Hachem has it right, doesn't he?

[GreekStein]

The ipad/phone etc complaint is funny too. I've played some poker in Asia, Macau mainly but some other places too and even old guys are watching shows on their smart phones etc. Won't be too long before UK and other places catch up with that.

[tikay]

So there is a problem with poker, Mr H voices an opinion, & it turns into a "young v old" debate.

At least three respondents on this thread complain about "old" players, despite being well the wrong side of 30, which, in poker terms, is not exactly young......

We don't need to point fingers at young or old, it is all of us, we just need to make just a little effort to make the poker world a more inviting place, or we'll all be bickering as the ship sinks.

How many who have responded on this thread actually take the time to introduce themselves to other players on their tables, or even say "Hi"?

It's just O Level social skills, & making just a tinsy-winsy bit of effort.

People don't HAVE to entertain others, of course they don't. Nor do they need to be insolent, & rude, which they are when they can't be arsed to exchange some civil pleasantries to get things started.

Phones & I-Pads?  This is 2014. We rely more on them than wristwatches these days, everyone has them. But if they inhibit convo - & they don't need to, most of us can multi-task - then blame the Organisers for allowing them. But if they get banned at Tables, await the hoohah, folks will be up in arms.

We all just need to make a little effort, instead of just pointing fingers at young/old/whatever. That won't solve a damn thing.

Poker is in decline. Let's all make an effort to arrest that, it's a grand game, able to be enjoyed by young & old equally.

[AndrewT]

What's an 'O level', grandpa?

[tikay]

What's an 'O level', grandpa?

Do pay attention Andrew, it is the British Educational Exam System, GCE O & A Levels. "O" is ordinary, "A" Advanced.

I shamefully confess I failed eight O Levels, which must be some sort of record. I passed English Language though. Child prodigy.  

[RED-DOG]

I didn't fail any O levels.

[Karabiner]

What's an 'O level', grandpa?

Do pay attention Andrew, it is the British Educational Exam System, GCE O & A Levels. "O" is ordinary, "A" Advanced.

I shamefully confess I failed eight O Levels, which must be some sort of record. I passed English Language though. Child prodigy.  

I too got English Language but pride of place goes to my Latin O Level.

[Mohican]

I didn't fail any O levels.

Did you sit any???
I didn't fail any 'O' levels either. Mainly because I was the first year to sit GCSE's. 3 grade C's for the record. I don't suppose i would have done much better at 'O' levels either.

[celtic]

I played poker with a 50 something person last night, he bad beat me, then dissected the hand for 15 mins with his friend the other side of me, telling him how right his play was etc. and how I could have done stuff different. Is that the kind of stuff I should be listening to?

I consider myself sociable at the table and away from it, but I think everyone has the right to listen to, or watch what they want when they are playing, as long as they aren't slowing down the game.

[Rexas]

What's an 'O level', grandpa?

Do pay attention Andrew, it is the British Educational Exam System, GCE O & A Levels. "O" is ordinary, "A" Advanced.

I shamefully confess I failed eight O Levels, which must be some sort of record. I passed English Language though. Child prodigy.  

If you've read Harry Potter, the "inspiration" for the name of the first exams they do is painfully obvious. That's how basically everyone in the younger generation knows what the "o" part of O level means, anyway!

For what it's worth, I think part of the problem is that everyone likes to copy everyone else. People are pack animals, and tend to pick up each others tendencies as a part of growing up. In the poker world, what this means is that as more and more people put their headphones in, the general trend will shift to this being the norm. If people begin to take out the headphones, then that will become the norm. As someone who rarely shuts up at the table, it bothers me when I feel the need to get my Ipod out to try and fix the boredom I feel when the others at the table have decided not to talk back. Increasingly, I feel, I am ending up doing just this.

The flip side to all this is that there are people that want to come and play the game, but are made nervous by the clique-y nature of casino crowds. For sure, the first time I played in the pub I turned up with an Ipod, and the first time I played in a casino I did the same. Over time as I got more comfortable with the regs, the headphones came off and the relentless piss taking started, but I certainly won't forget how intimidated I was by this the first time it happened. To be honest, I don't mind the odd person not interacting with the table, as long as they aren't significantly slowing down the action.

The best table I ever played on was at the GPS in Stoke last year. It had nothing to do with the standard of play, but the banter that came from it. When I arrived at the table, everyone was pretty much silent, and I turned up in a hoodie and cold 4bet the first hand I sat down. The original raiser looked pretty pissed, and when the bet got through I flipped over KK and told the table that I think it's really bad manners to sit at a new table and raise before I've at least said hello. The affect was pretty much instantaneous, everyone seemed to relax, say hello and want to get involved in the conversation. Pretty much the whole table got involved in the conversation, apart from one guy wearing a genting patch, with the whole sunglasses, hood up, headphones in, covering his mouth when he was in a hand routine. I thought this was a pretty terrible advert for the people he was representing, and after gently, but fairly relentlessly, taking the piss out of the guy he took the headphones out and joined in. I must have been sat at that table for about nine hours, but it flew by. Hopefully this will be a an experience that they remember, that will prompt them to come and play again. Who knows. Wonder how Paul Ho found it :p

[Rexas]

What's an 'O level', grandpa?

Do pay attention Andrew, it is the British Educational Exam System, GCE O & A Levels. "O" is ordinary, "A" Advanced.

I shamefully confess I failed eight O Levels, which must be some sort of record. I passed English Language though. Child prodigy.  

I too got English Language but pride of place goes to my Latin O Level.

Does a GCSE in Ancient Greek have a place in this competition?

[GreekStein]

We don't need to point fingers at young or old, it is all of us, we just need to make just a little effort to make the poker world a more inviting place, or we'll all be bickering as the ship sinks.

Teeks you do realise you've probably thrown more jabs at young players and internet 'kidz' on here than probably the rest of blonde combined.

[Rexas]

We don't need to point fingers at young or old, it is all of us, we just need to make just a little effort to make the poker world a more inviting place, or we'll all be bickering as the ship sinks.

Teeks you do realise you've probably thrown more jabs at young players and internet 'kidz' on here than probably the rest of blonde combined.

In the interests of balance, I think Tikay should start his next show with the words "yo, sup everybody, teeks in the house."

[AndrewT]

What's an 'O level', grandpa?

Do pay attention Andrew, it is the British Educational Exam System, GCE O & A Levels. "O" is ordinary, "A" Advanced.

I shamefully confess I failed eight O Levels, which must be some sort of record. I passed English Language though. Child prodigy.   

I too got English Language but pride of place goes to my Latin O Level.

Of course, when Ralph sat his Latin O Level it was classed as Modern Language.

[pleno1]

Sick 9 hours brag rexas!

We don't need to point fingers at young or old, it is all of us, we just need to make just a little effort to make the poker world a more inviting place, or we'll all be bickering as the ship sinks.

Teeks you do realise you've probably thrown more jabs at young players and internet 'kidz' on here than probably the rest of blonde combined.

This.

I would say that the one time we both played together was the main event, on the table I think you only looked up from your iPad to talk to me, all of the young guys were talking and chatting and there was another older guy who didn't say a word. The young guys absolutely did not look down on you for being on your iPad 99% of the time. If there was 7 guys on the "wrong side of 30" talking and chatting and 2 young guys on iPods 99% of the time they would be looked at so differently.

I have been treated badly and intimidated probably 15 times on a poker table almost every time was against somebody the wrong side of 40. I still every time I sit down try and speak to anybody who is around me ask them how they are, who they are, how old their daughter is etc! If there was an older guy who was threatened or sworn at by 15 different young guys in hoodies I don't think they would be so open.

The young guys who squeeze their hand out super slowly, recheck, pull the cards back again, stack out their raise then throw it over into,the pot re completely ridiculous, but they really really love doing it and being "that" guy and that's why they come back.

[edgascoigne]

I still every time I sit down try and speak to anybody who is around me ask them how they are, who they are, how old their daughter is etc!

I can't for the life of me think how you've encountered hostility at the table