Online Poker Strategy Articles

Jeff Henry

People on the rail are usually welcome, but can occasionally be a pain in the rear in live and online poker. Live, the problem is fairly mild, and it usually consists of people standing near the rail, talking loudly to others or on their cell phones. To make it worse, they seem to be babbling on most often about a bad beat they just had. Being polite on the rail simply comes down to one thing. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. You wouldn't like having someone blabbing in your ear when you're playing for millions or even tens of thousands of dollars and trying to listen, pay attention and focus.

The same 'Do unto others' rule should apply to online poker railbirding. Railbirds online fall into a few categories, it seems. One is the player who stops by to say hello or cheer on a buddy. I do that, as do many others, including the best of the best. I appreciate the support and respect shown when this happens, and I try to take time to root on a buddy when he is doing well. I wouldn't change that for the world. These guys who root each other on generally know what its like to be in the situation the players are in and will not ask questions requiring a response from a player when that player is involved in a hand. Similarly, when you say you are playing several tables at the time, they understand and leave you alone to focus on your games.

Then there is a second category of railbird, who is relatively inexperienced and is quite curious about the game itself as well as things like how much people have won recently, how you deal with taxes, when you play live, or general bankroll management issues. They are often respectful and complimentary, but they can occasionally commit those offenses just mentioned above that an experienced player railbirding wouldn't commit. Not a big deal, but it is something to be aware of if you don't want to be a pain to these players whose attention you seek.

The next kind of railbird needs to go out and play in traffic. Some people come around to large buy in tournaments and beg for money. No one wants to give money to someone they don't know, whether they are rooting for you or not. Some come around to share bad beat stories, and some come around to haunt a player who handed them that bad beat as well. Everyone has bad beats, and sometimes good players make bad plays and get lucky. Whether your deal is to just whine or to follow the guy who beat you and yell at him, it doesn't matter. When you can accept bad beats as a part of poker, move on to the next game and focus on playing well and not your bad luck, you have achieved a state of mind that will allow you to remain calm, stick to a solid strategy, and have consistent success.

note by gank: Jeff Henry does not railbird because he is usually the one playing at the final table.