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For a poker player making a bet, goading and insults are strongly correlated to having a strong hand. To help explain the reasons behind this pattern, I’ll include an excerpt from my book Verbal Poker Tells:
Goading
When a player engages in goading behavior when making a significant bet, he’s more likely to have a strong hand.
A goad is defined as “something that urges or forces someone to do something.” (Its meaning comes from a tool called the goad, which is a pointed rod used to get an animal to move forward.)
Goading behavior in poker usually takes the form of a player trying to abuse and agitate an opponent into taking some action, even if it’s not obviously clear what the intended action is. It will most often be heard from someone who has bet with a strong hand and who is trying to get an opponent to call. But any verbal behavior that seems aimed at trying to challenge an opponent into making a decision can be classified as goading. Some examples of goading language:
- A bettor saying, “I dare you to call me.”
- A bettor saying, “I know he’s folding.”
- A bettor saying, “You have to fold. There’s no way you can call.”
- A bettor saying, “A real man would call this bet.”
No matter what the desired action seems to be, goading will usually be correlated with a strong hand. The more goading and aggressive a behavior is, the more likely it becomes that it’s done with a strong hand.
Goading behavior is similar to angry and irritated verbal behavior. A player who uses goading language often wants to “get under the skin” of an opponent—this is also known as “needling” an opponent. As we’ve seen with other patterns, players who make significant bets and who don’t mind irritating their opponents will seldom be bluffing; bluffers don’t want to accidentally trigger an opponent to call out of anger or curiosity.
Language can be categorized as goading by either its content or by the way someone says something (for example, their tone of voice). A statement that doesn’t have goading content can become goading when said in a goading manner. For example, the statement “It’s your turn” could either be a polite reminder or an aggressive, goading statement, depending on the speaker’s tone of voice and the context.
Schadenfreude
There’s often an element of schadenfreude when a player goads another player. Schadenfreude is defined as pleasure that’s derived from the misfortune of others. A player who goads doesn’t necessarily do it for any practical reason but might just do it because he enjoys taunting opponents when he knows they can’t hurt him. This is similar to “kicking a man when he’s down.” Another word for it would be gloating.
For the more annoying verbal behaviors from players holding strong hands, like goading, schadenfreude helps explain a lot about them; it helps explain why many recreational players engage in such behaviors even when there seems to be no rational reason to do so, or even when such behavior seems to reveal information about their hand.
Examples
High Stakes Poker, high stakes NLHE cash game, S4 E13, ~3:00
(This hand previously discussed.) In the hand where Farha had AA and Gold had KK, both players make a goading statement during their lengthy pre-flop conversation.
Here are the goading statements from that hand:
- After Farha bets $10,000 dark before the flop comes, Gold debates outloud whether to call or raise. Farha says, “He’s not brave enough.”
- Gold raises to $30,000 (still dark, before the flop). Farha feigns confusion about what the situation is, saying, “There’s no flop yet?” Gold replies: “No flop; reraise me!”
2006 WSOP NLHE Main Event tournament, E12 of 12, ~11:00
(This hand previously discussed.) On a river board of A♥ 8♣ 2♠ 6♦ 2♥, Allen Cunningham has A♣ T♣ and bets. Jamie Gold has 8♠ 8♦, for the full house.
Gold says, “I raise… I’m all in.” Gold then stands up, smiles, and says, “Gotcha.”
Cunningham says, “Yep. I guess you do.”
Gold: “You know, I knew you didn’t have it.”
Gold uses a misdirection to explain why he went all-in (“I knew you didn’t have it”). It also seems like he’s trying to goad Cunningham into calling.
Zachary Elwood is the author of the Reading Poker Tells trilogy of books, which has been translated into eight languages and sold more than 48,000 copies. See more frequently asked poker tells questions.