The other day I was playing in small stakes No Limit Hold ‘Em ($2 for both the small and big blind). I noticed an unusual phenomena that I hadn’t experienced, at least from the perspective of when I’ve been playing well. During about six hours of play I was involved in only 11 pots of over 180 hands that were dealt when I wasn’t in the blind. For me that’s a very low percentage. I won 2 of those hands for a gain of a total of only $12. 8 of the hands I either made a raise or called a pre-flop raise but whiffed on the flop and wasn’t able to go to the fourth and fifth street. The last hand, I was short stacked, pushed pre-flop, got beat, and that was all she wrote. What I experienced with the lack of playable hands is something that every poker player goes through at one time or another. It’s called being card dead.
One of the most frustrating things for a player is to consistently be dealt playable hands only to whiff on the flop and not be able to go further. Even more frustrating is to muck hand after hand after hand because you continually getting hand like K3, J6, and of course everyone’s favorite, 7-2 over and over again. When you are continually having to throw hands away pre-flop or you are able to get some chips in but then can’t play beyond the flop, a player can get the feeling that they have a bit of a bleeding problem that they can’t stop.
It’s difficult to put a number on the percentage of hands that you should play. Most statistics that I have read show that the common tight player may will have a range of hands where they play anywhere from 10 - 20% of the hands that they are dealt. Players that are known to be more loose are known to play 30 - 50% of the hands that are dealt. I consider myself a fairly tight aggressive player and would say that I end up playing one hand every time time the button comes around. For me, I know that two hands or more that is played in a single orbit is a lot. The percentages that I mentioned are not numbers that have to be followed to the letter in order to be a successful player. There are days where you may have more playable hands than normal and other days where it seems as if playable hole cards are avoiding you like the plague.
So what happens and what do you do when the deck seemingly turns into a mortuary on you? No one who plays poker likes to keep throwing cards and chips away. There are two simple ways to overcome this problem. One is to just be patient until you wake up with a hand. This is a discipline that many have a difficult time following, especially when it a game with a lot of action. They want to get in the middle of it. Even though this is harder to do than it seems, and the temptation is overwhelming to want to get your money in the middle, there is a greater profit that can be gained by being a casual observer. Even though you aren’t in the hands, your opponents still are. During these times you should be observant as to what is going on at the table. Look at player betting patterns, look for tells, and maybe even more importantly, look at what players are displaying at showdown. This type of information is free and it can pay huge dividends later when you in a situation to take down a big pot.
One of the problems with waiting for the pre-flop monster is that you may not get any action when you do raise. Not all players are complete morons. If they see that you haven't played a hand in 5 rounds, you haven't been talking to anyone, and now you suddenly raise, chances are they'll let you scoop the limper bets for virtually no gain. I think this is why many players will lean on the second alternative which is to start opening up and playing whatever two cards come to your hand and outplay your opponents after the flop. This is a mixed bag idea in my opinion and I more than believe it has it's place in poker. It's been the alternative, however, that I have seen tip two ways for players. One, there are times when a game is extremely tight and a player is able to raise preflop, make a continuation bet on the flop, and take the pot down uncontested. This type of strategy works for aggressive players that have a tendency to observe the weakness of people playing with scared money at the table, and they exploit it. Two, and more often than not, I've seen it cost people more money than what they have won. In fact, usually the end result can be disastrous. A player feels that they aren’t getting playable hands, they feel that they have to force the issue and start making tricky plays or big bluffs to take down a pot. They keep committing chips to a pot where the opponent isn't backing down. They find themselves digging their own grave, all while their opponents are more than happy to help lead them into the ground.
Never think that just because you have great skill at poker that players with less skill can't sense if you are on tilt. No one likes being stuck in a game. If you pick the wrong time to get creative and run into a monster hand, you put yourself into a position to start chasing losses and to lose more money. I have personally seen this lead to players to losing their entire bankroll in a single night!
One of the most disciplined things that you can do is to remember that each deal is a separate situation. Four hours of no hands to play has no effect on what is face down on the felt at the time a new hand is dealt. I’ve been both sides of the scale with a cold deck where I either utilized patience or blew through a good chunk of my bankroll unnecessarily. The second option was a painful financial mistake that I will not let myself go through again. I’d rather feel the frustration of sitting, observing, and waiting to get in the action than to go home broke after losing my buy-in because I was reckless and stupid.
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