We all have been there in poker and we all have been dealt those dreaded worst cards. It is during these moments that mistakes happen, leading to chip losses. Here are 5 survival tips for navigating the Card Dead phase, along with pro insights from seasoned player and author Ed Miller, who has mastered strategic play in such situations.
1 – Don’t lose Your Cool and be Disciplined
When dealt with low cards in every round, most of us often lose their cool. People tend to make mistakes during these times. You become frustrated due to this, leading to impulsive actions like raising or betting with weak hands. Be patient and stick to your game plan. It’s about waiting for the right opportunities rather than irrational play.
You can take a break for a few minutes, this can change your mood, and you can again join the table full of spirit. This works for you when you lose one or two rounds.
2 – Fold! Fold! and Fold!
One Redditor said, “It’s better to lose $20 than losing $300 because you have got bored and decided to play your weak cards.” Folding is the best option, we have said this many times on Poker Pro News that folding is one of the best things you can do when getting weaker cards.
This also allows you to Bluff timely sometimes as your opponents may think that you are only playing premium hands and folding weaker hands. This can give them a signal to fold their cards and award you the coveted pot.
3 – Observe your Tablemates and Learn from Them
Take advantage of the time when you’re not in hand to observe your tablemates and gather information about their hand play. This includes looking at their hole cards at showdown, their bluffing frequency, their betting frequency, and how they play their hole cards. Mainly pay attention to your left and right players understanding how they play in different positions. Analyze how they react to different bet sizes, their timing in making decisions, and any patterns in their play that you can exploit later.
4 – Don’t Overplay
Overplaying is one of the things that players do when they are card dead. When you overplay weak hands just to see flops, you’re likely to encounter “calling stations” at the table. These are players who call bets and raise frequently without strong hands, heavily relying on the hope of hitting something on the board.
If you’re overplaying your marginal hands against the calling station, you risk losing chips when they hit slightly better hands or catch favorable boards. Skilled players at the table can recognize when their table mates are overplaying hands. They might exploit the situation by putting you in an uncomfortable situation, leading up to costly mistakes.
5 – Use Your Position
Position matters, if you are the last to act in pre-flop you can use that to take a look at what your opponents hold and what they do. Do they raise their hands? Or Bet the same amount? Use your position and take advantage of it.
Pro Tips from Ed Miller
Ed Miller is a renowned author and a poker player himself who has written several books about Poker Guides, and many more articles on poker. He shared some tips regarding “How to play when you are Card Dead?.” I have added some of his tips in the upper paragraphs as well, but one tip he shared is important.
He shared in his article that we can’t do anything, in his opinion it’s part of the game and we don’t have any control over it. We can’t just change our luck, change our table if we want, or go for a walk. When You’re Card Dead, just be disciplined and stick to your game plan.
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