Dead carded

[Russ McGinley]

Just got busted out of a $30 tourney on Pokernow 240th out of 720. I had almost no playable hands the entire time. My best hands were AKo in the BB (won a little), 66 (flopped a set and won a little) and QQ UTG short-stacked (moved all-in and hoped a big stack would call thinking I'm picking two cards, got called by AK and a king turned). After that, I think my next best hand was A7o. Nothing in the middle and no pairs. No suited connectors either.

The rest of the hands were absolute garbage. There weren't even opportunities to steal really, as it was almost always raised when I was in LP or there'd be 3 limpers and I'd have T5o or some other nondescript holding. Since abandoning MTTs and concentrating on ring games, I think my tourney game has suffered.

Anyhoo, I was hoping to get some opinions from you MTT gurus about what to do in these situations. Other than the obvious steal situations, what other times do you look to pick up the blinds/antes, especially when you are getting nothing but junk starting hands?

[willie]

i'm unsure, because personally, i need hands to make it deep in a tourney

if you're cold you're cold, nothin much you can do besides grind it out and hope to make something happen.

[Voltorb]

When you are getting extremely cold dards in a tournament, you are going to have to take some huge risks to hang on. One thing I like to do (very risky but often worth a shot) is wait for two players to get all in, and jump in with them with whatever I have. This is especially fun if the two all in players have less chips than you. Hopefully, the two all in players will be getting desparate and moving in with two overcards like AK-A10. Often, they be holding eachothers aces, and you can sneak in with your two live cards and scoop a huge pot when you get lucky. Again, this is an extremely risky play, but like I said earlier, you've got to take HUGE risks when you are getting crap for cards. You might as well have it pay off for you when you do.

[HoldingFolding]

I was on the losing end of this today. Went all in with AQ, called by A8s, and lost to the third all in holding JTo when a J flopped.

[Bigdaddydvo]

I think being dead carded on particular tourneys is a part of the game and, based on what you described, there's not a whole lot you can do. I've had a nasty, nasty streak of dead cards in SNGs that have made accumulating chips next to impossible, and before I know it I'm pushing w/K3o on the button w/3BBs left.

It's incredibly frustrating. On a mildly related note, playing 10/20 B&M yesterday, I went 3 hours without playing one damn hand aside from my blinds when they weren't raised. Sometimes it seems the streak of J4o will never end. But it does.

[Msogard]

Re-steal from the table bully, that should be like 4.5 big blinds.

[rookieplus]

[ QUOTE ]
Re-steal from the table bully, that should be like 4.5 big blinds.

[/ QUOTE ]

Assuming you aren't playing junk and showing down bad hands, the table bully is the guy who may fear you most. My opinion is that bullies tend to pay attention to who is and who isn't playing hands. When you come over the top of the bully, if he doesn't have anything he will fold.

That said, when you're card dead and you aren't a total maniac when it comes to hand selection, tournaments are no fun.

[Cland]

Bad cards come and go.

One play you might could try limping in early position and if you think the flop missed everyone moving all in. Early position + your tight play may make people fold even when they flop top pair.

Usally if I am thinking I am on a bit of a cold spell I will start taking some stabs at pots on just raw bluffs. This is harder to do in tournaments for me, but I'm working on it because I think it could add to my game alot. b/c I hate to bluff in tournaments aside from blind stealing and pretty automatic situations, my heart doesn't stand for it /images/graemlins/smile.gif