Nice Hand ... NOT

[LombardiStix]

I've delved into the art of online poker speak before with a thread on the unnecessary "donk" callings. So this time I will explain a new growing annoyance of mine. I am slowly becoming annoyed with the rapid fire nh or gg. And I realize that many say these for many different reasons. I want to vent some of my own opinion and I especially want your opinion of the rapid fire abreviations. I will be referring to NH but the same applies to GG.

First of all, at most tables I feel like saying NH is almost as arbitrary as "how you doing?" "fine" "how are you?" "good". I mean, to me, it has lost all meaning when I see some of the crap people are getting told nh to. I see people go all in with AA pre-flop over 10/20 blinds and all they do is take the blinds. Then half the table says nh. WHAT?!?!?! Did you really think that was a Nice Hand? Did you? Because in my opinion that hand was played poorly and with very little effectivness. If we say nh to every stupid move that takes down a pot... then there is no point in saying nh at all. However I could see some people saying it so the person feels like "Thanks I know it was a nice hand" and continues to play stupid like that throughout the game. I'm just not that hopeful. I guess my real beef with this is... in the interest of improving our overall play of ourselves and those around us I wanna hear nh on the hands I played strongly. Some of you who have played with me a lot know that if someone says nh to me when I made a stupid move and lucked out I will correct them. I want it to mean something when I tell someone Nice Hand.

So I am calling for all to restrain themselves. Attempt to control your automatic inclinations to spit out compliments to those who have not earned them. You are diluting the strength of our words when you speak without considering your words seriously.

Sincerely,
Darkest Knight,
Stix

[jeffsbabe]

Well, I guess I'll have consider this in the future. I've never really thought about it being taken so literally. To me is just a "congrats for winning the pot" kind of thing. And a way of making the game friendlier. So, maybe I'll just keep it to myself from now on. I really never considered that I was actually commenting on someone's play-which I really would never do. So, don't feel bad if I don't say "nh" in the future.

[derringer007]

I feel the same way about the "rapid fire" NH. If im in a hand with one other player and post-flop both our hole cards are shown via all-in and the villain has me beat then i will sometimes say NH because im clearly out played. But if i clearly have the nuts post-flop and i get beat by a card chasing suck-out on the river i will never give a NH. Why should i NH a player that had no business in the hand in the first place. Since where on the subject of things not to say @ the table. Never say your sorry after a hand which i see all to often. Your not really sorry, are you.

[villaridge]

well, I rarely give out a NH. It is overused, but then out of courtesy I TY to all NH directed at me. Then there is the snarky sardonic NH. which as you say is used "saying it so the person feels like "Thanks I know it was a nice hand" and continues to play stupid like that throughout the game". But really a donk or super loose player needs no encouragement.

But the GG is just common respect given to a player that just lost it all. Nothing wrong with that, But I usually dont give a GG early stage, unless I know the player.

So, generally I ignore the GG and NH's that occur early in a game. Poker Respect is something you have to earn, and you do it by playing well and making the money,or final table. Then those NH's and GG's mean something.

[gnk2727]

Yeah I know exactly what you mean. I'll see some clowns tellin the guy that just sucked out bad on someone NH and I'll be sitting there like . I dont know if its just people trying to be nice, or if they just are really that clueless as to how to play.........

[xxmommaxx]

I do understand where you are coming from. I don't really feel like everyone deserves a "nh" when they have won the hand chasing a gut shot or something similar. But, at the end of the hand, the "nh," no matter how it was obtained, is the one that won, right?

Isn't sucking out part of poker? How about a "BB special?" or How about just plain old getting lucky? All part of poker.

Now, don't get me wrong... I get just as angry with suck-outs and such and I don't always say "nh." Sometimes I say, "nh..kinda." Sometimes I say "nh" just to make the donk feel good and then make a note of his/her goofy playing style. Sometimes my "nh" makes the donk show me his cards the next hand in hopes that I will compliment him/her again. A lot of donks have a very big ego..lol.

So, while I get whatcha mean, don't always dismiss the use of "nh." It may come in "hand-y."

[freestylejoker]

Stix, I understand your grievance, but would you really want most of the random donks that play online truly giving you their 2 cents on how you played a particular hand? Unless it's people you've played with a bunch, I don't see the value.

If you're talking about forum games, I'll say this - If we were to take opposite extremes, I find it waaaay more fun and enjoyable playing on an overly-courteous table than in one where I take a measured gamble, catch cards, and then have to hear how I'm a donk for the next 500 hands.

So between the two evils, it's really not so bad. Plus, that's what the actual forum is for, game correction...

-free

[LombardiStix]

Hmmm... interesting Villa that you distinguish the uses of nh and gg. Where you say gg to anyone late in a game that lost it all compared to the nh carefully and rarely. I guess it annoys me because I am thinking in very literal terms.

Momma, I did mention the strategic use of saying nh which you also brought up and this post is really not addressing that situation because if you are saying it for a good reason than you are not simply doing it to do it.

JB, I dont mean to discourage talk if you mean it. I want talk to be meaningful.

And yes Free I agree that an courteous is preferred over a bunch of muppets, but I bring it up to point out the general pointlessness of the rapid-fire/habitual nh & gg-ers. When we say it so much the words themselves lose meaning. So I created this thread for two reasons:
1. To get everyone else to share their opinion on the topic.
2. To get everyone to think about what they are saying/typing instead of living in habitual cycles. ( a good way to always look critically at your life)

The fact is that when I get gg or nh from pretty much all players it means nothing to me because of its overuse. And yes Free I appreciate when a player says "very nice play" or "very nice bet". ( I also know some people are encouraging because they wish for you to make the same play twice so they can "catch" you). But I'll take any real talk.

So I propose the use of a new term n4kp. To be used only when it was a nice 4king play.

[crazyfool]

Yeah not long ago in a tourny 3 people limped in so I put a big raise with KK. One guy calls QXX flop. Guy calls my all in with QJ and river Q. Two people type NH. I'm thinking how the hell is that a nice hand.

[baillta]

I definitely agree with everyone on the NH call. Was in a $6 90 person SnG on FTP, 4 runners left, I'm mid stack with about 60k. AK on SB (yes I know I normally hate this hand too), anyway UtG folds and the button raises 2xBB to 24k pre flop. He's been doing this all night so I push and BB folds. The button insta-calls me for almost all his chips. Turns over 86o and then precedes to hit a flop of 579. I was beside myself but whats worse there was laughing and 'NH' all round with the guy who beat me claiming he was 'pot commited'!!

Now I know this isn't a bad beat thread but I just want to know if anyone thinks I could have played that differently? (short of folding AK pre-flop like I should do more often haha)