Are the angriest people in poker playing at the lowest stakes? This principle of human behaviour would suggest so…
One of the real gifts poker has given me is that it has been a great jumping off point to learn things from other disciplines like economics, AI, psychology and Game Theory. So here is a series of articles where I bring some of the most interesting things I have learned from other subjects outside of poker which are applicable in this game we know and love.
Sayre’s Law is a principle of human behavior in organizational contexts, famously summarized as:
In any dispute, the intensity of feeling is inversely proportional to the value of the issues at stake.
This tongue-in-cheek observation highlights how trivial matters often provoke disproportionately heated arguments, while more significant issues may receive relatively calm or measured consideration. While the law is most often applied humorously, it captures a real and curious aspect of human psychology and group dynamics.
The origin of Sayre’s Law is attributed to Wallace Stanley Sayre, a professor of political science at Columbia University. Although Sayre originally described this dynamic in the context of academic politics—where disputes over small departmental decisions or policies often lead to fierce debates—it has been observed in many other arenas, from office politics to local governance.
Academic politics became the prototypical example because stakes in such environments are typically low in terms of material outcomes, yet they engage personal pride, status, and the desire for influence, driving people to engage with surprising passion. Compare this with the aftermath of 9/11 or the early days of COVID where political enemies cast their differences aside because they were dealing with a genuinely serious problem.
Higher stakes, lower intensity?
Sayre’s Law can be observed at the poker tables for sure. I think it is a very reliable claim that lower stakes games get more heated than their higher stakes equivalents.
In the 20 years I have been around poker I have seen things turn nasty at the tables and in the chatboxes. Rarely though at the high stakes.
If you compare my local £100 tournament with a $100,000 Triton event, for example. Things sometimes get very heated in my local games when somebody has the clock called on them for a decision that’s worth £200. The Tritons, by comparison, look like the most relaxing games in the world – even if the average buy-in is the size of most people’s mortgages.
There are exceptions, of course, but I think this one tracks.
What theories from outside of poker have helped your game? Let us know in the comments.