In poker, blind stealing is a phrase that is used to describe the scenario in which a player raises from late position in order to take down the blinds without contest. Many times, this is an effective way to build a chip stack because you can push out the blinds, who hold two random cards. More times than not, those players will have little reason or desire to make a call with their worthless hands. They also understand that if they do make the call, they have to act first after the flop, putting them at a marked disadvantage.
When it comes to blind stealing, you will be confronted with a couple of different scenarios that effect your own play. Either you will be the person with the chance to take down the blinds from late position or you will have to put up with other players trying to prey on your blinds. How you play these two scenarios can, more times than not, be the difference between winning cash and losing your stake in both a cash game and tournament.
When is Blind Stealing a Good Idea?
Tournament Play
In tournaments like a Sit n Go or a Multi Table Tournament, you will find the most success stealing blinds. During these tournaments, you might not have the chance to wait around for the perfect hand. Instead, you will have to make a move in order to add to your chip stack. This usually happens later in a tournament, as blind stealing at the beginning is a risk that isn’t worth taking. Because the blinds are so small in comparison to the number of chips in your stack, there isn’t much to gain by swiping the blinds. This also means that the big and small blind will be much more likely to call your raise because it won’t cost them a whole lot in comparison to their chip stack.
Cash Game Play
If you play enough cash games online and you have effective bankroll management, then you will understand that the blinds are not very high when compared to the number of chips in front of you. From a pure financial standpoint, this should lead you to the conclusion that blind stealing won’t make you a whole lot of money in cash games. If your competition is good, you will probably want to just wait on good hands and make your moves from there. If, however, you feel like you have the ability to outplay the players at your table, then you can afford to try to steal some blinds. Even if they call, you will feel confident that you can beat them because you have position on the big and small blinds. Still, this is a play that shouldn’t be used each time around the table, or players will start to pick up on your trendy play.
What if they’re trying to steal my blinds?
Protecting your blinds is something that amateurs are tempted to do. If you sit down at lower limit tables at your favorite poker website, then you see the people who absolutely won’t let their blinds go without a fight. These are the people that generally go broke before too long at the table. You shouldn’t be actively trying to fight for your blinds. It isn’t a matter of pride at that point. It is a matter of being smart with your money. You will have to act first after the flop, so if you miss the flop, you won’t likely be able to make a play for his chips.
Whether you hit the flop or not, you will have no way of figuring out what your opponent holds and you might even be betting into a monster. In this case, you will be risking way too much money just for the chance of taking down a small pot. In the short run, you might be able to fend off a player who is preying on your blinds, but you won’t be able to keep this up on the long run. You will find more profits when you wait for good hands and don’t let emotion get the best of you.
There are some times where it is right to protect your blinds, though. If you feel like a guy in late position in constantly trying to get your blind, then you might re-raise him once every blue moon just to add some doubt to his play. This way, they won’t think that they can just have your blind each and every round. It will also show that you have the ability and confidence to make a move from any position. You should only do this once in a while, though, as doing it too much will hurt your chip stack in the long run.
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