Waiting to check my hole cards

[kevkev60614]

I've read that it's best to wait until it's my action to check my hole cards. In low buy-in tourneys it's common to check your cards as soon as you get them to speed up the game, and that's what I'm used to doing. In preparation for my first WSOP, I've been playing more live. I tried waiting until my action, and it makes me very uncomfortable. When making a decision, we take all available information into account. I'm just very familiar with the information coming in a certain order. I feel it helps me to know my cards while I'm watching the table act.

It just makes good sense to wait to check your cards, I guess, cuz you're less likely to give off tells and you might not want to be pegged as an internet donk. But I'm VERY careful not to leak the strength of my hand, and that includes the hands I'm certainly folding. Of course I can never be sure whether I'm giving up info or not, and I've never played at these stakes before which could hypothetically make a difference.

I feel that my reasons to peek early heavily outweigh the reasons to wait. Does anyone feel really strongly that I'm making a bad decision? And, for my own edification, does everyone wait to peek at the WSOP?

[WSOPChump]

why not just look once the betting starts

[Black Aces 518]

I look while the guy to my right is looking/acting. I don't want to hold the game up, but as Greg Raymer has posted, it's pretty tough to look as interested with 72o as you do with AA. So I think this is a good compromise. It also minimizes the "in the spotlight" feel of waiting to look until it's your exact turn.

If the guy to my right looks immediately and is a quick actor, I may switch to looking when the guy 2 to my right looks/acts.

[DVaut1]

Hand play can be very very long at the ME.

Imagine a hand: you peek and see that you have AA in the cutoff. Action preflop is on UTG. UTG takes two minutes to decide what to do with his hand -- now imagine, after two minutes, he raises. Next to act UTG+1 takes another two minutes, and he calls. Folded around to MP shortstack, who goes into the tank.

Remember, you've got AA -- think you can sit there for a few minutes looking not too interested? Think of what your opponent sees -- you staring, looking interested, trying to focus on the action -- definitely giving off information there.

Think you can sit there looking not too disinterested? In other words, in an attempt to mask the fact that you have AA, you sit there trying to look aloof as possible -- your opponents see you looking bored and not interested, as if you're going to fold, then action comes around to you, and you raise -- or you call...certainly could arouse some suspcions.

Remember, your opponents are waiting to look at their cards in turn, so they'll be observing the table, and know if you're peeking.

[AceLuby]

I advise that you look at your turn and always assume you are going to raise when you are seeing how everyone else is acting. It gets you in the right mindset, doesn't give off any information, and you don't look like 'an internet donk.' Just a suggestion tho'

[0evg0]

Force yourself to wait.

I normally only play low limit 2/2, or like $100 tourneys live, but I just make sure to wait. [censored] them if you slow the game down by 5 seconds a hand.

[jason75]

Another reason to wait is that if you're the type to look before your turn, the good players to your right will notice this and start focusing on you looking for tells.

I don't care how emotionless you think you are, everyone gives off a little something and with careful study someone might pick up one or more tells on you. By looking before your turn you're announcing "I might give you some information before you act, see if you can spot it".

[Dromar]

[ QUOTE ]
Another reason to wait is that if you're the type to look before your turn, the good players to your right will notice this and start focusing on you looking for tells.

I don't care how emotionless you think you are, everyone gives off a little something and with careful study someone might pick up one or more tells on you. By looking before your turn you're announcing "I might give you some information before you act, see if you can spot it".

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah. Don't be that guy.

[shutyomouf]

Looking when its my turn to act helps me focus on the hand more because I am thinking about the bets and raises that happen instead of how much I am going to raise, or how I can't catch any cards.

[cha59]

I started waiting to look my hole cards during a $110 live game at Binions.

This woman three seats to my right was staring me down after I would look at my cards before she would act. I dont know if she was picking up any tells on me but it made me think if I was giving off tells, I better do something different. Thats when I decided that I would wait til my turn to look at my cards. I have made this a habit ever since that game.

That was a typical $110 game. I think many of the higher stakes players will read you if you are looking at your cards before its your turn.

Before I look, I watch the action and think about what my play will be if I have what hand. Most of the time I fold without much thought anyway. Many times the action in front of you should give you as much information about the actions you should take as your cards. If determining the correct action isnt simple, just take your time.