Posted Tue Feb 17, 2004 3:12 pm GMT by myonker
OK. I played in my first casino tourny yesterday: Turning Stone Casino (upstate NY), 25 buy-in, 5 dollar rebuys the first hour, Limit Hold em. After I got used to playing at the rapid pace and to limit style w/ rebuys i started playing just about everything. after the first hour i had a decent chip count.
the next hour was a totally different story. I went 14 hands without seeing A,K,Q in my pocket, no suited cards, or suited/non-suited connectors. mostly it was like 94, 10,5 off suite or of the like. The next 5 or 6 hands that I saw weren't much better.
I lasted about an hour and half but finally the blinds caught up to me and i had to play a K3 off and lost on a flush thanks to the river.
Has anyone hit extremely long droughts? (im guessing yes). How did you handle them? should I have taken some chances hoping that i caught a card or two? just taken my lumps and hope for the next tourny?
overall it was a great experience, although i don't think i'd play Limit again. any advice, shared experiences, or critisim would greatly be appreciated. just dont comment on my spelling (I'm at work and trying to make this quick) 
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Posted Tue Feb 17, 2004 3:18 pm GMT by karasz
just remember this drought of decent cards when you get nothing lower than a 10 for a period... it happens man...
Posted Wed Feb 18, 2004 12:00 am GMT by racquet000
Bah i was up at turning stone last week. I played for 4 and a half hours and won one hand with AK and missed all the way past the river to the ocean but still one when i was headsup and the guy bailed. I have been on bad cards for about the last couple weeks it sucks but i cant wait till those good cards start comming again. O yeah and that one hand i won a whole $30 now take your guess at how much i lost. 5-10 4-1/2 hours.......
Good cards are going to be in my future.....lol 
Posted Wed Feb 18, 2004 10:06 am GMT by JohnnyCache
My superstition is that luck runs by sessions at the table. A session is defined as a period interrupted by a meal. So work for an hour, eat, work for an hour, eat . . . you just gotta go through more 'sessions'
Posted Thu Feb 19, 2004 7:13 pm GMT by mindgame
I used to believe that bad sessions are just the result of a run of bad cards. I have come to accept that I am just not good enough to hold on to that theory. The fact is that cards are only ONE PART of the session--and frequently not even the most important part.
So many things are going on...how many are you really atuned to? You may be having a night of bad reads--your intuition is just off kilter...your poker gut is having a seriously dyspetic day. Maybe you are up against a couple of players who, in spite of obvious weaknesses, have an excellent read on YOU. There are--truly--hundreds of possiblities, don' t you think?
I'm just not smart to understand the game so completely that I can REALLY know why things are going south.
I know this. I can play like I did last night--where I saw lousy hands for hour after hour...ONE high pair in 6 1/2 hours, three AK, two AQ...make one set all night...one straight...no flushes, no FH...and I still win $350 in a tough game. It ain't ALWAYS the cards.
So when I'm losing...I take a good look at the game,,,,a good look at myself...and I usually shrug and go home out $250 or so rather than the $500 to $800 I used to lose waiting for the CARDS to turn around.
Posted Fri Feb 20, 2004 11:44 am GMT by myonker
I completley agree with you mindgame. The problem is, I'm not confident enough with my "overall" game to make out right bluffs, and even when I know the time is right to make that call I get gunshy and pull off the trigger.
Here's an example. Last weekend I was on the big blind ($500), everyone limps in, and the small folded. Everyone checks after the flop, and turn. There's nothing on the board, I think a J would have made top-pair. So I'm the first to act of course, and I have a 2-3 offsuit. Junk comes up on the river and I'm contemplating making a mid-sized bet, knowing that if someone calls i'll definatley loose the hand and if someone re-raises that I'll fold. I had the chips to make this move, but at the last second I pull of the trigger and check. Everyone else checks and a K high won the pot.
The other problem I get into is the reading of other players. I concentrate on them in the beginning but start to tail off as the game goes on and start to concentrate too much on my cards, chips, and what calls I should make.
I think most of this is due to the fact that I've only been playing seriously for 6 months or so and I'm still getting a feel for it all. By "seriously" I mean actually learning the details and applying them; knowing the odds; reading books; learning from all of you on this site; and so on.
Posted Fri Feb 20, 2004 1:10 pm GMT by mindgame
Hardest part of the battle is staying sharp after 2 or 3 hours in.
Posted Thu Apr 08, 2004 6:26 am GMT by feverpa
there's nothing you can ACTUALLY do to get better cards... but if you want to give the poker gods a kick in the pants... just try something crazy... and I wouldn't recommend trying it with 2-3 offsuit...
for example... (and I'm not saying that it was my good play that was the key in the following example... I just got lucky... but here's an example)
I was playing last night... doing very well... catching some decent cards and winning with most of my good hands... and also winning with strong bluffs and re-raises on the flop...
then the cards went cold... I lost a couple of bluff attempts... then stopped getting good hands to play... so what did I do?
got 9-10 offsuit on the button... a hand that I would normally PLAY from that position about 75-85 percent of the time... (when there are enough people already in the pot)
but this time... strictly for a change of pace... and to try to knock myself out of this slump..... I raised with this hand..... only one person folded, so it still made my pot odds good. Well.... anyone care to guess what the flop was.... how about 9-10-9. a couple of checks and calls later... I was at the river against two players... and this time they both called my check raise...
morale of the story... I got lucky... but when you're in a slump... do something different... just to be different.... don't do it with a totally worthless hand... but if you would normally on the fence about playing Q-8 offsuit for example... raise with it once.... see what flops... and get out if you have to... but you have to try...
the same tactic worked for me a few days ago... was just to the left of the BB... HORRIBLE position... and had been getting horrible cards... decided to RAISE with 9-6 offsuit.... knew I was probably wasting a bet... but when the flop came 9-9-6... I was a genius who not only won the hand... but confused the hell out of the players who were paying attention at the table... they had to be thinking... "he raised with that hand from that position before the flop?!?!?"
now when I had a hand... and bet it... I got a lot more callers... won bigger pots... because they thought I was a player who played junk...
good luck... and I hope those cards turn around for you!!
Posted Thu May 06, 2004 10:41 am GMT by LadeJarl
It's all about playing the cards you have.
You can't change what is dealt, but you can use the cards to your own benefit. I think this is probably the most difficult aspect of the game and I'm far, far from an expert on it, but I do try to use whatever I have to my benefit, whether it is to fold, or play agressive or something in between.
Knowing how to play "bad cards" is what distinguishes a great player from a good player. I think most of it comes down to experience and understanding of table phsycology.
My experience is that most cards you get dealt is neither bad or good, but mediocre. The problem is to know how to play mediocre cards.
Posted Mon May 24, 2004 4:07 am GMT by snoogins47
We've all had bad runs.
And to those who mention the idea of playing their bad cards correctly...
Sure, that's true, in many situations. But, I challenge ANY of you to go into a $1-$2 table, get nothing but rags for three hours, and end up with a profit ;P
That's the issue here, I believe. In any NL style game, or at higher limits (I would assume, don't have any real experience, sadly) you can make plays and use your skills, reads, intuition, etc.. pay off. Of course the level with which you can do this varies with many, many factors, but it's true.
I would be willing to wager that a 25 buck buy-in, with rebuys, LIMIT tournament, is very much a showdown game. Therefore, inferior cards are not going to pay you off, plain and simple.
To the original poster: to deal with a bad run of cards? Get food, take a shower, smoke a cig, drink a beer,drink some coffee, chew on a toothpick, whatever it is you want to do... unwind... relax, get your mind off it, and come back fresh. A bad run of cards early in a session can cost you money later in the session, if you begin to get heated. I speak both from observations, and experience ;P
Other than that, keep your head up, remember poker is a life-long proposition as far as money is concerned, and keep on playin 
Posted Tue May 25, 2004 4:10 am GMT by 421x
I have a similiar question , as im quite pertwerbed over tonight. Even though it was a low limit table , im still trying to break even with the damn card room. ( first time ever there , i was very in experienced , played too many hands , got no love on any flops , 2nd time i was time constrained , bought in with too little , held my own but in the end , walked away down 30. 3rd time , i did great , 60 dollars lasted me 7 hours , built my way from 10 $ left to 130 $. After that , table went short handed , cards went cold , got a few tough beats , left with 40 $ when i invested 65 , but this last time i went brings me to the question i pose ; )
What do you do when your pre destined to lose ? Ive always bought in with ( at a 2$-4$ ) 40 , last time when i lasted 7 hours and was making money at about 10-15 $ an hour i did 60 , lasted me very long time. This time , i sat down with 80 , thinking it will give me enough to survive some bad beats , but slowly make money all night. I play 100 % tight , and i don't bluff ( as its 2-4 , too many river monkeys , *1*god , some confuseing people*1* ) at low limit , too many callers. Anyhoo , if i dont have any reason to go on after the flop , i drop it.
Well , i played about 5 AQo 3or4 kt , couple qtsuited , 3 pockets ect. Well , lets just say , i mucked one winner ( queen two offsuit , three queens on the flop ) just about everything else didnt catch anything flop to river. Everyhand i do decided to play beyond the flpp , got beat , it hurt bad. I lost the 80 $ in about an hour. Few examples , i have pocket 5's , theres 6 players ( full table ) raise on the flop , 3 players at the river ( its obvios nobody connected with the board , so i feel my 5's are good ) showdown , my 55 is beat by tt. Another , i hand , i had king ten , flop is k62 , all diamonds , 4 callers and i dont have a diamond. Later talked to the guy whom had the ace of diamonds. Another kt i played , i was top pair on the flop , bet all the way to the river with 2 callers , one turns up middle pair , other guy caught an ace on the river.
My final all in , ace ten suited ; flop : 10 6 2 , rainbow , i called a preflop raise. raisor raises on the flop , im all in after a 1 chip re raise. Turn and river gave no help , winner flips queens. Also i played some suited connectors , which i always dumped after the flop , even with a 4 way open ended straight twice ( i play tight , i knew there would be raises all the way to the river , be expensive to chase , also lots of players , mgiht not have stood up ) anyway every straight draw i dumped never landed.
Long story short , i went through 80 waaaaaaay fast , hour and a half , every hand i played to show down , was beat by higher hands , every hand i mucked , never won minus one ; two at the most. And i only played solid hands. worst hand i played was 65 suited , not like i was making bad choices ( imo ).
What do the rest of you do , when you simply can't win ? You muck a single winner in hours ( hour n a half in my case ) , none of your draws land , chase or no chase , your pockets , lose to higher pockets , top pairs get beat on the river ect.
Funny was friend of mine was haveing the same luck , but he busted out on a better story. Got dealt pocket rockets ; 8 callers of a preflop riase. Guy to his left , calls a preflop raise , 69o , flop comes , AA raises , 69o re raises , forceing EVERY player out of the pot. btw flop was j92 rainbow.
turn: 9
river: 9
his AA lost to 69o boat VS quads , good stuff.
Sorry for the long post , 4 am , and feeling pokerly unsatisfied.
edit: oh , the confuseing guy , i couldnt understand. Guy raises preflop , raises on the flop calling a rreraise even , raises on the turn , there were 2 callers after flop till showdown , then folds after the river. funny part was , 3 players left , this jackoff , and a good solid player ( i was chatting with him between hands , guy was waay nice/cool ) who bet , the other two fold. Neither one of us could make ryme nor reason to it. And this guy , the raiser whom folded on the river , was the one handing me thge slight beats. I couldnt capitolize on him once :
Posted Tue May 25, 2004 2:00 pm GMT by Fat Tony
The fact is that cards are only ONE PART of the session--and frequently not even the most important part.- posted by mindgame.
i agree 100% when losing, people start often start making foolish decisions that they normally wouldn't.
Posted Tue May 25, 2004 2:15 pm GMT by MasterShake
I put a guy all-in when I had a K high and went on to win the tourney. Almost s*** my pants, but I won. I was 90% sure he'd fold and he did. Just the read I got after playing with him for three hours.
Posted Wed May 26, 2004 12:47 am GMT by racquet000
Today in my home game tourney i never saw 2 face cards and i lost everytime i had AXs Outta 18 people i managed to grab second by not winning any hands until the very end and ust winning enough to cover the blinds so i could outlast the people. Kinda felt like an ass but did what i could to stay in.
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