Live play - waiting to look at the cards?

[seke2]

I prefer to wait to look at my cards until the action is on me for 3 reasons.

1) Based on the play before me, I decide (very roughly/quickly) what range of hands I'm probably going to raise, call, and fold with. By not looking at my hand first, I don't bias my ranges one way or the other, I just focus on what action happened before my turn.

2) I don't want to give away tells, and if I haven't seen my cards, I can't give away much information.

3) I can spend the time while others are acting focusing on what they are doing and looking at the players who are going to act after me to see if they're giving away any information.

[AceLuby]

The only problem I have about glancing at my cards before action is to me is that people can tell I am going to fold before it gets to them. If they know that they know that is one more person they don't have to worry about a re-raise. I'm always hoping someone always looks at their cards out of turn is sitting to the left of me so I can confidently steal their blinds.

I like to look at my cards when action gets to me. If I catch a tell, or I'm on the button and it's folded to me, I'll fake like I'm looking at my cards and raise it up.

[registrar]

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You have a masters in what?

Live MTT play is a lot different than internet.A lot easier in my opinion.I had one last year with 320 entrants. I played 7 hands entire tourny and came in third. I had another with 170 entrants and came in fifth and played 5 hands.With 4-5 people seeing the flops you are lucky to make 2 orbits per blind level.These are American Legion type MTTs with 150-350 players and non professional dealers.

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Did you look at your cards?

[Fish R Friends]

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You have a masters in what?

Live MTT play is a lot different than internet.A lot easier in my opinion.I had one last year with 320 entrants. I played 7 hands entire tourny and came in third. I had another with 170 entrants and came in fifth and played 5 hands.With 4-5 people seeing the flops you are lucky to make 2 orbits per blind level.These are American Legion type MTTs with 150-350 players and non professional dealers.

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Did you look at your cards?

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No, he's psychic & uses his Jedi mind tricks to control us.

[KKsuited]

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You have a masters in what?

Live MTT play is a lot different than internet.A lot easier in my opinion.I had one last year with 320 entrants. I played 7 hands entire tourny and came in third. I had another with 170 entrants and came in fifth and played 5 hands.With 4-5 people seeing the flops you are lucky to make 2 orbits per blind level.These are American Legion type MTTs with 150-350 players and non professional dealers.

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Did you look at your cards?

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No, he's psychic & uses his Jedi mind tricks to control us.

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His does that pyschological stuff I think. You don't really need to look at your cards when doing that, from what I hear.

300+ people, 7 hands? Jesus, what was it 3 min levels?

[KKsuited]

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I prefer to wait to look at my cards until the action is on me for 3 reasons.

1) Based on the play before me, I decide (very roughly/quickly) what range of hands I'm probably going to raise, call, and fold with. By not looking at my hand first, I don't bias my ranges one way or the other, I just focus on what action happened before my turn.

2) I don't want to give away tells, and if I haven't seen my cards, I can't give away much information.

3) I can spend the time while others are acting focusing on what they are doing and looking at the players who are going to act after me to see if they're giving away any information.

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This makes sense and it's the approach I "try" to take when not looking at my cards. I do catch myself sometimes knowing I've got 7,2 and I can't wait to toss them in the muck. If I don't look at my cards, I don't have to worry about that.

[bgoalie35]

You can try to practice it online by covering up your hole cards until its your turn to act (just stick a post it to your monitor). Try it out and see if you can get comfortable with it.

If it just makes you that uncomfortable, and you can't think without looking, I would go ahead and look. Like another poster said, just be sure to cap your cards, whatever, the same way every time so you don't give off any tells.

[Fish R Friends]

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You can try to practice it online by covering up your hole cards until its your turn to act (just stick a post it to your monitor). Try it out and see if you can get comfortable with it.

If it just makes you that uncomfortable, and you can't think without looking, I would go ahead and look. Like another poster said, just be sure to cap your cards, whatever, the same way every time so you don't give off any tells.

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And good news, Target sells those gigantic post-its for when you're playing live. Look next to the WPT display.