zachvac said:
Can you please elaborate on what it means to have respect for someone's game and why we want people to respect ours? Not quite sure exactly what you mean by respect in this context and don't want to make bad assumptions.
Respect in the sense I used it there is that situation exists where a villain has/ or has not shown poker smarts as I perceive them. Either I end up believing they know wtf they are doing, or I believe they don't know wtf they are doing. And I act accordingly.
On the flip side, have I played in such a way that my villains believe I have a clue or not? If I raise do they give a shit, or are they gonna play me like I was not there. Have I caused him grief or joy. Or does my villain care.
The respect aspect deals with how you will play particular players, and as I believe you know, much of the time you will play player x different than you will play player y.
But perhaps the notion of respect here doesn't play as large in ring as it does in tourney. Especially late in a tourney, where it behooves one to know whats going on. In ring games there is no bubble, approaching bubble or change of gears with the implications there are in tourneys, so I, as a tourney guy, might be more inclined to give the respect notion any credence.
As it works out, Roundcat clarified OP and is asking about ring play. So my original response is much less valid.
Possible the place where respect is most valuable is in bluffs, and steals. If my villain respects my game, he is more likely to either fold to my steals, or raise with what I would normally expect to be a real hand.