When do you look at your cards?

[JimmyWellington 1]

I've noticed that I look at my cards much differently than most people at the tables. I put my hands in front of my chips to catch the card as it's dealt to me, then I look at it right away, same with the second card. I like it for several reasons. I do it so quickly that I know what my hand is before the first player to act even looks at his cards. I get to watch every player look at their cards. It gives a little extra time to think about what I want to do with my hand if it's a "decision" hand. If I give any information away by looking at my cards, I do it before they're looking at me. It throws the other players off cause if they're not paying attention, it looks as if I'm not looking at my cards. Anyone else do this?

[nitrolife 0]

I prefer to look at my cards when it is my turn. Those split seconds you are your cards takes away from any read/tell the others might give off.

[looshle 6]

I think its most beneficial to look at your cards when it is your turn. When you do it this way, no one at the table can read you. If someone who is in front of you wants to raise, he can't read you if you have a strong hand. Say you picked up AA, and someone in front WAS going to raise but got some kind of tell from you and folds, thats $ out of your pocket. You don't lose anything by waiting to look except time you could be using to study the people ahead of you as they look at their cards.

[NYSPOKER 0]

Newer players can benefit from having extra time to decide how to play their cards. More seasoned players prefer to look when the action is on them.The benfits of waiting, you can observe the others as they look at their cards. You can watch the action unfold and decide how strong your pocket cards you are going to need to see in order to continue in the hand. You do not give any tells as to the strength of your hand to those that act before you.If the action start bet/raise/call by the time it gets to you in middle position, you already know that you are going to need a very strong hand to proceed. If it is not there, you have an easy fold.Similarly, if you look first and see rags, you might hold your cards in such a way indicating that you will be folding. Somebody before you that was going to call, may choose to raise based on this.I could go on. It is a personal decision but, I think you would find that most players look when the action is on them. I think this would make a great poll.

[Wlleiotl 0]

you're just as likely to give away tells when you look when the action is on you tbh, everyone is watching you look at your cards that way. also i dont think giving away tells that you're going to fold will hurt you in any way, if you're folding you're folding

[NYSPOKER 0]

also i dont think giving away tells that you're going to fold will hurt you in any way, if you're folding you're folding

It may not hurt you, on that hand. But in future hands, players may pick up on how you are holding your cards, or not, and play their hand according to how the believe you are going to act when it gets to you.Also, you may give away a tell when you actually look at them but, you are also aware that everybody is looking, you may be more conscience of you expressions. Plus, there will have people that acted, without having seen the tell.

[RtherBNvegas 0]

I prefer to wait til the action comes to me. So I dont miss when the other players look at their cards and possibly give off something

[JimmyWellington 1]

also i dont think giving away tells that you're going to fold will hurt you in any way, if you're folding you're folding

It may not hurt you, on that hand. But in future hands, players may pick up on how you are holding your cards, or not, and play their hand according to how the believe you are going to act when it gets to you.Also, you may give away a tell when you actually look at them but, you are also aware that everybody is looking, you may be more conscience of you expressions. Plus, there will have people that acted, without having seen the tell.

Well, I think it's 6 of one, half a dozen of the other. Basically you have to concentrate on not giving away information either when you're looking at your cards, or after looking at them, before you act. I'm fully willing to admit that it might there might be pros to doing it a certain way other than mine. I don't think I give away information after I look at my cards, maybe I'll ask my friend to watch and let me know. I'm always willing to try new tactics, and I'll probably try waiting till its my turn to see if I like it better. Also, some people said that by looking when I first get them, I'm missing watching the other people. They didn't read my post. I can usually look at my cards before other people start looking at theirs. So I don't think I'm losing anything there.

[Smasharoo 0]

I wait to act in NL. In limit I look right away.In NL I'm going to take time to make my decision regardless. People who wait to act to look in limit tend to slow down the game for no particular good reason.

[maxone22 0]

Its been awhile since I've played live. But when I did, I always looked as they came to me. My thought was the sooner I knew, the more time I had to process information.As its been awhile since I've played live, good post for a refresher. I plan on playing live a few times in the coming months.

[jayboogie 0]

if it's just limit, I'll just look at my cards, unless I'm in like late positino. In this case, I'll glance over to the other players for a quick look to see their facial expressions if theres a raise. Most of the times, you already have a strategy for the cards you'll play in limit and you know whether you'll play them or not. Once in a while, I'll mix it up, but the most part I know what I'll play and won't play.

[jogsxyz 0]

If you give out a tell while looking at your cards, you are in serious trouble. Doesn't matter if you look immediately or when it's your turn. Also this isn't your game. You probably will also give out a tell when the flop is turned up.

[jayboogie 0]

actually, if you've been in games at the lower limits, almost always you'll see a tell given away when looking at cards. There's a certain way a typical poker player will react when they get rockets. They start to shake a bit and get overly anxious trying to get chips into the pot. Now, of course this isn't such a big deal, but when you notice this, your going to save yourself a bet or 2 when you likely would have called a raise with your hand.

[mike22702 0]

I prefer to wait and look at my cards when it is my turn. I have picked up several tells in many hands I have played in low-limit holdem from people at my casino and friends.

[JimmyWellington 1]

I prefer to wait and look at my cards when it is my turn. I have picked up several tells in many hands I have played in low-limit holdem from people at my casino and friends.

I'm not picking on your post in particular, but I've seen a few posts like this. The way I am talking about, I have looked at my cards before the other players started looking at theirs. So I AM watching them when they look at their cards, so i can pick up the same information that you're talking about if there is any. If I don't have time to see my second card before the other players start looking at their cards, I wait till it's my turn.

[mike22702 0]

I'm not picking on your post in particular, but I've seen a few posts like this. The way I am talking about, I have looked at my cards before the other players started looking at theirs. So I AM watching them when they look at their cards, so i can pick up the same information that you're talking about if there is any. If I don't have time to see my second card before the other players start looking at their cards, I wait till it's my turn.

Jim, I wasn't trying to say that the way you look at your cards is wrong in any such way. I can see advantages of looking at your cards this way, I was just talking about how I am used to doing it.

[JimmyWellington 1]

I'm not picking on your post in particular, but I've seen a few posts like this. The way I am talking about, I have looked at my cards before the other players started looking at theirs. So I AM watching them when they look at their cards, so i can pick up the same information that you're talking about if there is any. If I don't have time to see my second card before the other players start looking at their cards, I wait till it's my turn.

Jim, I wasn't trying to say that the way you look at your cards is wrong in any such way. I can see advantages of looking at your cards this way, I was just talking about how I am used to doing it.

It's cool, I think I misunderstood what you were saying. Gotcha. :wink:

[Smasharoo 0]

I prefer to wait and look at my cards when it is my turn. I have picked up several tells in many hands I have played in low-limit holdem from people at my casino and friends.Yeah, probably not, but if it makes you feel better, ok.

[JFarrell20 1]

I think its most beneficial to look at your cards when it is your turn. When you do it this way, no one at the table can read you. If someone who is in front of you wants to raise, he can't read you if you have a strong hand. Say you picked up AA, and someone in front WAS going to raise but got some kind of tell from you and folds, thats $ out of your pocket. You don't lose anything by waiting to look except time you could be using to study the people ahead of you as they look at their cards.

I disagree. I look at them when everyone else does, this was I have the most time possible to know how I want to attack the pot. If its to you and you look at your cards, everyone will be looking at you! And if you take too long to make a call, they will know you have a marginal pocket hand. You should look at your cards as soon as possible so that when it is your turn you already know what you want to do and you can decide how long you want to take to act. Be very deliberate. Thats just me, I want to know what I'm dealing with right away. Like that dude in the Godfather said "Mr. Corleone prefers to hear bad news right away."

[The Insider 0]

Essentially, there is a sub-conscious risk that you take as far as behavior that can be read over the course of a few hours. If you are careful to watch the table and cap or hold your cards the same way every time, I think that your style gives you an advantage. There is no "on-camera" time that the people who wait for their turn have. I think that waiting is good to recc. to beginners and intermediates as they develop their awareness skills, as what their cards are will certainly affect their attention span, and give off tells...

[JaysonWeber 0]

I used to always wait until it was my turn, although a lot of people paying attention can still pick up reads on you.. so what I've started doing is sneaking a peak while someone is folding... and then I am back looking at the next person to act... It seems to work a bit better for me, because I KNOW I have a small tell that is hard for me to fix when I pick up a hand I want to play...

[JPWydman 0]

To those of you who like to look "because it gives you more time" are you playing in live games with time limits? Almost every live game i've played in, you can take a *decent* amount of time to make your decisions. NL of course. Limit, I just look, and my decision is based on my cards, position and action in front of me. Other variables of course, but those are the first three I look at.

[Smasharoo 0]

There is no "on-camera" time that the people who wait for their turn have. I think that waiting is good to recc. to beginners and intermediates as they develop their awareness skills, as what their cards are will certainly affect their attention span, and give off tells...I think it's a silly thing to reccomend to begginers because unless they start out playing $10/$20 the other players at the $3/$6 table don't even realize they're in the room.

[The Insider 0]

The flipside for why its good for beginners and intermediates to wait to look, even at low-limit tables, is that they will focus on others. Youre right in that half the table isnt paying attention to them, but that doesnt mean you shouldnt be looking to see every other players reaction to their cards. Looking early is more likely to be distracting than helpful to an undisciplined player... The "on camera" line was referring to what was written above it.

[Smasharoo 0]

The flipside for why its good for beginners and intermediates to wait to look, even at low-limit tables, is that they will focus on others. Youre right in that half the table isnt paying attention to them, but that doesnt mean you shouldnt be looking to see every other players reaction to their cards. Looking early is more likely to be distracting than helpful to an undisciplined player... The "on camera" line was referring to what was written above it.I guess.Looking for people's reactions to cards at a 3/6 table is like having a liver transplant when you drink a beer to me, but it'll make them feel better anyway.I'm ussually watching the cocktail waitress listening to my ipod while the other people are loooking at their cards.By the way, it's silly that the filter hits cocktail but not penistail. I'd hate to have to start saying penistail waitress.