How important are cards?

OK, the question is kinda self explanatory.

Been card dead on a few tournies and didnt get too far. I was trying to use position and reads to bluff, but had little success. I was sizing my bets ok, I think, representing hands well, just ran into players that had hands that they were willing to call me with. As well as donk plays calling me with air when I was semi-bluffing, pretty standard for the low buy in games I play.

The thing is, I was not getting hardly any decent starters. How do you all deal with this? Very aggressive bluffing IP? Waiting for hands and accepting if they dont come? Or aggressive in any position? Or is this a thing of "cant really answer, play 10K more hands and let experience be your guide"????
I am talking MTT where I dont have a lot of read on my opponents.

Not sure what you're getting at by making the comparison of 10k more hands while referring to tourney play?

Anyways, as far as being totally cardead goes... it happens. (ie. I played a SCOOP(L) the other day and of ~240 hands I played only 8 of them & a couple of those while in BB). 2 of the other 6 hands I played were actually 73s on BTN, & T6o in CO (because I'd folded for soooo long, any raise from me pre was taking it down).

Instead of considering putting a bunch of chips into the pot on some elaborate bluff, attempting to get a Level1 thinker to lay their hand down, just sit & play according to stack size (ie. once you're 12-20bb look for a spot to ship it over a player who's been actively raising in LP/stealing & who is capable of laying their hand down (not priced in)... widen your resteal range... ie. ship it with T9s, 98s, J9s, QT, etc. If they do end up calling you, chances are you're around a 60/40 dog which isn't so bad with the dead money in the pot.

cards are only important if the hand makes it to the show down... Most hands dont make it that far.... If your reading opponents you have to sit out a few hands to see how they play... with top pair, draws, and the nuts... If i get in trouble early in the tourny its time to double up or bust... i dont blind out... Ill shove against a mid stack taht raises in position.. or ill call bet the flop) I try not to shove from he BB (even though its good to do agaisnt multiple limpers but i dont use that till later in the tourny) when your in trouble theres no sense in blinding out early in a tourny... Wait for a good spot to resteel

When I'm not hitting a thing I play exceptionally tight. I don't call raises, I limp with good cards, I fold the hands that are getting me in trouble, like A 10 or A J.
A guy once called me "AK or better" I didn't play many hands, but I won the tournament.

ddd

being card dead sucks, especially in low buy in games, reads are often not that relaiable, so you will have to go for live cards and try an be up against only one opponent. Then hope luck is with you

In other words play like a donk just before you get low on chips.

Well, being card dead is always a problem. You just need to pick a hand before you get too short, preferably LP, against a regular raiser who can fold (you have been taking notes while you are waiting, right?) and reraise fairly large. Shoving is impressive, but you might want to test those waters before your stack gets too small. On some tables, a pot-size bet suffices. Don't wait until your stack is pot-size. The whole point is to get the other(s) to consider folding.

If you never get a premium, well, that happens -- widen your range to any broadway. any PP, any suited connector. Not because you want to go to showdown, but just in case you do get allin, you want some realistic hope of a chance. The thing is that 3-betting a bully/raiser is often successful right then. Makes it look like you have a premium hand.

Of course, some doofuses never fold. Good luck!

Considering poker is a card game, cards are important. No matter how good you are, you have to get good cards and get lucky sometimes. Now it does help to have skill and you can steal pots using position to bluff, but eventually being card dead will knock you out.

jh1spartanfan said:

Considering poker is a card game, cards are important. No matter how good you are, you have to get good cards and get lucky sometimes. Now it does help to have skill and you can steal pots using position to bluff, but eventually being card dead will knock you out.

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Not always true do you think the consistant winners of games, lets say mtts never get card dead? Knowing your opponants, positions and a certain amount of fearlessness when raising with air or with 72 pf can take you a long way.

Mr McCluskey said:

Not always true do you think the consistant winners of games, lets say mtts never get card dead? Knowing your opponants, positions and a certain amount of fearlessness when raising with air or with 72 pf can take you a long way.

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I'm not saying that being good doesnt help and that reading your opponents can really important to winning, but sometimes you just cant out last being card dead and their are going to be times where even the best of them have to get lucky.