Definition of cold deck
Being cold decked means that over a fairly long period of time, we have not received a hand worth playing. We can be cold decked for 1 hour, 5 hours or even 5 days or more. Cold decking is more common in live poker due to the smaller volume played. If you are playing a tournament in a live casino, you may be playing 15-20 hands per hour, depending on your table. A run of 20 bad hands is not uncommon...at this rate, cold deck periods can seem long.
Being cold deck is relative!
If you are an online poker player, you will also have periods where you are cold decked, but because the volume is higher, these periods may not seem as long. A multi-table player may play between 500 and 1000 hands per hour, depending on the number of tables they play. That's the equivalent of 50 hours in a casino! The best remedy if you are cold decked is patience and volume. You can't not have good cards! When you are cold decked, you must be wise, patient and not deviate from your usual style. Some players will play hands they shouldn't have simply because they are tired of folding hands; don't be one of them.