Today’s poker tip is about what to do when have hit a dry spell, and the cards are not going your way. (and what not to do). As we all know, when you learn to play Omaha poker, Texas hold’em, or any other poker named after someplace in the United States, the cards don’t always go your way. From a poker probabilities stand point, the chances of you have a playable hand most of the time out is about as likely as Brooke Shields putting a gun to my head and demanding I pleasure her…or else (the horror the horror). More likely than not, you will experience long stretches where you hands have no playable value. So what do you do in this case?
This is not the time to give in to the thought, “I haven’t done anything for awhile, so I better play”. Trying to bluff your way out of a run of bad cards is not the way to deal with the situation. If somebody calls you bluff, you not only stuck, but you look weak by folding. When you look weak, you are just asking for people to challenge just about everything you do. This is a good situation for a player who is experienced and wants a lot of action. Players like that may act week just to get more action during a game of Omaha poker, stud, draw, or Texas Hold’em, but somebody who is just learning to play doesn’t want to become the unofficial hobby of everyone else at the table.
The best way to handle a drought is to either wait until the deck is more friendly to you, and gives you cards that pushes the poker probabilities of victory within reach, or wait until you have positional advantage to play from. If you have the dealer button in front of you, even with bad cards you may get to see the flop cheaply. If the players in front of you either fold, or call, you can simply call before the flop. As long as the blinds don’t raise at this point you are safe, and anything can happen on the flop. Your bad cards may even get support from the three cards that hit the board. IF you are going to bluff, the dealer button is the position to do it from. If you are choose to bluff from this position with bad cards though, be sure you have the constitution for a three barrel bluff. Giving up on it will make you look weak.
That is the poker tip for today.
