mandated to stop serving to those who have had too much to drink, but casinos are under no such mandate for gambling. Drinking is different obviously for public safety reasons, but protecting some people from self-destructive excess certainly is worthy of thought.

I play in tournaments with a woman who is very nice and we have become friendly, but she is not a great poker player and often buys in and busts through multiple tournaments on a weekend day. She sometimes has ended up short of cash and borrowing her buy-in or considering whether to dip into her gas money. Her play is so loose that sometimes I want to reach across the table and prevent her from calling even in a hand against me. She’ll bust and contemplate the next tournament and I’ll suggest she call it an early evening. Just painful.

When speaking of losing in Hugoism 13b

But in all seriousness we must protect trouble players from themselves.

I posted this under another heading and will repost here if that is OK, I don’t know how to link to the other post in March.

short version.
each state will have poker player registration.
can only buy-in through the states registry or appointed delegate which will take it’s fee (tax) on each buy in.
MAX buy in for one year will be limited to 10% of cross income for anyone making less that 50k per year.
20% for those make 50 to 150k
and 35% for everyone making more than 150k per year.
people with no income would be limited to $50 per month, ie entertainment value.
The states can lease out any part of the plan they want. or form larger collisions of states for economy of scale..
A federal protection agency would keep players from double dipping in multiple states.
all PROs would have an avatar indicating they are a pro ( make over half their income form poker, playing and indorsements). If players want to challenge them they can, but they better know something about bankroll management.
They also need to play the age and debility card. I am too freaking old to set in a casino for hours on end. But I can play from my recliner at home. I’m also a VET and earned for my freedom to spend my money the way I choose. This really tics me off.

When I started watching poker on TV, before playing myself, I assumed that the amazing characters they highlighted were a function of TV selecting and creating these personas through creative editing, or that these were just unusual cases. Then I started playing and realized my local card room rivaled the World Series in how compelling the various people were, and such a cross section as you describe. I never get bored!

That’s a good one as well. They do think if they bet, no matter how big, you should go away because they’re ahead. Even if you are open ended with a flush draw, and they bet a quarter of the pot, they think there is great injustice when one of your 15 outs comes out on the turn.

I agree completely. The likely more interesting examination is how other peoples’ behavior impacts and changes us. I often find myself really enjoying players that most other players don’t like very much. And the rare times I have become acutely irritated or angry it isn’t at a player rationally I think should send me on tilt.

I usually wait until they demonstrate it is a pattern, not just a one off and until it gets annoying before I ask:

What’s the difference between poker players and puppies?

brief pause

Eventually puppies stop whining..

If live, I wait til I am victim of a bad beat, then fain whining, then smile and tell the joke.

Sometimes they get it, sometimes they don’t, but everyone else does. Well. everyone but the other puppies.