Grimming in Poker: You’ll Need a Thick Skin
Introduction: Grimming in Poker
Grimming. Just the word sounds like a nemesis of Bruce Wayne, prowling Gotham in the dead of night. Though he’s no super-hero, he’s certainly the anti-hero of any poker table. Now, if you want to do well in poker, then you’d better have all your poker playing strategy at your fingertips. This is pretty much the only way you’ll outplay your opposition. But there are also some poker players who rely less on poker strategy and more on, let’s say underhand methods, of getting what they want. They do, what’s known as “angle shooting” to improve their chances.
And what is angle shooting? Well, it’s a controversial way of playing. Though not exactly cheating, it’s a way of exploiting the rules in an ambiguous way in order to take advantage of a usually weaker player. It’s kinda like bending the rules, whilst staying within them, in order to deceive other players. And within the genre of angle shooting, you’ll find something called “grimming”. It’s a tactic that takes advantage of a loophole in the rules. A bit like ratholing. But keep in mind that it will not make you popular at the poker table. Quite the opposite!
What Is Grimming in Poker?
This tern is actually named after a player, who had a poker handle of “Grimstarr”. Back in 2007, he became very famous for achieving a high-stakes run that saw him net a total of $800,000 in cash profits. During the game, Grimstarr gained notoriety thanks to the tactics used at the games table. And that’s how we came to its name. Grimming functions as follows:
You sit at a heads up table (“heads up” or HU, means it’s just you and another player) and then post a small blind. Play the one hand. get up and leave immediately in order to avoid posting the big blind. See what’s happening here? Yep, the grimmer theoretically gained half a big blind every time he pulls this (unpopular) move. Another name for grimming is “buttoning”. This is because any HU player in the small blind has the button. (For those non-players among you, having the button is the most desirable place to be in a game of poker. You’re essentially the last person to play, so that means you have seen how all the other players react before you make your move). So in the case of Grimstarr, he both gained a small blind and also had the best seat at the games table.
Bigger Bets, Better Results
It should be pointed out that if you’re betting small amounts, then Grimming is going to be a slow and painful way to make bank. For example, you’d need to sucker an awful lot of players if the betting is $1 -$2 No Limit Texas Hold’em (NLHE) or less. But Grimstarr employed his technique whilst betting minimums of $100 -$200, meaning that he could gain around $100 each time he walked away without posting the big blind. On the whole griming takes place on HU tables. But you can try it at bigger tables, such as during a three handed game.
Is Grimming Allowed in Poker Games?
If you’re playing poker online, then there’s not a lot that can be done to penalize grimming. Of course, the fact that someone suddenly ups and leaves the poker room could be down to any number of factors, including losing their internet connection, taking a phone call, or simply nature calling. There’s no way of knowing. So you can’t really program the poker room to punish players that leave early. As they can’t be completely certain as to the reason for a player leaving, they don’t punish someone who might be grimming. Well, not straight away. Provided you don’t make a habit of it, then you’ll be fine.
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But if you decide that this is a great strategy for playing online jackpot poker, then expect the ban hammer to drop pretty quickly. If grimming is part of your playing repertoire, then you’ll quickly find out that it’s absolutely forbidden. Also, the whole poker community will spit hate your way. If other players see that you’re buttoning, then they’ll report you and it’ll all be over.
Jama-Dharma Shows How it’s Done
In fact, there was a high stakes player called Jama-Dharma who made a habit of grimming. He would play in games with bets of between $20 – $1,000 on the site PokerStars. Then he would quietly wait for victims and make sure that he had the best seat at the table. He would play and then leave before playing the big blind. What a tool! The online poker forums were full of complaints by other players about this guy. Many complained to PokerStars, who promptly banned his sorry ass. Though online poker sites don’t specifically make mention of grimming in their terms and conditions, it’s a given that such play will see your account terminated.
Can Grimming Help You Win in Poker?
Absolutely yes. Buttoning will give you a clear and real advantage in online poker. You really win money in two ways: you have the best position at the table, and you only post small blinds whereas the other player has to post big blinds. These two factors will give you a much stronger possibility of making a profit. As long as you’re a competent player at the level of stakes you’re playing, then it’s all plain sailing. And even if you’re not that good a player, in the long term you’ll end up with a profit, simply because you’re only placing small blinds, or rather, less blinds than your opponent.
And speaking of opponents, the trickiest part of grimming is to find suckers to play against. Eventually, all the locals at the casino will hear of your reputation as a grimmer, and you’ll then struggle to find players. It’s a problem that you flee the table after just beginning a game. You will not get to play many hands at the same limit. That’s a good reason whereby you want to find tables with multiple limits. That’s exactly what Jama-Dharma did, and it more or less, guaranteed him action. So if you can spread out over multiple limits, then you have a better chance of consistent wins. The general idea is to collect enough steady action, as players come and go at your table.
Pros of Poker Grimming
As we can see from the above, buttoning can certainly be successful. There are a couple of ways this works.
You Gain an Extra Small Blind
Remember that cash games work on the principle that players post both big and small blinds at more or less the same rate. But grimming is designed so that you avoid paying your share of the blinds. As you’re only covering the small blind and leaving the table before the big one, theoretically, you’re playing only half as many blinds as your opponent.
You Have Prime Position
In poker, the later your position, then the better. This is a basic poker strategy. Obviously, if you’re acting after your opponents, then you have a huge advantage. Also, grimming will leave you in the button on HU tables. So not only do you have more information thanks to your position, but you can cover fewer blinds.
Buttoning Gives You a Strong Chance of Making Profits
In poker, as you move up the stakes, the play becomes harder and harder. But grimming will give you a built-in advantage towards winning. Of course, if you’re playing from the button and not having to front half your blinds, then winning becomes much easier. You don’t even have to be a player of any real quality to do this. Just be confident playing at the level of stakes you’ve set yourself.
Cons of Poker Grimming
If no other player was aware of what grimming or buttoning was, then it would all be good. But these days, it’s difficult to get away with. Here are just some of the downsides.
Opponents Will Hate You
Though grimming isn’t the same as blatant cheating, it’s regarded as underhand play. Yes, it’s not the same as using a bot or colliding with another player. But it’s a form of angle play in that you have an unfair edge that your opponent lacks. To be frank, no one wants to work their butt off only to have someone angle shoot their bankroll. If you’re in casinos to win the jackpot by playing this way, then you might be surprised as to how angry other players can get when they see that you’re buttoning.
Poker Sites Will Eventually Ban You
On a positive note, we guess that you could be grinning for quite some time before being called out. Obviously, opponents need to first recognize that you are actually grinning before reporting you. But once other players catch you out, then be sure that you’re living on a shortened fuse. If someone complains to a poker website, then banning can be swift, as even the best site to play poker will not put up with it.
No Guarantee of Winning
It’s true that buttoning will increase your odds of making a profit. However, it doesn’t necessarily follow that it’ll make you a better player. To make cash, you’ll need to be grimming at a much higher level among tougher and more seasoned players. Even if you play with grimming at this level, you’ll still need the skills to carry it off. We should point out, that even Grimstarr met his match. All the money he won, was lost over a very short time period.
Conclusion: Grimming in Poker
It’s easy to see the temptation of grimming. After all, it helps you avoid having to pay blinds and gives you the button. What’s not to love? So it’s no surprise that both Grimstarr and Jama-Dharma were using this technique to make bank. Grimstarr made and quickly lost around $800,000- Jama-dharma was around $700,000 before the ban hammer fell from the online poker site, PokerStars. These success stories might sound enticing. But we recommend that you don’t go there. It’s probably one of the worst jackpot winning strategies we can think of.
For a start, you’re going to need a very thick skin. It’s a must, since you’ll be on the receiving end of a lot of hate. Many players will not hesitate to take your username to the forums or actual gambling sites themselves in the hope of seeing you banned.
Finally, we should point out, that you need to be a pretty competent player at the level of stakes you’re playing. The higher the limits, then the more cash there is to be made. Just be aware of the consequences of buttoning. You can get away with it for a while, but eventually, you’ll be found out and reported.
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