If Your Good Poker Cards Go Bad
Lately, I’ve somehow managed
to wander into a cold front of miserable starting
hands, icy flops, and river cards that make me want
to hibernate in a cave for the next four months.
It’s been a crap storm of 7-2’s,
8-3’s, J-4’s, and the like and it doesn’t
appear to be letting up. Even when a rare ray of
sunlight shines through and the mighty poker gods
bless me with an actual hand, I either end up taking
some measly blinds or encountering some variety
of bad beat after getting my chips in with the best
of it. Seriously, it’s gotten to the point
now where whenever I pick up pocket Aces I start
saying goodbye to other players at the table.
Here’s a gem that just occurred
earlier today. Fairly straightforward play of Aces.
I pick them up under-the-gun and raise it to 4xBB.
Two callers to the flop of 5-6-K with two hearts
(I have the Ace of hearts). Big Blind bets the pot,
I have about twice that in chips and push it all
in, sensing he’s got a pair of Kings, possibly
with a flush draw. Middle position player folds
and the Big Blind calls, flipping over K-10 with
no hearts. Turn is a 9. River is a dreadful 10,
and all I can hope for is that someone berates the
Big Blind for his awful play as my chips are taken
away and my chat ability is turned off.
Now in a cash game my options would
have been easier. If I get dealt crap 50 hands in
a row I can fold crap 50 hands in a row. It may
be boring but at least I’m limiting my losses
by remaining patient. In a tournament, particularly
in SNG’s and turbo MTT’s, there comes
a point where patience is more of a vice than a
virtue. Folding 50 hands in a row in a sit-n-go
is a surefire way to stay out of the money, even
though you may come closer than to it than some
loose-aggressive donks that bust out in the first
few levels. So what can you do when you’re
getting cold-decked and the blinds are creeping
up on your chip stack, besides twiddling your thumbs
incessantly? Well let me offer some advice from
my unfortunate experiences.
In the earlier stages of a sit-n-go,
or any fast-paced tournament, you’re generally
looking to, first and foremost, survive, while also
hoping to catch premium hands and accumulate some
chips, ideally doubling up or more.
However, if you’re up to the
3rd or 4th level and haven’t had any luck
with the cards, which isn’t unrealistic considering
the relatively small number of hands you’ve
probably seen, now you need to start pulling out
some moves. Even if your stack is about average,
you’re headed for trouble if you only have
15 to 20 big blinds remaining, and if you have 10
or less you’re positively short-stacked.
If the cards aren’t being dealt
to your advantage, you’re going to need to
use your position and a little isolation to create
an advantage. Open raising from middle to late position
will often allow you to steal the blinds, which
get more and more significant as the levels go up.
If you get called before the flop, your raise should
at least decrease the number of players who enter
the pot, giving you better odds to outplay your
opponents. Also, if you’re raising from middle
to late position you’re most likely going
to have the position advantage after the flop and
can win the pot then with a continuation bet, regardless
of what you’re holding. Remember that no poker
player enjoys having his or her blind raised, and
many will feel inclined to make a call with a sub-par
hand.
Another swift move you can try is
the reverse blind steal, in which you raise from
the blinds to steal chips from those who have limped
in. A significant raise here is a must, typically
an all-in situation if you are becoming short-stacked,
and you also want to have a good read on your opponents.
Have they been seeing too many flops with weak hands?
Would they have limped in with a hand that they
may consider going in with? This move can backfire
of course, so it’s best to have something
decent that may put you at least in a coinflip situation.
Generally though, it’s a great move for forcing
stronger hands out of the pot.
One thing to remember in all this
is not to panic and not to get reckless. You still
need a certain amount of patience to remind you
that the next hand could be the one that doubles
you up, and not to get frustrated by other players
stealing the blinds that you yourself were planning
on stealing. Like everything in poker, you need
to find the right opportunities, trust your instincts,
and just hope that you get your chips in with the
best of it. Or if you’re stealing blinds…
just hope that you don’t run into a monster.
Best of luck at the tables.
Mad Terp
Editor's note: The Mad Terp, as
we so fondly refer to him because of the university
he attends, also has his own website where readers
may rate their favorite poker site, or join in the
discussion forum of poker players.
http://www.imopoker.com/
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