No Look Strategy (2 Viewers)

[Dodger]

Has anyone ever employed a no look strategy during a poker session? Meaning, you don’t look at your cards. If so, I’d love to hear more about your approach. Were you playing strictly by position, or incorporating player tendencies into your strategy as well? Did you give yourself any guidelines of when you were ‘allowed’ to look at your cards (i.e. facing a 3-bet; or hand gets to river)? What did you learn employing this no look tactic?

Thinking I may try this next session, even if just for an hour or so, to see if I can learn anything new about my opponents, or really, about myself and my own style of play.

Looking forward to this discussion.

 

[FestiveKnight]

I do this all the time, directly proportional to how drunk I get of course! I call up to 6BB pre if I can first limp a little and there’s a bunch of dead money. Up to 4BB on any later street, then I’ll look. Usually gotta Hollywood a lot when you look. “Huh, well how’d that work out so well?” Then bet big

 

[thePokerClub]

I do not do this. But I have seen it used by someone who has clearly gotten under another player's skin and is chip heavy just capitalizing on some tilt.

When it works in those situations it is both extremely hilarious and not funny at all....all at the same time....for everyone at the table.

I don't know how I feel about this yet.

 

[LowerBama1714]

If my crew are nitty…yes. 3-bet?…look.

 

[Machine]

I think the terms' strategy' and 'poker' are at odds with a no-look approach.

Often, someone who would raise without looking in a cash game would feel they don't have enough chips to make an impact and will shove, looking for multiway action to hit and get odds on the money before they rebuy.

Not looking at your cards shouldn't be used as a style of play or in the way you say strategy, where you are doing it every hand. The term "strategy" should be used to describe the session or sessions, not hand-to-hand play. The tactic of playing without looking is a 'move' to entice others to call you. If you play every hand and don't look, you will reap very few rewards.

If you are playing a hand blind, you want to advertise it; it's the only value of it, accept you're a calling station and limp in while looking at your hand, in case you have a raising hand.

In tournament play, not looking should be done to try to put out a small stack or again advertise and entice others to call.

 

[BarrieJ3]

I don’t understand people trying to spice up hold em - 72, stand up/nit, no look, etc.

Playing 2 card pure poker play pure poker.

If it’s mixed/circus games, the rule that’s been shared with me recently and what I now abide is up to 200 big blinds pre is auto call when doing no look, above that depends. Post flop it wildly changes and depends on the player.

 

[Jimulacrum]

Has anyone ever employed a no look strategy during a poker session? Meaning, you don’t look at your cards. If so, I’d love to hear more about your approach. Were you playing strictly by position, or incorporating player tendencies into your strategy as well? Did you give yourself any guidelines of when you were ‘allowed’ to look at your cards (i.e. facing a 3-bet; or hand gets to river)? What did you learn employing this no look tactic?

Thinking I may try this next session, even if just for an hour or so, to see if I can learn anything new about my opponents, or really, about myself and my own style of play.

Looking forward to this discussion.

Only occasionally, if the game texture is just right, I will pretend to look at my cards and attempt to play without looking. Usually I'll only try this in a nitty, passive game where I've found I can pull a lot of uncontested pots with a LAG style and/or where the opponents are super-easy to read.

Obviously there's value lost in not looking at your cards, but the point is to turn off any concerns about your own hand and focus entirely on the betting, the board texture, and other players' behavior, in a situation where these things are of unusual value and actual hand strength is less important.

As soon as someone exhibits any clear strength (including suspicious calls), I'm looking. The beauty in this is that sometimes I'll look down and find I luckboxed my way into a big goofy hand that makes zero sense with my line so far, and I'll try to leverage that mismatched line to get paid. Of course, I won't often hit monsters, but if I'm doing it in the right games, I also won't face clear strength too often and will accumulate a lot of chips uncontested. It's not so far removed from an ordinary LAG strategy; it just suffers a bit of a worse preflop disadvantage.

Definitely not EV+ to do this outside of exceptional circumstances (like it makes an opponent rage out). It's more of a limited, self-imposed challenge overlaid with a bit of hand-reading practice.

 

[chippitydoodah]

"Of course I lied Phil, its poker"

- Tony G

 

[DrStrange]

What about the response to this sort of play? I have a player or two in my circle who does this with some frequency. To be fair, they also lie about not looking a fair fraction of the time. it is pretty amazing how unobservant people can be at the table.

Once the table "thinks" a player is acting blind - then what? Its not so obvious what to so if playing a hand multi-way. Do the other players believe villain? Are they paying attention at all? Are people including thoughts about the cast of characters also in the hand with them?

I find a single blind playing villain can sew quite a lot of chaos into the game. It is pretty interesting and potentially pretty profitable if done with some frequency.

DrStrange

 

[Dodger]

Obviously there's value lost in not looking at your cards, but the point is to turn off any concerns about your own hand and focus entirely on the betting, the board texture, and other players' behavior, in a situation where these things are of unusual value and actual hand strength is less important.

This is my approach. I’m not looking to increase the fun or play an unconventional style. I don’t plan on telling my opponents I’m not looking in order to exploit them in any way.

Strictly, this is for me. Can I read opponents’ strength/weakness better? Can I play purely by position, table betting patterns, and board textures? If so, then my game should improve even more when I do know my hand.

Edit: clarity/grammar

 

[Jimulacrum]

This is my approach. I’m not looking to increase the fun or play an unconventional style. I don’t plan on telling my opponents I’m not looking in order to exploit them in any way.

Strictly, this is for me. Can I read opponents’ strength/weakness better? Can I play purely by position, table betting patterns, and board textures? If so, then my game should improve even more when I do know my hand.

Edit: clarity/grammar

An interesting cost-free thing you can do along these lines, in position post-flop, is refuse to look at the board until after your opponents have acted. You both get the benefit of watching their reactions more closely and concealing your own before they have to act. It also has a tendency to be unnerving for some folks, which can be a benefit or not depending on what you want.

 

[UniLover]

I have done it a few times and I would announce it when I raise pre-flop that I haven't looked. Actually worked well once. Sometimes I just feel like fucking around and finding out.

 

[FestiveKnight]

To be fair, they also lie about not looking a fair fraction of the time.

Where’s that thread about players you don’t want to be at the table with? Lying about not looking has to be very high up on my poker sins list

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

Where’s that thread about players you don’t want to be at the table with? Lying about not looking has to be very high up on my poker sins list

Noted, will be using this against you someday.

Baaa, someone saying "You have a huge advantage against me" shouldn't be believed anyways.

 

[raynmanas]

@Stackme

 

[FestiveKnight]

Noted, will be using this against you someday.

Baaa, someone saying "You have a huge advantage against me" shouldn't be believed anyways.

No you won’t unless I’ve misjudged your character. Do it once and I know about it, get a ruler to the knuckles. Do it twice and I know about it and you’re out of group.

Cardinal rule imo. There are things to lie about in all sorts of games but the point is to find the marginal edge of lying potential within a range of what players expect one is allowed to lie about. Eg holding cards in hand in mtg wrong and lying about quantity, that’s just cheating. This feels the same to me. It’s a matter of honor.

Idk why exactly lol but I consider having looked or not not a lying eligible thing in the game

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

No you won’t unless I’ve misjudged your character. Do it once and I know about it, get a ruler to the knuckles. Do it twice and I know about it and you’re out of group.

Cardinal rule imo. There are things to lie about in all sorts of games but the point is to find the marginal edge of lying potential within a range of what players expect one is allowed to lie about. Eg holding cards in hand in mtg wrong and lying about quantity, that’s just cheating. This feels the same to me. It’s a matter of honor.

Idk why exactly lol but I consider having looked or not not a lying eligible thing in the game

Woah! Alright, nerve found. Your game your rules, totally fine, but I'm curious. Do you dislike angling in the same way? I hold "I didn't look" in the same regard as silly casino angles, pretending to move chips and other little bullshit. "Oops I misclicked" by betting with the wrong chip on purpose.

We just never believe eachother when someone says that unless we see them cap their hand. Cards are dealt and someone says "heart of the cards" or dumb shit and puts a chip on 'em, only way to know for sure they aren't peeked.

(and yes you called my bluff, not my style lol)

 

[Kain8]

 

[chippitydoodah]

Double All In Blind before the cards are dealt. D'oh!

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17ZtdFQ4Ax/

 

[Baldeagle9]

I do it just to bust my friends chops, some of them hate it because they're tight and cheap so I like being the villain or a** ha ha

 

[MrCatPants]

@harrysallout @myregularsnotonpcf

In my game we regularly have a no look "chicken" style min raising festival, especially with circus games. Eventually some lame-o looks and pots. (E.g. @Rieguy)

 

[chippitydoodah]

@harrysallout @myregularsnotonpcf

In my game we regularly have a no look "chicken" style min raising festival, especially with circus games. Eventually some lame-o looks and pots. (E.g. @Rieguy)

Isn't that pretty much straddling?

 

[DrStrange]

NO . . . . you don't get last action like you would on a straddle -=- DrStrange

 

[MrCatPants]

Isn't that pretty much straddling?

its not every player, and people slowly fall off when they realize what's happening. some overcalls too, and then the reraise comes.

Looks like this in practice

.50 - 1 - 1.50 - 2 - 2 - fold - 2.50
fold - 3.00 - 3.50 - 5.00 - fold - 5.00 - (folded) - 6.50
(folded) - 8.00 - 30.00 - 30.00 - (folded) - (folded) - (folded) - 30.00
(folded) - call 30.00 to close action

Let's go blind to a $140ish dollar derailment flop.

...

it's not for everyone. But if you have degen tingles, it's definitely for you.

 

[MrCatPants]

its not every player, and people slowly fall off when they realize what's happening. some overcalls too, and then the reraise comes.

Looks like this in practice

.50 - 1 - 1.50 - 2 - 2 - fold - 2.50
fold - 3.00 - 3.50 - 5.00 - fold - 5.00 - (folded) - 6.50
(folded) - 8.00 - 30.00 - 30.00 - (folded) - (folded) - (folded) - 30.00
(folded) - call 30.00 to close action

Let's go blind to a $140ish dollar derailment flop.

...

it's not for everyone. But if you have degen tingles, it's definitely for you.

also, you must say

"ra-zay"
"ray - ra-zay"
"ray - ray - ra-zay"
etc.

 

[JustinInMN]

Has anyone ever employed a no look strategy during a poker session? Meaning, you don’t look at your cards. If so, I’d love to hear more about your approach. Were you playing strictly by position, or incorporating player tendencies into your strategy as well? Did you give yourself any guidelines of when you were ‘allowed’ to look at your cards (i.e. facing a 3-bet; or hand gets to river)? What did you learn employing this no look tactic?

Thinking I may try this next session, even if just for an hour or so, to see if I can learn anything new about my opponents, or really, about myself and my own style of play.

Looking forward to this discussion.

In limit play, I'll occasionally play a no-look straddle as an advertising ploy if I need to loosen the game up. And I promise just to call and I won't look unless someone bets the turn or river. So I am also incentivizing passivity that I may use to my advantage later. Usually this is just a few small bets of advertising, occasionally I awake with a monster, but usually I am just done for when I have my big dramatic moment to look.

It's probably a money losing play.

From an actual strategy standpoint, I don't think there's a lot of fruit to be won from this. I don't think playing blind will give you extra insight about your opponents.

I think better things to do on this line are...

1) Always play back the action from the opponents point of view any time there's a showdown. This is where your notes on players should come from.
2) Detach yourself personally from your hand and and just observe it the same way you observe board cards. By making your cards less personally, you are affording yourself more objectivity about your chances and determining which plays are most profitable from the others, and you are less likely to make emotional decisions or tilt over bad luck. If you are objective about all possibilities, you emotionally handle outcomes better.

 

[mpreuster1]

I open any two consistently on the button and only look once player makes an aggressive action or displays some sort of live tell showing that they liked the flop or the turn. I do it more as a practice thing in my lower stakes cash games to apply live reads where it counts. If you go purely off your opponent’s tells without knowing your cards, it allows you to trust your instincts more.

Tip though—do not look at your hand if your opponent folds. Very tilting to see you flopped the joint and got no action lol. Just fold and move on.

 

[bmacpoker]

I'm well known for implementing this in our little home games, I usually do it when I straddle, but on occasion as a bb defend. At a slightly higher stakes home game I attend, I usually start doing it towards end of night if I'm up and we get down to 6 players. Has set up some ridiculous hands, and I'm usually quite successful.

For starters, I never raise when I don't look, and I always announce it honestly, though sometimes not until I've looked. My rule is to wait until the turn to look, so generally I'll check-call the flop unless the betting gets crazy. It's a judgment call if I feel the need to look earlier. On the turn, I'll continue checking until faced with a bet, at which point I will look. But of course if no one bets, we get a free river. At which point I will look regardless (since I'm usually first to act in these scenarios) - because on one hand it might be fun to flip over random cards if it checks around, but it's even more fun if it turns out I have the nuts.

Craziest no look hand happened exactly a week ago. Small game, 25c/25c, though I was pretty deep with like $250 in my stack. I straddled for 50c, UTG raises, another 2 players call, I call. I don't remember bet size, but it was pretty standard.

Flop is AK7 two diamonds. I check of course, UTG bets, second player raises, third player cold calls, and at I decide to look because I knew someone was strong. I look down at KK! I raised it to $25, UTG calls, second player goes all in, thirds folds, and we both call because the all in wasn't enough to reopen action. Turn is J, I put UTG all in for like another $5, river is a brick (diamonds never get their either, we all assumed someone had the draw).

UTG (and I had a feeling) flips over AA. Second player had something like A9 with no draw, third player that folded had JJ! So we potentially had set over set over set. The thing is that playing it no look influenced the preflop action, because I think it would have been preflop all in between the AA, KK, and JJ hands. The A9 would have gotten out of the way and the JJ wouldn't have been able to fold.

 

[ThrowBack]

I don’t look at my cards

And also

Of course I lied, it’s poker phil!

 

[Coyote]

I 've done it and it's bad for the stomach and liver, be it Scotch or Bourbon