The Hawthorne Effect in poker

When poker players deride another player for berating another player’s foolhardy play we call this ‘tapping the glass’, and there is a very good reason why you don’t want to alert the fish that there is any possible danger lurking. You’d be surprised at how often a loose player is dressed-down for their play, and then they suddenly turn into a competent poker player thereafter!

In experiments this is known as the Hawthorne Effect, which is explained by Wikipedia in this way: subjects improve or modify an aspect of their behavior being experimentally measured simply in response to the fact that they are being studied, not in response to any particular experimental manipulation.

In poker this means that the minute you alert a bad player to the fact that other players are not only watching them do foolish things, but are actually trying to play well and take advantage of their play, you have essentially created a better poker player in the blink of an eye! There are many reasons people play poorly, and often times they actually no better! It’s just not as fun to play tight and wait for good cards, but it is fun to prove the loudmouth wrong and take their money specifically; which is often what the fish will attempt to do to the offending player.

You have probably seen the Hawthorne Effect in action, and likely been one of the people whom it could apply to: Many times while I have been playing in a friendly home game I have been irritated by another player -whether his tirade was directed at me or another person-and have gone from playing my C- Game right to my A Game.

This is the second part of the Hawthorne Effect in poker; everyone at the table whether involved in the hand or not is hearing your rant, or just as bad, hearing you talk-shop –which is the second most irritating thing poker players can do at the tables. What happens in these situations is that almost every player at the table who was having fun and playing less than optimally will likely take the game more seriously from this point on. This is why I try never to discuss poker at the tables, or talk despairingly about a poker player, even if the player in question has left the game. There is simply no logical reason to clue anyone at the table into the fact that you are a solid player, or that there is a better way to play the game.

When these situations occur it’s best for you to lighten the mood, and let the bad players know that you are taking the game lightly, even if you are trying to win money.