Why does it seem like I never hit the flop?

[LockLow34]

Ok, NEVER is a very strong word. But I'll play fairly long sessions where I maybe hit the flop 4-5 times. I had a game like that the other night, in fact. The same one where I had 0 pp in about 100 hands I also only had top pair on the flop twice.

This isn't an uncommon thing for me, either online or in most of the games I play. And sometimes it can be quite frustrating when playing a soft game, not getting ANYTHING with which to punish the fish. It does sometimes put me on tilt. (I end up playing MORE hands, missing the flop MORE often, tilting even worse. One of my 'tilt signals' is that I start playing hands like T9o aggressively from EP or MP.)

What I'm wondering is how much of what I've explained more my own perception than reality? Or is this somewhat accurate and if so is it the reality for most other players?

[bernie]

Remember this feeling when the deck is hitting you square in the face and you can't miss anything.

b

[SampleTOOSMALL]

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The same one where I had 0 pp in about 100 hands

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***STAMP***

That's poker. I've been in plenty of home games full of people who didn't even know all the rules, and my cards were so cold I couldn't do a thing. Usually, someone else will hit just about every flop and take home half the money...and it's their second time playing.

But remember, not hitting flops is much cheaper than getting two or three river suckout bad beats thrown at you. And remember, as pointed out before, remember this feeling when the cards are running over you and you can't miss.

My natural reaction to not hitting flops is to tighten up, not loosen up. If you loosen up in search of hitting a flop, you're just giving your chips away IMO.

ScottieK

I played in an SNG the other day where I drew A-Q eight times, A-K twice, A-A twice, and K-K once.

I try to remember these sessions when I'm running badly.

Oh, and I placed 3rd. I suck.

[bernie]

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My natural reaction to not hitting flops is to tighten up, not loosen up.

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There's no reason to tighten up. If you're playing right, tightening up can cause you to miss so great opportunities.

Tightening up could be considered a form of tilt in this situation.

b

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Why does it seem like I never hit the flop?

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Because most of the time you don't.

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I had 0 pp in about 100 hands

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There are 169 starting hands and only 13 of them are pocket pairs.



Don't worry about the deck; you can't control what comes out of it. Folding terrible cards and terrible flops are the easiest decisions you have to make in poker.

Feel free to sit out if you are on the verge of tilt. Anything else would be bad for your bankroll.

[chesspain]

It's a good thing that I'm a moderator and a learned man--or else I would have had to hunt you down and strike you.

[coffeecrazy1]

Because you don't. I don't have the exact probabilities(hey...it's the psych forum), but think of it rationally: only six cards in the whole deck will pair one of your cards. If 20 or 21(burn before deal) go out to a 10-handed table, you have 31 or 32 possible cards to come out on the flop. At best, only six of them pair you up. Obviously, there are other draws to be had, and more ways to get them...but what it balances into is that there will be days, nights, weeks, and months where the flops are always where you ain't. It's part of the game.

[chesspain]

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If 20 or 21(burn before deal) go out to a 10-handed table, you have 31 or 32 possible cards to come out on the flop. At best, only six of them pair you up.

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You do realize that it is irrelevant how many players are dealt cards.