Familiar faces or total strangers?

Been thinking about something simple lately - does the table feel different when you know the players?

When I’m playing with people I’ve known for a while, there’s always an extra layer. You know tendencies, you remember past hands, maybe even past arguments. Sometimes that helps - you pick up on patterns quicker. Sometimes it makes things messy. Ego gets involved. You don’t want to get bluffed by someone you know. Or worse - you don’t want to look silly.

At a table full of strangers, it’s cleaner. No history. No personal dynamics. Just positions, stack sizes and decisions. It feels more technical. But at the same time, there’s less information early on, so you’re building reads from scratch.

Emotionally, I think familiar tables can be more volatile. You care more. Against unknowns, it’s almost clinical. Result-wise? Hard to say. I’ve had deep runs in both settings. I do think though that knowing someone can either sharpen your edge - or cloud your judgement.

Curious how it feels for you lot. Do you prefer playing against people you know, or do you play your best when everyone at the table is a complete unknown?