Poker How to overcome a bad streak of cards

How do you overcome a streak of no hands without bluffing your stake away?

 

By "overcome," what do you mean?

 

Finding a way to get in the game when you are not getting playable hands in position and the board is doing you no favors, while not bluffing your chips away. Do you wait it our? Do you force action? Is there a middle ground?

 

The middle ground - poker is not my game, but I think you should know that cards are only a third of it - so-called bluffing is optimally done from either position and/or chip strength. If what I just said is a fundamental tenet, then there is no "waiting" per'se, and relatedly to your question you cannot wait for the good cards to cycle back around, because it's all random.

 

Depends what I'm playing in. Some games I Just need to finish in top 2 to make it to the next round so I'll pull my neck right in and play tight. Hope someone else has a rush of blood and their stack gets smashed first. Also allows me to pinch some pots as when I bet other players tend to shy away as I've been tight up to that point. The cards will change, you just need to be sure your still there when they do.

 

I had an exemple of this I was sponsored in a tourney yesterday, came in a 10 minute before break, first hand after break I get AKclubs on the bb, the button who I know is a good player raised to 3800, blinds at 400-800. I know he will do this with many hands on limp pots from the button, so I just call( don't really like raising on bb) and guy 3 from the button calls, flop come jc9c2c. I flop the nuts. I check, the other guy checks ant the button bets 5800, I take a minute to think about it and just call, the other guy reraised all in for about 70k, the button think for a minute and goes all in for less, I snap call. The button had q8clubs and the other guy had j8 two pair. I end up winning the hand (the button had a thousand less) so I triple up. After that I went card dead for about 1:30 hours. Was not getting any cards or draws even when I folded I was not hitting the board at all. On top of it 8 out of 10 times people were rolling over the nuts or 2nd nuts so even bluffing would not of won most hands, got to final table, ended up losing AJ vs. KK had AJ in bb with blinds 10k-20k with 120k in chips.

 

You are talking tourney play. That changes some of the basis, or was the OP referring to tourney?

 

Well his second post refered to a Tourney so maybe I was right, his first post was a bit ambiguous as to that point. I agree it changes the basis somewhat.

 

My educated guess is tourney, too. From everything I've read, you played it right. It just doesn't always work out, not matter how well you. I hate to sound trite, Robert. But I hope things run better for you in the next tournament. As long as you played right even though you didn't cash (did all final table people cash or was it a small field)? You will make it. Another platitude (sorry), but just be patient. You can't rush the cards. All these sayings sound horrible, but really, they're true. In waiting and not bluffing your chips away, you're leaving yourself a nice stack for when you DO get a playable hand. If it doesn't work out this time...it will, I promise. Look what happened w your AKclubs. You had enough chips to crush your opponents and made it to the final table...even though you didn't get 1st or 2nd. If you'd bluffed them away you'd have been in the loser's lounge. You don't want that. I applaude you for your patience.

 

If you are not getting cards, your table image is that of a NIT and probably a very tight player, so use it to your advantage (especially in position) and convince them you have the goods. Being able to accumulate chips while NOT getting cards is the only way to stay relevant in the game.

Note the respect that those who are super tight get when they do play hands. Rarely opposed unless someone with a monster, given a wide berth when they do bet (raise or reraise), so use your image if the cards themselves are really awful.

gl

 

ye

Yes it was a tourney a small field so they paid top 5 that day, no it does not sound trite your right I was more disappointed of having a large chip stack and not being able to take advantage of it

 

Also was at a very aggressive table where people were making snap calls with q10 pre flop for 90% of chip stack because it was there favorite hand, had either really good players or really bad players there was not much of a middle ground

 

Really bad players are a nightmare.. so unpredictable.

 

very true they dont use normal logic and its hard to set traps because they dont know its even a trap to begin with lol.

 

So true. they have no idea they're even horrible players. that's one of the reasons I play more video poker than poker tourneys and cash games. I just don't have the temprament for poker. I get too mad.

 

"Really bad players are a nightmare.. so unpredictable."

I understand anyone's frustration when some yahoo who don't understand poker, sucks out on your best hand of the night, but frankly you must have these players in your game.

If you are the 10th best player in the world, you don't really want a final table consisting of the other 9 best players?

Don't lower your standards to take on these rowdies, get past any rebuy time and watch them be eliminated faster and faster, leaving more chips in play. Certainly some will get lucky in more than a few hands, but not many will make it into the better (lower half) of the remaining players and score any money at all.

You do want them to have some success, they help fill the field for the next MTT, just be aware of how they play, trap them when you can, and play smart poker for the first 2 hours especially when those land mines exist.

 

Very good points. Cheers Teach.

 

I know Al, you are very right. My temprament and poker are not a good match. I do play, anyway, but for medium stakes. I can't get too mad for $100 or so.

 

Be patient with your calling, (don't chase flops) be aggressive with your raising. If you just call or limp to see flops hoping to get lucky you will bleed off chips. Risk your chips when you are the aggressor, look for a chance to be first to act or where you can isolate a weak player or trap a LAG.

 

Robert ,,it seems you have some of the same problems i have; i went down to the river (Laughlin Nevada) Friday with a friend., i was card dead with only four playable hands the whole time i was there,. 55 dollar buy in tournament , at the Colorado bell,. the playable hands were, queen ten suited, late position, pair of pocket 2's on the button, king ten in big blind,. ace queen of hearts on the button,. the queen ten of spades, hit ten on flop, with king ,ten ,7 of spades., i was in the cutoff seat, one player a women was big blind, and a man sitting in high jack seat next to me,. it was call call small raise by big blind,. flop comes , big blind check high jack raises,. i call 3 bet,. big blind re-raises, high jack gets out, so do i with my remark of, to her if you bought good job, at that point she showed pocket aces,. nice set up by aces in the beginning but i would not recommend doing what she did, aces get busted a lot by that kind of play. my pocket two's on the button,. three caller's before me. i raise,. still 3 caller's. flop 9,8,7 rainbow,. checks all the way to me, my thoughts if any of these clowns is pulling a setup he's got me,. chips are low from pocket ace lady,. so what the hell, ALL IN,. i raised and raised they called now let see what they think,. could i have a set or the straight,. i win the pot, the only pot i won,. king ten off suit, in the small blind,. button raises, this person played very few hands when she did she favored an any ace hand,. she raised 4 times the blinds, and being i did not have a lot of chips, i gave her credit for some kind of ace, if i would have hand king queen off suit or suited or even king jack suited, i would have defended the blinds,. she wins,. for the grand finally, ace queen heart suited,. on the button,. everyone folds to crazy cut off buy , he calls, o what the hell better a little pot than a big loss,. ALL IN again., the big blind calls, this guy could have anything, he went all in against pocket aces, with ace jack of diamonds, and wins with flush,. play a lot of crazy plays,. worried me . yes, he gets lucky a lot,. wow he calls with pocket 9's, my buddy in the high jack goes all in, wow, ace rag off suit,. no queens or aces on flop no hearts,. and only two possible aces left, nines hold out , i am out of game and so is ace rag man. probably should have just called and seen what blinds do, not one heart ever showed up,.. LOL, bankroll dying. when good cards come they are few and far between ,. opposition always seem to have the better cards,. they that's poker.,