What to do When You Are Card Dead at the Poker Table 

I've been card dead since 1997

He is right. The best time to watch players is when you don't have a stake in that hand.

'If you're not thinking, you're gambling' is a great line :)

Love to see a video on out of position play in a cash game. I think of not just being card dead as being bad, but having sessions when you are only getting premium hands out position with multiple callers in a cash game.

I LOVE poker as my hobby, and when he said “if you are not thinking you are gambling “ that flash my brain like lightning. Thank you!

Being card dead means you have easy decisions. The more easy decisions in your lifetime on a poker table, the better. Don't have being card dead, just sit through it. If your image at the table gets too tight because of it, move a table, or go get a snack and play later.

I like the turnaround of thinking that you brought up. Can see how that was a leak in my game instead of being several teachable/learning moments, Thanks!

Great videos just subscribed great information glad to have it before many others.

Some good tips. Thanks!

Thanks for the advice Blake since I watched the video for narrowing your range I have been making final tables in tournament's now I guess I should open it up once im there because I ve notice that the blinds and antes start to eat my stack up. Thanks once again for taking the time keep the vids coming This IS SO HELPFUL !!!!!!!! I JUST WANNA GET BETTER

When you are card dead or dont hit anything its still important to lose as little as possible/ tilt as little as possible. Becouse loseing 1k or 10k is a 9k profit difference.

Great advice.

Thanks for all of your free training videos blake, your channel is the best i have found so far you explain things in a very logical and calm way. I play alot of live freeroll and buyin tournaments and would like a video on interpreting what players are saying at the table. Sometimes i pick up that a person always says the opposite of what they want you to do or exaclty what you should do and this can be very confusing. Which do you think is the best? and why or why not. Thanks

I love the advice, already pre ordered beyond tells :D Im not eighteen yet to play but i am practicing for tournaments! Thanks for making all the information accessable to players :)

Great advice. as always.

Your last statement was the best....If you're not thinking you're gambling. I used to over analyze every second and I would always build an early stack and get in the money frequently. I became complacent, the results? Dead money and early exits. Don't ever stop thinking things through.

i agree, your ability to represent something bigger than your opponent is what keeps your stack alive aswel, bluffing isn't just for the egos, it's for the players that don't have time to wait for aces that you might or might not even maximise from. my game has only been improving since my analysis skills have improved, the opportunities for someone in a game of poker to win are endless, no bitching about being card dead. take your time assess your table, pick your moments, maximise from it.

Yea i like it. its on the books in our classes and it says it on some of our tables

The most crucial way I got over this notion of being card dead involved Hand Histories: Going over others', going over my own and having others go over mine. I preferred Online SNG Hand Histories for this, but any will do. The more I went through that process, the more I understood that I wasn't card dead, just playing poorly. I was missing numerous profitable situations, especially in the late stages of tournaments. They were flying right by as I folded and complained of being card dead.

Poker is a lot of skill and luck is just an illusion. The skill comes in when the 5 cards on the table pop up, if you pay attention to how people are betting on a hand then you pretty much know what they have and how confident they are when the next cards get flipped. Play aggressive and always raise with face cards even if you haven't seen any of the 5 cards on the table, raise like a dollar if your playing for quarters, limit those odds of others getting "luck" and pulling something out they never were going to bet on in the first place. Just get out of the whole play conservatively and play a lot more aggressive cause even if you lose on an aggressive hand IF they grow balls and call you, your due to get 1 good hand that's already set up and by then people think you BS and you can make tons of money.

yea thats a good point... forgot about that

I find it super annoying when someone asks for a new setup because theyre card dead. As if that's going to help. But yea, you're totally right with paying attention to the game. I've recently found out how much information that there is going on at a live poker table. It's pretty hard to be bored even when card dead when trying to process all this info.

By the way, loving the new catchphrase. If you're not thinking, your gambling, and if you're gambling, I'm winning.

Hey Blake Thanks for this video. It was of the questions that I had recently thought about. Let me ask you this though, would there be a difference in how you play dead hands in a tournament and a cash game. Can't wait for the Beyond Tells... Frank

This video is great and absolutely helpful. But it can't deal with being card dead at a cash table full of good aggressive players or a shallow stack tournaments. But to be fair, nothing can help you there I think!!

Keep up the vids

True. Played at Aria recently. New table, folded everything except a couple of blind hands. For 90 minutes. Watched the table and observed. When the circumstances became favorable, I was able to take advantage of them & walked away with 5 times my buy in.

I kinda was interested in that too but to a different extent. I'm more interested in "Seat Selection & Initial Buy-Ins", more of an extension on your "Table Selection" video.

I love poker - i run bad - i never give up nor whine cuz i can always do better. thanks for tips. can't win em all but if make good decisions over time should win eventually

I understand poker is a grind and don't get me wrong, I enjoy playing poker, but I find myself not playing as much as I should. Whether it's from distractions or just the idea that i'm going to be grinding, I can't seem to play as consistently as I want to. Could you post a video on tips on being a more disciplined and focused poker player? I love your videos man. Thanks!

Love "be interested in the game you are playing"

I don't really complain about it. Gives me time to pick up tells on my opponents and long as I find a few spots to get my chips in good to possibly double up, I'm fine.

as a visually challenged poker player I am curious if beyond tells will be useful. most of my info comes from betting patterns and judging aggressiveness and calling range any other tips for picking up on tells?

Speaking of thinking at the table. I think a good video would be to discuss the thought process that a player should have while at the table. If you haven't done a video on it already that is. I know this can be very situational l but I think it would make a great topic.

I have played 3 live tables and 1 tournament. I am plus 500 in winnings, placed 11th out of 150 ppl in my first tourney. As much stuff as I read and watch I haven't learned much I don't already know but I also practice on line constantly. The best advice I can give anyone is if your not having fun, don't play.

Hitchhiker's Guide!!...Love it! Babel fish so you can understand any language!

I have this same problem and I'd like to see a video about this subject.

Have you tried to set some kind of goals? It helped me a lot...

You hear a lot of people complain when they are heads up and try to bluff an opponent who eventually makes the call with a medium strength hand i.e. second/third pair on a dry board. How about a video explaining how to manipulate your opponent. There are many in the game who are very hard to read, making situations a guessing game, but what if your actions could influence your opponent? Obviously, this falls into the realm of tells, so thought you might want to consider this as a minor project.

Being card dead is always something I have looked past because I just fold most the time, but when are the appropriate times to call with a crappy hand? I never known when I should call and I hardly ever raise because I don't have the confidence most the time. Maybe a video about how to know when to call and when to raise in certain positions. Thanks Blake !

I can picture Sklansky shaking his head with a condescending disapproval at your tagline.

The seat being lucky or cursed, I find to be hilarious. But also I think it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. If your getting lucky getting good cards, and playing them well you'll stack up quickly and once your big stack you have an advantage and people are more afraid of you. Thus making it easier to continue winning. Where as if your doing badly, having poor luck and not playing well. Your short stacked, probably lost some confidence, and can easily get in a bad mindset. Making it all the easier to keep losing.

Please do a video on pot odds

I've played 2 live tourneys came 8th in my first and 4th in my second... playing in a money buy in game plays differently to a chip buy in online game... these games come with a lot of players taking chances.

Ur good sh#t bro thxxx!

I've played poker full time for 3 months, started 10NL and now breaking-even on 50NL. I've been struggling about exploitation recently, I understand this is a central concept every poker player should be focusing on getting better every day, just like hand reading skill, but the difficult part is that it's extremely difficult to learn and practice it the correct way, I wonder if you have any suggestions to 50NL/SSNL players on how to learn and practice exploitation structurally?

nice

If possible, can you do a video where you talk about how people complain about not getting a specific seat? For example, a person is winning a good majority of hands in seat 1, and some people comment saying things like "if I was in that seat I would have won that much too", or "seat one is getting all the best hands, I wish I was sitting there." I see this happening a lot, and if you can comment on situations like this, I'd greatly appreciate it! Thanks.

I mean for what i should be saying to them or what i should say to get more information out of them.

So something I do to keep focused in the game when I'm not in a hand is to pretend I'm a TV poker commentator in my head and run a little play by play! By the way preordered Beyond Tells and looking forward to the release!!

I tell my friends this all the time. You shouldn't be card dead because your opponents have no idea what you have. If you've been folding for an hour, and you raise, you'll only get called by Tier 1 and 2 hands. No matter the flop, bet. You'll likely take it down. Great video, great channel.

Lol, I liked this video the second you said not to complain about being card dead anymore.

GT-R... nice

plow through the losing streak

I find that players who complain about being card dead haven't put enough time on the felt and surely don't put enough time in off of it.

New video idea, playing bottom two pair out of position after the flop. 2/5 type table where lots of people like to call.

No. Its an extra distraction. There is a lot of things to be focused on that it will get in the way. Kind of like the watching tv and doing homework.

I dont mind being card dead, I hate getting dealt the second nuts all night. Or hitting 10 flushes and hitting 9 full houses in those 10 times. Getting AA and a 3 card straight comes up or 3 suited cards. Ill take being card dead all night

if u want to have suggestions, break down hands. Break down decisions and game theory.

Simple fold more and pay attn to players to find ways to bluff well Among other things

Negranu once said something like: First play the situation, then your cards. (or something along those lines).

Do you have a video on what to do when you're on tilt? I go on tilt a lot.

talk about ace king when to play it and how to play it

Think about the conversations you have in life with other people. Are you the type of person who listens to what the other person is saying? Or are you the type of person that just drifts off and waits for their turn to speak? Players at the poker table are always saying something. Whether it's a particular betting pattern, situational twitches or movements, saying stuff when they bet or staying quiet, etc. If you're in a poker session and you're not picking up hands in optimal situations to play, then focusing on all of this other stuff can be so useful... especially if you're playing against people you play with regularly.

My problem is running dead in tournaments

Raising with anything and continue betting works with weak players. Won't work with good players. I do look for oputunities to bluff as much as possible. But It's hard to call raises when you are continually getting 2-7, 5-8,. If you ain't in the hand you caint win it

what happens when you take a smoke break in a cash game of Texas Holdem and your money is still on the Table..?

I look at it this way..I invested the money so just play stop wooring about money you can't get back.. I have won trnys in the past being card dead most of a trny..First, don't panic..and remember your towel :)

America is a great country. You can be a no name poker player and have people follow and pay for your advice. Incredible

Card dead? WTF?...I play every hand! Like he said it makes you unpredictable unless your opponent is familiar with the "TRIPLE RANGE MERGE"...

what you learn from one thing you can implement into other and this is why pokers so awesome!!!! Blake basically said treat a hand you don't want to play the same way you treat a hand ud want to play. Jesus said... " if you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? even the corrupt do that much. if you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else?"

Ppl play tighter at times in tourneys

Those who can, do, those who can't, teach

best poker advice: always raise

I'll make no such promise... ;)

well if you play only 1/5 of the hands then you'll only be busy 20% of the time! and people expect to get hands every night? or hour? lol, work hard, play hard.

Getting aces is 1 in 221 hands, not 1 in 220. I hate being pedantic :(

Talk about online poker

1st

Are you any good? I have never heard of you.

moaning still dosent going to give you good cards. Moaning acctually makes you think negativ with tend to make you lose youre focuse and lose more than you need to.

Mnemonix, you would be wrong. The odds of pocket aces are 220 to 1.

" eh.. its just like.. eh.. you know how.. its like... " try editing out all of the extra stuff in this video. almost had to watch it twice to figure out what point you were actually trying to make

i don't think there is a thing as card dead, only dead poker players. imho

Complete bullshit.