06-20-07, LearnTexasHoldem:

I'm card-dead - what do I do?

Have a couple of questions...

1. Frequently find myself card dead in online NL tournaments. Starting hands like 73o, J3o, 92o hand after hand. I'm patient and often make it to the final table, but usually short stacked, having been whittled away by the blinds. Is this just the nature of the game? How do you deal with this predicament?

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2. Notice some players who hang around with very poor hands and catch a miracle on the river. (A recent example: Player in first position calls consecutive raises with AK24 rainbow board, catches a 2 on the river, and with his 72o beats the guy on the button with AK.) Surely not the stuff of winning poker. Just the nature of online free play poker?

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks,
Kim

Answer:

Hi Kim

1. What you describe is something many players have big problems with. Waiting for good hands can be very frustrating, but that is very important in hold 'em. The players who keep playing hands like 73o will not last long and if you keep playing strong starting hands you will have the better of them in the end.

2. Guys who keep chasing cards like that are bound to go broke eventually. The objective for you is to make it as expensive as possible for them to draw to their miracle card. In the example you gave he has two outs. From turn to river the odds against him hitting is about 22 to 1. If you bet the pot you are giving him 2 to 1 for for a call. Since he needs the pot odds 22 to 1 to make the call correct he is making a huge mistake. And that is the essence of poker. Force your opponents to do as many mistakes as possible.

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