Card Dead

Ok so what do you do when you are card dead!

Ive been sitting playing low stakes SNG's all morning and I'm just not getting cards. The occasional mediocre hand comes out ahead but else no monsters.

Do you wait - patience patience patience and hope to stay ahead of the blinds, or try and make a play with Q8 K5 etc.

Well while I type this I was blinded out Q8(lol) against A10.

1 day is nothing. Everytime someone sits down at my ring table they're raising their first 2-3 hands and winning with sick crap like pocket k's then ak. I can't even pick up a pocket pair after 2 hours that's worth raising preflop. I occassionally will get lucky flopping a full house in the big blind with 73 off since no one raised, then quading, and gaining little because everyone from everywhere wants to bet into the flop with crap, but other than that, I'm sitting around picking my nose. Gheesh.

Oh right, you wanted strategy.
Buy a lucky rabbit's foot?

Its not just this morning. Looking back over the last weeks or so hands (I try and play 4+ hours a day - mainly SNG but a couple of cash games as well), the vast majority of my better hands are mediocre at best.

One good run in a cash game (8 hands only but doubled my stake) where I flopped quad 4's and two hands later the A high flush and was betted into on both else nada! niks! other than the "flukes" as you mentioned.

I was so upset yesterday I just went and played in the FT donkaments..looks like Im going there again today

buy pocket aces off the black market

ratmantoo,

keep waiting for decent cards for the situation.

I have gone very far in tourneys when I was card dead. Just 2 days ago, I was as low as 1.2 BB. I finished 3rd in 2,000+ people tourney and got a ticket for a WSOP qualifier.

Bottome line: Never give up your winning strategy!

While Cheetah brings up a good point, I believe you shouldn't wait for good cards to make moves. You should steal on the button more often and make c-bets when need be. I do understand that you're playing low stakes SnG's. How low? Is it's $1 or $2 SnGs then this strategy goes down the drain for sheer abundancy of calling stations.

Just be patient and wait for cards. Remember though, you don't need a premium hand to raise in late position or middle position. KQ or A9 are good enough to raise. Anything in the top 20% is a playable hand, and you should get dealt one of these hands 2 out of 10 hands.

for me these are the only playable hands other than big pocket pairs

AK
AQ
AJ
A10
KQ
KJ
K10
K9
QJ
AND so on......

Sometimes ill play suited connectors though but i never seem to win anything with them

Thanks all.

Yesh its low stakes. I play R5 + .50 SNG's - the lowest available in South Africa so it works out about at just over $1. As to the calling stations - they are playable but getting called to show down when someone has total rubbish is starting to p*** me off.

Had a better day today at least. Sat down at a "winner takes all" table by accident and won 2 in a row before seeing it so Im almost back up to where I was pre downswing.

I think it has a lot to do with my general attitude as Ive been a bit down lately. Anyways thanks again guys....and well done CHEETAH!!!!