In a live game have you ever played without looking at your cards?

I just read somewhere that if you play your hands without looking at your cards (and only look if you are about to fold) you become a much more perceptive player being able to take advantage of position and chip stack and sense weakness and take advantage of it. The advice was to play a few live tournaments like this (with as small buy ins as you can find). Just wondering if anyone has done this and did they find it improved their game?

Amanda A said:

I just read somewhere that if you play your hands without looking at your cards (and only look if you are about to fold) you become a much more perceptive player being able to take advantage of position and chip stack and sense weakness and take advantage of it. The advice was to play a few live tournaments like this (with as small buy ins as you can find). Just wondering if anyone has done this and did they find it improved their game?

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yes it is possible to play so if a table passive, but such game doesn't bring good result

Amanda A said:

I just read somewhere that if you play your hands without looking at your cards (and only look if you are about to fold) you become a much more perceptive player being able to take advantage of position and chip stack and sense weakness and take advantage of it. The advice was to play a few live tournaments like this (with as small buy ins as you can find). Just wondering if anyone has done this and did they find it improved their game?

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Hello Amanda A, I am not a live poker expert, but I had already thought of playing this way online, taking advantage of the opportunities to induce the players that I have certain sing to and not simply I play in order to match my cards. So I will use my skill much more than luck.

So that's it, GL on the tables !!!
Yelmopoker01

I have played several hands in a row in a live game without looking at my cards. It worked for me because the other players could not get a read on me. They did not dare to call me for they couldn't get a tell like they can if you look at your cards. The blinds were getting up there so I built a decent stack doing this 5 hands in a row. And yea, the other players get PISSED!!

I think it's an interesting exercise to do to practice playing purely based on position. Even if you look at your cards once and decide to make a play based on position, I think it's still based partly on the strength of your hand. You don't have to make it obvious that you are playing blind, you can pretend to look at your cards.

This seems like a silly idea. I dont see much benefit from such an exercise.

but it was once played a cash game and surprisingly I won I had two pairs K 7

Never!!!

I've done it once or twice because we were 3 handed and the game got really lopsided where it was about 10% of my stack to call either all in . The only other situation would be in a lopsided heads up match.

The real problem is you need to be careful. I've lost tournaments where I had a 5-1 chiplead heads up. Not looking at my cards was because it didn't matter, I had odds to play any cards and wanted to apply pressure and simply raised every hand. Short of a situation like that, I wouldn't want to give an advantage like that to other players.

Amanda.

I have done this a couple of times in online poker but not live. The premise is that you do it early on when you don't risk losing as much and it focuses your play more on position and situation than merely the cards you are dealt. It's also intended to only play pre flop without looking at your hole cards.

A famous poker player is well regarded for having done this to prove the point about position.

Give it a go and learn!

I first watched this in a poker movie (deal I think). I've wanted to try this ever since. I think it would work best with 2 or players tho.

If you don't look at your cards, How are you ever going to use you skills in Poker?

This kind of lottery is for people that is not interested in playing god Poker but just to have "fun".
Anytime they do this I pay with almost any pair or project.
Also you will be lost if someone Tri btets or goes All In? It doesn't makes any sense at all. :deal:

I've definitely seen this not only at my weekly play with buddies, but at a few underground games here in Pittsburgh. It honestly makes no sense anyone competent in their poker play will take those odds against someone who hasn't even looked at their cards man. It is funny to see at the least.

I've seen it, but I've never seen it work for long.

I've seen someone done it online and he won. I think it could be a good practice if you play with low buy-in, but of course it's not the best way to play if you want to win.

B1BOMBER said:

I have played several hands in a row in a live game without looking at my cards. It worked for me because the other players could not get a read on me. They did not dare to call me for they couldn't get a tell like they can if you look at your cards. The blinds were getting up there so I built a decent stack doing this 5 hands in a row. And yea, the other players get PISSED!!

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Just saying anyone that folded if they knew you were not looking with even a decent hand is a bad player I'd prob reraise you with any even mediocre hand unless you were shoving in which case I would call with top 25% of hands

If you were going to do that then you would have to add a lot of randomness to which move you do. Obviously you can't just raise every hand, barrel every turn etc. You would have to consider your own range and think about how likely you would be to do each action with that range. This could derinately be an interesting excersise in thinking about what you represent now what you have. Your own hand is just one of many factors, of course.

With that said, I can assure you that It's better to play while looking a your cards. If you get to the river and are faced with a bet, knowing your range won't completely tell you whether it's a good call- you need to know your own hand! It is far from true to say that your own hand is not important and I can assure you that a player who never looks at their cards is highly exploitable, and could end up making a huge fool of themselves.

Maybe try it for fun/ studying the concept but don't expect to be as profitable (there might still be really poor tables where you can still make a profit without your own cards).

Good luck!

B1BOMBER said:

I have played several hands in a row in a live game without looking at my cards. It worked for me because the other players could not get a read on me. They did not dare to call me for they couldn't get a tell like they can if you look at your cards. The blinds were getting up there so I built a decent stack doing this 5 hands in a row. And yea, the other players get PISSED!!

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No no no no no. If you're going to implement this straterg then you MUST randomise your actions (so you would open 5% of the time or whatever UTG, 7% in UTG + 1 and more as you go along). The same concept applies postflop based on your range. Do NOT open every hand and not look at your cards. That's a sure way to go bust- I would pick up on that within 5 hands and I would be able to exploit you by knowing that you can hold any two and you have know idea where you are at in the hand, because your range is simply everything, which does pretty poorly on most flops seeing as most hands are unconnected garbage.

Don't do that again lul

Sounds like a bit silly idea. Just can't imagine doing this not for fun but during serious game lol.

SaintNick1968 said:

No no no no no. If you're going to implement this straterg then you MUST randomise your actions (so you would open 5% of the time or whatever UTG, 7% in UTG + 1 and more as you go along). The same concept applies postflop based on your range. Do NOT open every hand and not look at your cards. That's a sure way to go bust- I would pick up on that within 5 hands and I would be able to exploit you by knowing that you can hold any two and you have know idea where you are at in the hand, because your range is simply everything, which does pretty poorly on most flops seeing as most hands are unconnected garbage.

Don't do that again lul

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I did this at our local home game just to aggravate Mr. Poker, the best poker player that has ever lived, just ask him. This worked. I cleaned up the blinds for 5 hands and Mr. Poker was on TILT!!!! We then had Mr. Poker out about 20min. later.

I have done this, and it worked out well another time it was no big deal just lost the initial bet. But I have been on many tables I would never consider doing it, simply due to the players skill level. Ironically I have done it at a casino because of read I had on someone. I also used to play at a private poker room and I'd never consider trying it there lol

I don't think this would be something I would ever try.

I played live , and there was a person who didn't looked at his cards , anyway he lost his chips , because he bluf to much.
As a lot of players said this won't be profitable game play better looks at your cards , and play on your game.
Don't look at these person who didn't look at his cards , and they trying to show to you , even without look at the cards you still can win.
Thanks.

no, its a terrible idea. why would you played a tournament without seeing your hand?. you dont have any advantage by not looking at your cards.

If you want to do this, try doing it online first. At the smallest buy-ins or in a free roll... And play in position only look at your cards if a big pot comes up.

Good luck