One reason I like poker is its uniqueness compared to other sports and games. Its perfect mix of skill and luck combined with the unending variety of people you encounter at the tables make it a lot of fun. One unique aspect of the game that I am not as fond of, however, is angle shooting.
For those new to poker, angle shooting is doing something during a poker game that is not technically against the rules, but is nonetheless considered unethical. It is pushing the limits of the rules while not crossing the line of illegality to the point where the person doing it is generally perceived to be pretty scummy or disrespectful.
For example, a player might purposely act out of turn in order to influence the actions of his opponents. Perhaps a player wants to see the flop for free or cheap. He might, before it’s his turn to act pre-flop, throw out a raise. He then takes it back after “realizing” that it wasn’t his turn yet, but now the players ahead of him might be scared to bet, thinking he will raise. When it checks to him, however, he just goes ahead and checks behind.
In another instance, someone with a strong hand on the river might pretend to accidentally toss the wrong denomination chip into the pot, supposedly making his bet much higher than intended. Since he can’t take it back, he acts like he is upset about betting too much, which then induces his opponent to call since they think they have him beat. Neither of those instances of angle shooting is illegal, but nobody is going to like someone who is perceived to have made those moves intentionally.
I find angle shooting interesting for a couple of reasons. First, it is, for the most part, unique to poker. In other sports, there isn’t usually a gray area between legality and illegality. Either something is against the rules or it isn’t. Now, sometimes players get away with breaking the rules, like when Hall of Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry would throw his famous spitball without getting caught, but getting away with it doesn’t mean it isn’t illegal.
The closest thing I can think of to angle shooting in other sports is in basketball when a defender flops in the hopes of drawing a charging foul. It’s not against the rules to flop and it sometimes works, but most fans think it’s a pretty bush league move. Similarly, you will often see a jump shooter throw his legs forward, towards his defender, and then fall backwards to make it look like he was fouled. Again, not against the rules, but fans don’t like this sort of thing. But still, neither of these examples is a true angle shot. Basketball players can flop, dive, and dance a jig as much as they want – it’s up to the refs to see a foul.
The other reason angle shooting is interesting to me is that it evokes such strong emotional responses from people. I would say the majority of poker players simply despise angle shooters. Many fans thought Perry’s efforts to get away with a spitball were amusing. In fact, his Hall of Fame plaque alludes to this with the sentence, “Playing mind games with hitters through an array of rituals on the mound was part of his arsenal.” But angle shoot in poker and you are generally considering a sleaze.
Why is that, though? I’m not saying that attitude is wrong; I can’t stand angle shooters. But I find it odd that I, along with the majority of poker players, so strongly condemn players for trying to gain a competitive edge within the confines of the rules. It seems to me that the biggest reason for this is money. We play poker to win money and when someone pulls a shady stunt to try to take our money, we get upset. Most of us just want to play poker and have enough to think about over the course of a game without having to worry about someone angle shooting us.
Piggybacking on that point, a single hand, especially in a tournament, can make a big difference in the course of the game. If I get angle shot out of a good chunk of chips and therefore hurt my chances to advance in a tournament, I will not be a happy camper. In other sports, a single sketchy play, while not appreciated, isn’t generally going to affect a player’s financial well-being. Sure, it hurt a hitter’s stats to strike out on a spitter, but it’s just one at-bat of many in his career and shouldn’t hurt him in contract negotiations.
Finally, in poker, we’re on our own. If we fall victim to an angle shot, that’s it. In team sports, we still have teammates who will have our backs. If I strike out on a spit ball, the next guy can pick me up by hitting one out of the park. My pitcher can silence the opposition’s bats. My coach can get on the refs about the power forward flopping or my teammate can block the guy’s next shot and turn it into a fast break dunk on the other end.
At the poker table, it’s every man for himself. We were all taught to play nice and when someone doesn’t, it hurts.
I agree this is underhanded , I played this weekend at Charles Town WV and this punk angle shoot me more than once. This first was a check – shove all in! What a duche bag!