It is a basic tenant relating to our quality as human beings. But, integrity doesn’t necessarily apply at the poker tables; nor is it a cause for admiration. Still, believability is what will often separate us from the also ran.
I’ve been playing limit lately between .25-50 and 2-4. I played $25 and $100 NL tables. My tournament stuff was up to $20 buyins. There are identifiable differences as you move up. But, less volatile does not mean immune. The normal mix at all levels isn’t as constant as cement mix. You get a lot of variety.
A stock that is volatile is said to carry a high beta. That beta is a coefficient that show how a particular stock preforms against the broader market. It is a common value rooted in statistics and displayed by most financial sites. I guess it’d be possible to calculate the beta for the tables. Tables certainly have both negative and positive expectations for most of us based on similar beta. Beta can also be a coefficient of believability at the tables.
As people we want believability because it improves our image with others. We want to be thought of as reliable folks at home, work, and play. It translates to love, success, and getting picked up early when sides are chosen in a now muscle pulling pickup game. That can be boring and the blogs point to that aspect of life frequently. Breaking out of that mold for at least a while is the reason some folks play poker.
There are jokes about believability. They tend to revolve around lawyers and sex. In poker they relate to cards from position. This builds our image. You can succeed with an image from either end of the spectrum. There have been a bizillion words on that already put to type