Let's face it: Playing only the cards in your hand won't lead you to
the final table all the time. Poker is a game of skill, and you need to
take advantage of situations when you see them. One of the most
important situations that you can take advantage of is being in late
position. After discussing playing position last week, I felt I needed
to follow it up with a tip about something you can do in late position
preflop: Steal the blinds.
Stealing the blinds is necessary when
trying to increase your chip stack without getting too involved in big
pots. As John Bonetti put it, if the blinds are considered driftwood,
you need to everything you can to accumulate the driftwood.
The
majority of players recommend that the button steal is the way to go.
Raising three to four times the big blind with any two cards from the
button will put pressure on the blinds to either defend their hands or
fold and let you have the pot. Additionally, raising from this position
ensures that for the rest of the hand you will have position on your
opponent if they were to call.
The only problem with the button
steal is that it has become a predictable move. These days, many players
in the small blind (or even the big blind) will reraise the button to
see if he's got a real hand. Getting this extra information out of a
player will not only help you win this pot, but also put in your mind
that this player has the potential to make a move like this. Be sure to
understand that if a player makes this move once, he'll do it again if
he thinks you'll back down.
Considering the button steal is
becoming predictable, the cutoff seat has taken over as the place to
make the move. Raising from the cutoff seat (one to the right of the
button), allows you to take the button away from the player in the
dealer seat and limits his opportunities to make a move from his
position. You essentially steal his button (if he folds) and then can
take on the blinds with position the rest of the hand.
What's the risk of the cutoff seat steal?
Instead
of only needing to force two hands to fold from the button -- the small
and big blind -- you are now facing a third opponent. If the player on
the button calls, you're now out of position and need to hope that you
hit the flop or make a solid bluff if you want to win the pot.
No matter where you steal the blinds from, there are a couple key things to remember:
1.
Your position: If you are in early position, you'll need to go through
nine other players (at a full table) in order to steal the blinds. You
want to blind steal only from favorable positions -- the middle to late
positions.
2. Your hand: If you attempt a blind steal and get
called, you better at least give yourself a chance once the flop is
dealt by holding a playable hand. I'm not talking about blind stealing
only with A-K. I'm talking about a small suited connector or a one-gap
hand such as 6-8. With drawing hands like suited connectors, you can hit
a flop, even if you were never intending to play the hand.
3.
Know the big blind: If the big blind defends his hand no matter what,
you shouldn't go after that person. Is the big blind an extremely tight
player? If so, then you've found your target -- fire away with just
about any two cards.
4. Stack size: If your opponent is
short-stacked to the point where any raise will force him to go all-in,
make sure you have a hand to back yourself up. If you're going to raise
a short-stacked player, there will be a showdown, so try to go in with
the best hand possible. Remember, you are not responsible for knocking this player out.
If you don't have the cards in this situation, wait for a better time.
The same goes for attacking the chip leader. He's got the chips to
make a loose call with a weaker hand. Make sure you attack the
average-size stacks because they'll be more willing to throw their hands
away.
5. Image is everything: If you are perceived as a tight
player, take advantage of it by stealing some blinds. They'll think
you've got a hand and let it go. On the other hand, if your opponents
are beating your preflop raise into the pot, you've got some work to do
before you can attempt a steal.
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