Take a walk on the blind-side...... a mad idea?

elsadog

There are a lot of threads relating to strategy and ''how to play a hand'' about at the moment. What is difficult to learn in this game is playing the other factors. There are rules of engagement which most players pick up fairly early in their playing career, such as playing to position and searching out the weak player at your table, but it rarely features in forum talk.

Years ago I and a couple of other good tournament players had a competition for a bit of fun. What came out of this was a realisation that you can play good poker with very little tangible information (and a bit of luck) if you have to. Let me explain:

We played a game ''blind'' that is to say we didn't see our own hole cards. It was a lot of fun as I said but it was also apparent that you could get by without what would appear to be vital information. I still play blind occasionally as it sharpens the instincts.

I simply enter a low entry stt or even mtt and cover the area where my hole cards appear (and the dealer chat - no cheating) with a post-it note or two. Now I am flying blind and can only act on the information I can gather from my opponents. The first thing it teaches is patience. You have to be inactive initially and study the other players. As the blinds increase you will need to make some sort of move and so position is vital. You will already have given signals to the other players that you are a rock and only playing premium hands (they don't know that you don't know what you've got). Avoiding certain situations at the table starts to be second nature as you are becoming hyper-sensitive to what everyone else is doing. Decisions have to be made based on survival and aggression, not on what you are holding. 

Don't expect to win much, but after a few goes you might surprise yourself at how well you do, and it might just change your view of the game. 

MereNovice

You are Annette Obrestad and I claim my £5.

Tikay10

Great Post Mr Dog.

Famously, Annette Oberstrad is said to have done this (I've never seen proof, but I don't disbelieve her) in a 300 runner Online Tourney. And won it.

Kiwini4u

I've done this a few times myself but only when I am getting shortstacked and dont want my decision influenced by being able to see how bad my starting cards are.  I have never thought about doing it for a whole game although I understamd there was a "live" game when someone actually did it and won.

Edit: see above posts from Mere & Tikay lol

elsadog

In Response to Re: Take a walk on the blind-side...... a mad idea?:

You are Annette Obrestad and I claim my £5.
Posted by MereNovice

That would explain my Sunday ''dressing-up'' sessions then )

MereNovice

In Response to Re: Take a walk on the blind-side...... a mad idea?:

In Response to Re: Take a walk on the blind-side...... a mad idea? : That would explain my Sunday ''dressing-up'' sessions then )
Posted by elsadog

You too??? I thought I was the only one.

elsadog

In Response to Re: Take a walk on the blind-side...... a mad idea?:

Great Post Mr Dog. Famously, Annette Oberstrad is said to have done this (I've never seen proof, but I don't disbelieve her) in a 300 runner Online Tourney. And won it.
Posted by Tikay10

I've never won an mtt like this but hitting the money in stt's isn't too difficult (with a fair wind and a bit of luck - a couple of diconnections help too).

acebarry10

In Response to Re: Take a walk on the blind-side...... a mad idea?:

In Response to Re: Take a walk on the blind-side...... a mad idea? : You too??? I thought I was the only one.
Posted by MereNovice

Sigh, not another one?

Kaidus

I have done this a few times in tournaments on other sites, and it is very very useful when learning position. The downside to it is that lots of the players in the micro-limit games are maniacs, and you waste too much time learning about them only for them to bust before you can do anything about it!

elsadog

In Response to Re: Take a walk on the blind-side...... a mad idea?:

  Have you tried sitting the dog on your lap and when it barks twice raise,  three all in.!!!! 
Posted by logdon

Have you been spying on me?

Kevilfish

I done this in a MTT satellite on another site, I covered my hand with paper stuck to the side of the monitor, I was raising in position if I was getting chips in first, and out of position I looked before I folded to make sure I wasn't folding Aces or Kings etc.

The hand I got knocked out on was a raise on the button, BB called, flop 10-2-2, he checks, I bet, he calls. the turn is a blank (7 or 8 or something), he pushes.
I look at my hand, I have JJ, I call and he turns 4-2.

I hated his play there, calling a raise with 4-2 out of position pre-flop, if he thinks I'm raising light he has to push back at me and get his answer, calling and hoping to hit was poor play, he wasn't an inexperienced player either, he was a 4-star level so he must play enough.

A single 2 wasn't in the range I put him on, if he has a FH, quads or an over-pair, it's a cold deck and I would have accepted that but the way he played it was bad play IMO.

I've never tried it again since.

KnackersYa

I did this live in the Birmingham leg of the SPUKT. Just suffered a bit of a car crash when I lost 90% of my chips.

There were 18 left (so already cashed), down to about 3 BB. Decided "OK, no looking, any unopened pot get them in!". Ended up getting to the final table as chip leader.

Then I started looking at my cards. Out in 5th after playing like a total donkey (

BlackFish3

In Response to Re: Take a walk on the blind-side...... a mad idea?:

I've done this a few times myself but only when I am getting shortstacked and dont want my decision influenced by being able to see how bad my starting cards are.  I have never thought about doing it for a whole game although I understamd there was a "live" game when someone actually did it and won. Edit: see above posts from Mere & Tikay lol
Posted by Kiwini4u

surely if this was done in a live game the other players would know you are only playing position and would just reraise you every time?

KnackersYa

In Response to Re: Take a walk on the blind-side...... a mad idea?:

In Response to Re: Take a walk on the blind-side...... a mad idea? : surely if this was done in a live game the other players would know you are only playing position and would just reraise you every time?
Posted by BlackFish3

A lot of times, there was a raise in front of me so maybe it wasn't that obvious and, they were playing so tight it was unreal. I was amazed myself.

elsadog

In Response to Re: Take a walk on the blind-side...... a mad idea?:

ElsaDog.  In this post you have just solved the question players have been moaning about for weeks why the donks keep beating their hands with 7 2 off all in. So dont criticise them praise them for their experimental attitude to poker.    I'm off to try it In free play,   not going to risk " money".  Thank you.? 
Posted by logdon

That might answer a few questions........... I have a mental picture of hundreds of sky players with little yellow post-it notes, waiting for the dog to wag it's tail, then go all-in.

loonytoons

In Response to Re: Take a walk on the blind-side...... a mad idea?:

I've done this a few times myself but only when I am getting shortstacked and dont want my decision influenced by being able to see how bad my starting cards are.  I have never thought about doing it for a whole game although I understamd there was a "live" game when someone actually did it and won. Edit: see above posts from Mere & Tikay lol
Posted by Kiwini4u

This is true,sky_dave i think put a link up for it, patrick antonius went all in every hand on a 6 seater tourny, its on youtube, with phil ivey sat next to him, however it was the last leg of a points based qualifier, where points were awarded for position finished, i believe patrick had to win, ivey had to last longer than another player, another player had to last longer than him etc etc so no one wanted to call. He did obviously win 5 heads up to win, but he lost a couple of hands but his chip stack was massive and he took the beat. In the end 5 of the 6 qualified, so really it was only about qualifying.

KnackersYa

Seriously though, It's a good way to practice position play, reading bet sizes and observing how the other players play.

Try it, but not in a £100 mtt (unless you're a looney, nutter or knacker that is..)

teachai

Now try it in a cash game

KnackersYa

In Response to Re: Take a walk on the blind-side...... a mad idea?:

Now try it in a cash game
Posted by teachai

The way I play cash, you'd probably think that I was doing it.