Not everyone can mix relaxation, socializing and poker. But tight passive players can.
Because their style demands so little from them, they can relax and socialize. Some tight passive players even read the paper, watch TV, or try to pick a winner in the next race. They just look at their cards, throw away all but the best hands, then do something else. The purely social side is mixed.
Because of their style, they may not be or feel welcome. However, they may enjoy the card room’s low key socializing and treat it essentially as a club. It is not a bad club. It is open all or nearly all the time, and there are no initiation fees or monthly dues. You can spend lots of time there and enjoy meeting other regulars.
These advantages are particularly valuable if you are retired. There are young people around, and you may get tired of seeing only other senior citizens. Poker is more fun than most senior center’s activities, or watching the stock market. And you can actually make a few dollars.
You may not be welcomed by anyone except your old friends. You don’t give or get much action, making it boring and frustrating to play with you. Management and the dealers may not highly value your business because the pots are small, causing tiny rakes and tokes. They may not appreciate the fact that you help to start games and keep them going.
Many players are secretly or even openly hostile or contemptuous because they want action, and you don’t give it, and they respect machismo, but you don’t have it. Some of them openly express their feelings. You have probably been offended by nasty remarks about your “cowardice,” “cheapness,” etc. Your reactions can easily create additional problems.
You may angrily insist on your right to play the way you wish, but rude people do not respect that right. You may even get so upset that you try to prove your machismo by gambling more, which is exactly what they want. They play that game better than you do, and trying to beat them at their own game can put you at a serious disadvantage
Just accept the reality that-no matter what you do-some people are going to be nasty because of who you are. Your best revenge is not to try to get their respect by acting foolishly; it is to exploit their perceptions to take their money.