If a picture is worth a 1,000 words – how much is an avatar worth?

LatelyI have been playing Limit Hold ‘Em cash games at DoylesRoom. In previous posts I have commented on the fact that I would see the same player act differently on different days and at different times of the day.  I thought originally that the person was sharing the user name with others because the way the player acted from day to day seemed so different from session to session.  Some of my poker friends have suggested that this person was not playing at their best during some of those sessions and that it might still be the same person. I guess that is possible as I am not always focused and consistent at the tables.

But during my last session, I noticed something entirely different. There was a player that would buy-in at a small level, lose his money and leave the table. The player would come back to the table a few minutes later but would have a totally different avatar. One time it would be a hooded player, like Phil Laak, the next time it would be an old cowboy or a large bosomy young female or a geeky young kid or an older librarian type lady with her hair in a bun. However, the player’s actions were practically the same. He would buy in at a small amount, $5.00, play almost every hand, and lose the money and leave, only to reappear as someone else with another $5.00. This happened at least four times over the course of a few hours and thankfully he provided me with some of his chips.

I can only guess why the person was doing this. Was he looking for the magic avatar that would allow him to win every hand? Was he trying to fool people into thinking he was someone else? Was he just doing this to have a good time? Did he just want people to notice him?

Next time, I might ask him “what gives with the costume changes?