CARD DEAD!!!!!!

After a particularly frustrating run of bad cards during the Mookie, I told CK, "I really hate poker."(Please note that I do not really hate poker, but anyone who plays frequently will tell you that they utter this phrase at least once a week, whether they're on the winning or losing side of it.)

"I don't hate poker, "I hate being card dead." And in the last two weeks or so, I've run into a problem in my game, as well as a phenomenon that I thought merited some discussion.I hate being card dead so much, that I occasionally slip into "hand expansion" where bullshit trash hands like QTo start to look like open-raising hands just because I've been getting a seemingly endless string of crap hands. This is a big problem that can only be fixed by discipline and patience.

But what about using that tight image I've tried to built up by being patient and disciplined? That's something I worked on over the last several months , and a frequent topic of conversation between me and the really good players I respect. I know that I have that down, but after reviewing my hand history with Riggs, it's understanding my post flop play and I believe that is one of my biggest leaks in my game.

When I'm not playing hands -- especially online -- I am watching the other players at tables, making notes on as many of them as I can, and looking for the players you can put a move on: the tight player, the aggressive player, or the moron.

The Tight Player: This guy will fold a wide range of hands -- including small pocket pairs and aces weaker than AQ when you open-raise into him. If he calls, he will fold if he misses the flop. You can probably make a continuation bet and take it down. If he comes over the top, I'm folding.

The Aggressive Player: This guy will usually call, figuring that he can outmaneuver you on the flop. You're most likely up against connecting cards or soooooted cards. If he raises, you can probably re-steal, depending on your image. You can probably checkraise a lot of flops and win without a showdown, because most aggressive players won't play back when a tight player shows any real strength.

The Moron: This is the guy who makes being card dead such a nightmare. There are no two cards he won't play, and he will catch on you over and over again, so it's usually not a good idea to get into a pot with him unless you have some kind of hand. Luckily for you, though, his range is so wide, your weak king or medium ace is probably good, and if you catch a well-disguised hand like a one or two-gap straight, you're probably going to stack him.

When I'm card dead and I'm up against a table filled with morons, there just isn't that much I can do but hope to get a big hand and get paid off, but if I'm up against a mix of players, I try identify their type, and I try not to be afraid to put a move on the guys who will fold, but I always back down, and I know this is just lack of experience.

So here are my stats from last night, tell me how card dead I was!!!Statistics for 115 Hands

Street Saw Saw/Total
Flop 11 10%
Turn 7 6%
River 6 5%
Showdown 5 4%
Street Won Won/Saw Won/Total
Pre-flop 8 7% 7%
Flop 0 0% 0%
Turn 0 0% 0%
River 0 0% 0%
Showdown 0 0% 0%


If anyone has any other suggestions, please help......

Thanks to BDR, great show as usual...

See everyone tonight for the Riverchasers tourney, hopefully the poker gods are still not pissed off at me.