Poker Across the Pond V - Yanks, Donks, and Other Things You Should Never Say

While the professional players are mostly polite and respectful when talking about others, average online players are happy to let rip with abuse. Players from both sides of the pond are vocal – very vocal – about how the other half plays, and their rants are so eloquent they do not need a lot of explaining. 

Against Europeans in general: 

The time difference between the Americas and Europe can span anything from 5 to 10 hours, and an affiliate site uses this to entice American players to rob Europeans blind: 

90% of the players from *** come from TV advertising in Europe. TV games are shown from 10pm all through the night European time. This means that from 5pm EST the drunk donkeys are out, by 9pm (2am GMT) they are drunk, and getting drunker. Perfect timing for us American sharks to make fishcakes out of our friends across the pond. 

Not very polite, but also not a direct attack to European skill or play. Let’s move on. 

Against Scandinavians in particular: 

Oh, boy, the Scandinavians must have flaming ears, because everybody talks about them! Pros and laymen alike agree that Scandinavian play is wildly aggressive, but nobody seems to agree on whether it is good play or not.  

There is the curious blogger searching for confirmation: “No offense to any scandis, but does anyone else find these players very donk-ish and super loose?” 

And he gets a deadpan answer: “You are absolutely correct in my opinion, Scandinavian players are terribly horrible. Don't know why I think they are just really impatient at their tables.” 

Even the experts allow themselves to make this kind of comments - on a Monte Carlo Final Table, a Scandinavian player raised with 84 suited from an early position, got re-raised, and went all in. What did commentator Jon Duthie say? “Wow, that’s some Scandinavian poker right there!” 

Finally, there is a player who really minds Scandinavian good luck: “Swedes and Norwegians raise and re-raise with total rags and then somehow catch the miracle one outer on the river...they also never fold....I dunno if all this is very advanced game theory or just a herd of donkeys with magic cards falling out of their asses.” 

Ooh, smoky! Let’s see what the other side has to say about American players!

Stay tuned for the final part of this series...