Peeking at Pockets
Texas Hold ‘Em poker games always feature two down-facing “pocket” cards. While you are sitting at a live casino online table, you’ll notice that some players rush to look at their cards, often as soon as each is dealt. Some players, however, don’t look at their cards at all until it is time to act. Why do some players practice this restraint while others can’t wait to see their cards?
There is sound reasoning behind waiting to look at your online poker cards. It is a common practice of professional poker players. By ignoring your own cards until it is time for you to act, you can focus on the other players’ actions. It lets you look for tells – for instance, if a player peeks at their cards, then looks at their chip stack, it often indicates a good starter hand.
When you wait to look at your cards, it eliminates anyone else getting a read on you ahead of time. Your card awareness and initial betting action coincide, so you really give off very few clues other than your actual action.
Waiting to look at your cards is a good way to practice discipline at the table, and provides an excellent opportunity to refine your reading skills of people, tells and hands.
