Playing poker in the dark to improve your game? - Annette Obrestad

In July 2007, Obrestad won a $4 buy-in 180 person online sit-and-go where she claims to have played almost the entire tournament without looking at her cards. She claims she peeked at her cards once during the tournament, when she was faced with an all-in bet. She did this to show "just how important it is to play position and to pay attention to the players at the table.


Whats everyones oppinions on this?

Could this be a good way to train ourselves for observation and improving our exploits.
Maybe put some bluetac over our position on the screen just play one table and see how good we can get without looking at our whole cards?

Lol

I believe this can be a good practice overall. It makes you become a much better hand reader. At a $4 buy-in many players are playing the strength of their hand and not taking into account what the other players are holding and what flops/turn/river you can make moves on.

I have seen a few pros do this before on internet poker training sites at cash times. Most of the time they lose some money. But, the point is to better develop your reads of what you and your opponent can credibly represent.

I do not understand how this will help us in the game in the future, if we close our cards and will play only in the position. Suppose we do not see the card, bluffing is practically excluded, and without him not win any tournament.
This news is good PR, the more I do not see how we need it in the game.

There is a option to hide your own cards in the lobby on PS. I have tried it few times in very low limit SNGs and it was mainly a fun but a good training too at the same time. I would definitely recomment it as a kind of renewal to normal training.

Ill try anything once.

I can be good to do for a few hands just to see how well you can narrow a villian's hand. But to completely ignore looking at your cards the entire time, you won't know if you're getting good odds to call or raise.

jmill said:

I can be good to do for a few hands just to see how well you can narrow a villian's hand. But to completely ignore looking at your cards the entire time, you won't know if you're getting good odds to call or raise.

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That is the point sir, Annette Obrestad want to tell us that if we are good enough on reading our opponents,knowing their table images, their raise habits, so we can win without using any odds and without need to reveal our own hand. I think it is awesome and I will try it, but it should be tournament with more than 2$ buy in for sure.:listen:

nice poker story that i´ve never heard.

it´s a interesting way to prove that position are as important as the cards, i never tried something like that but i will try to play more postional and try to improve my game, i think this story could help understand that playing accrodingly gives more satisfaction in the long run than playing just as the cards come

Playing in the dark is OK unless the villains know you are doing so. Let Annette or anyone do THAT and win a mtt and I'll be impressed.

I did this once in a freeroll with cash rebuys at a bar and did fairly well for a while, but once the field thinned and the blinds started to be a concern I couldn't take the pressure and started looking at my hand. It was an eye opening experience.

I did this once in 40 dollar tourney. Did not tell anyone i was doing it. I did have a card protector which i used to fake a glance. 10 out of 60.

Hey OP, do you have an article or links to Annette Obrestad's story?

Also, GWU, live freerolls!? Sounds awesome.

The1AceJack said:

Hey OP, do you have an article or links to Annette Obrestad's story?

Also, GWU, live freerolls!? Sounds awesome.

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In 2014 I want to get comfortble playing any 2 cards I'll definately be putting in some small sessions playing an mtt or sit n go without looking at my cards purely for exploiting purposes.
Its true what they say most of your +EV comes from exploits so it should definately be something we work on IMO heres a link also

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annette_Obrestad

I think its a tremendous learning tool that I myself have tried in micro stakes. The reason that I believe this type of training is very valuable is because it hammers home the idea that the last thing you should consider when making your decision is your holding. Of course I'm not saying you shouldn't consider your holding but it should be the last thing you're considering and when you can't see your cards, you have no choice but to make decisions based on the things you should first be considering and then when you play with your card visible, your sequence of thoughts follows this structure.

As much as I'm hearing the idea - what should benefit you here (reading table, playing position, ...) - I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around it... especially if you want to win.

Im having trouble believing that this story is true. Maybe its just folklore that has grown legs and now is accepted as truth. I think is almost impossible that she achieved this feat.

The story is true as it was well dcumented a few years ago in poker mags etc.

I do wonder if she was using a HUD at all though as its very hard to maintain good reads on 8 ppl only to be moved tables and have to start again from scratch.

I'd like to try this at a live game. No more about playing with your cards. Instead, you're playing the player.

One reason why poker is not some dumb luck gambling game and requires skill - in this case, the ability to read people's body languages, habits, identify patterns etc.

P.S Plus that Annette is one of my fav female poker players!

gtothec said:

I do wonder if she was using a HUD at all though as its very hard to maintain good reads on 8 ppl only to be moved tables and have to start again from scratch.

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Think you hit the nail on the head -- probably couldn't do this w/o HUD. And to the following point, that's why it could work live -- body language and etc.

I've tried it in freerolls, quite interesting. Thanks for reminding me, now I plan to try it again (in freerolls only

Most of you do not seem to understand that it was an excercise - an experiment. No-one, least of all Annette Obrestad is (or was) suggesting that you will play better by not looking at your cards. It was done to demonstrate that there are times when the cards you have are not the most important element of your play. Everyone knows that when you are short-stacked an all-in with 2 3 offsuit can sometimes win the hand - provided you are first to bet and the hands still to play are not a) big-stacked so they can afford to lose a few chips or b) short-stacked so they have nothing to lose by calling.
I seem to remember that this took place at least six or seven years ago, when Annette was still not old enough to play live in the USA. And I do not remember any mention of HUDs being used - they were not used then anything like as much as they are now (though not by me as I would not be able to set one up I am sure!)

Just seen the OP had the date - 2007.

This is why God invented play money tables.

How do you play your cards in the dark online? or am i missing something?

its only about luck