i order a salad

cause if im bored and card dead, i might as well eat something i dont want to eat, but i know is good for me.

then when im angrily stuffing my face with rabbit food. i feel better.

lol... that might be a tell...

Live poker. Low stakes casino table. Being "card dead" for 2 or 3 hours. Not fun certainly, but hardly a rare occurrence. If this really Tilts you then you will be a donator. Don't do this unless you are at my table.

Played 4 hrs of 5/5NL at the bike today. Most of the time it was short handed, 6-7 players. So like 35 hands per hr.

I saw exactly 2 top 10% hands. KdJd and AsQc.

I saw exactly 1 pocket pair. 6h6d.

Actually three playable hands in 140.

Totally normal for live poker.

I'm assuming the bolded is meant ironically. The real issue is how you deal with this lower than expected frequency of dealt hands from your upper range. The concept of reciprocality is relevant here, in a number of respects, as others may:

• suffer frustration tilt and treat a hand like KJs as a top 5% hand (and call 3bets OOP etc.);
  
• widen their value range with no clear strategy in mind;
  
• widen their calling range with no clear strategy;
  
• not counteract a nitty table image and become easily exploitable.

The question of what we actually should do in this situation depends much on the table dynamic and the nature of our opponents. I would be thinking of ways to widen our 3bet bluffing range (adding Ax rag or Kx suited), for instance, as well as our value range (adding suited one-gappers, etc.). Also, a table change may be +EV if our image is too nitty and we don't feel able to adjust our ranges due to the nature of our opposition. Simply cutting the session short can be +EV too, if we feel unable to properly manage frustration.

I'm on 3 straight sessions with exactly 4 top 50% hands. Ride it out, get value when you can, think of the glory nights, and STAY DISTRACTED.

Edit: And keep a case of beer in the car for when you "go to dinner".

Edit Edit: And pray to Obama every night.

@DrTJO,

No, actually. The bolded part is totally serious. I merely point out how frequent a 4 hr card dead stretches can be.

The answer to your question is: it depends.

At the table I was at today, widening my range and bluffing would have been a seriously poor reaction to table conditions. 2PMK was "the nuts" on many occasions. Per usual, the games at The Bike are really good. But you're not going to push people out of pots for < 100bb, and IMO, you shouldn't be trying.

The AQ hand I had went like this:
-- Hero had not played a hand for over 90minutes and picks up AQo UTG+1 in a straddled hand.
-- Hero limps, MP opens to $30 and gets 3 callers.
-- Hero raises to $100 and gets called by the UTG straddler.
-- Flop comes 7 high, UTG checks, Hero bets $150 into ~$290, UTG tanks forever and calls.
-- Turn comes a rag, UTG checks, Hero shoves for $300 into ~$590, UTG tanks forever and eventually folds.

Hero's image was super tight at this point. Add to that a huge l/r preflop. My range screams AA, and I still get called pre and flop and almost on the turn.

I realized that was the last bluff I was going to get away with in that session.

I can see why you make this statement in a serious way, since it helps you deal with the situation. But, I suspect, from a probability standpoint, this is more abnormal than normal, even though the sample size is small. While I can't do the math on this, I'd be surprised if I was wrong.

Here table conditions allow you to exploit a nitty image. The AQ hand is a perfect example, in which you shove the turn. In terms of reciprocality, you win here, as many would give-up on turn and revert to moaning about how unlucky they are, etc. Generally, I find these table conditions test my level of resistance to frustration, where, due to the loose dynamic, you can't widen your value range and your ability to widen your bluffing range is limited. If I'm finding myself in these situations regularly, obviously that would mean I should be prioritising ways of counteracting "frustration tilt" and become a "nothing can phase me" type of warrior at the table.