Waiting until it's your turn to look at your hole cards?

[Flow73]

UTG the gun my hand is folded before the dealer even finishes dealing. The rest of the time I wait until the action is a few player to my right. I want to know what the action is before I make a decision and I want time to look at the players to my left that look at their cards immediatly.

[bav]

Every random poker book and poker TV show tells the newbies "never look at your cards until it's your turn". I *HATE* that advice. Newbies who need 30 seconds to decide what to do with their 2 cards need all the lead time they can get. The advice should be to look at your cards when nobody else is looking at you, but don't move a muscle after you've looked until it's your turn, and then don't move until you decide what you're doing. One of the great tells of the world is the obvious newbie who glances at his cards, instantly grabs for a whole stack, then suddenly thinks "gee--maybe I shouldn't raise to $100 with AA" and instead grabs four chips off the top.

If you ARE going to wait to look, at least have the courtesy to have the cards in hand and be ready to look when it comes around. Don't sit there leaning back with your arms crossed and when it comes your turn only then look around, take a deep breath, lean forward and ever-so-slowly squeeze out the two cards, then set them down and ever so carefully cover them with your WSOP-brand Chip Protector, lean back and cross your arms again, look very thoughtful, stare at everybody again, and then very dramatically and very sloooowly lean forward again and ever so carefully remove your WSOP-brand Chip Protector, and flick the cards into the muck. PARTICULARLY in a tournament with the dang timer ticking down. If you had any idea what my hands were doing to your face in my imagination at that point you wouldn't be able to sleep again. You are NOT the center of the universe and we are NOT impressed with your Hollywood theatrics. Just look at the bloody cards and act! NOW!

Poker needs to use chess clocks. (Well--10-person versions of a chess clock.) I don't mind someone spending 60 seconds on a $500 decision now and then. It is not ok for them to spend 30 seconds on EVERY decision.

[NickMPK]

If I am in the blind, I never look until someone else has entered the pot. I think it is courteous to offer or accept a chop without looking at your hole cards.

If I'm not in the blind, I will usually look just before the action is on me.

If I am UTG, I will often look at my first card immediately and then fold before getting my second card if I am trying to create a tight image.

[brettbrettr]

I wait, but I don't think it slows down the game any.

[_TKO_]

[ QUOTE ]
I wait, but I don't think it slows down the game any.

[/ QUOTE ]

I usually know what I'm going to do before I look at my cards anyway. Preflop is easy.

[e_phemeral]

I have no problem with people waiting until the action is to them to look at their cards, as long as they look and act fairly quickly. Having said that, I much prefer when donkeys look at their cards before the action gets to them and then squirm around in their seats, unable to contain the excitement they feel at having picked up a monster like AQs. Keep looking and getting excited.

[brettbrettr]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I wait, but I don't think it slows down the game any.

[/ QUOTE ]

I usually know what I'm going to do before I look at my cards anyway. Preflop is easy.

[/ QUOTE ]

Really? I think cards matter at least a little.

[csuf_gambl0r]

I wait till its my turn to look. But it takes me literally a split second to look and then muck.

What i hate is those fugging idiot wannabes who slow down the game when they don't even have a fugging clue. Waiting to look is pointless when you don't even know how to play.

Action gets to them, and they have to justle with the cards, line up their cards, cup their hands like a pro, do the whole lean their head down thing, then literally peak at their cards as if they're examining diamonds, and then taking like 30 seconds to decide what they wanna do.

[Jeffage]

I do this, but I don't slow down the game at all...I look quickly the instant it's my turn. If it brings the game to a halt, yes it's annoying. I'd rather look at other people as they look at their cards (esp. to my left) and I don't want to give anything away in advance if I plan to play a hand. This is very common in the mid and high limit games I play in and usually people who do look immediately tend to otherwise suck (though there are exceptions). Plus, it's good for your patience.

Jeff

[Wake up CALL]

I don't see how in the same breath people say they wait which is a delay by any definition then say they don't slow down (delay) the game. Must be one of those I don't but others do type things.

Look at me, I can stop the passage of time with sheer willpower.