Stealing The Blinds

March 27, 2009

How do you steal the blinds?

In any of the poker games that utilize ‘blinds’ or ‘antes’ such as Texas hold ‘em, many players consider ‘stealing the blinds’ a standard move. The basic idea is to make a strong raise pre-flop while holding poor-medium strength. For a steal to work, every other player at the table must fold. If this happens you win (steal) the posted blinds. Stealing the blinds may or may not be considered bluffing, depending on the strength of the cards you are holding. This might sound pretty risky, after all you could be raising with a 7 8 suited to the small blind who is holding a pair of Aces. While there is no sure fire way to steal the blinds, there are some conditions that put the odds in your favor.

Wait Until The Timing Is Right is Key

Although you can steal blinds in a cash game, you really are better off using this strategy in tournaments or sit and go games. In these games the blinds get progressively bigger, which makes stealing the blinds more profitable. If that alone is not enough reason to save your steals until later in the game, remember that you need to deceive the other players to make the steal work. Don’t get a reputation as a loose player by getting called out on bluffs too early in the game.

Even though you are waiting until the later stages of the game to start stealing blinds, it is never too early to start learning about the other players at the table. When you finally decide it is time to make a move, you should know whether or not the remaining players to your left are loose enough to play weak hands (thus defeating your steal). Also some players will call any bet, especially after posting the big blind, just to see the flop. If you are unsure, you should take a look at their chip stacks. A player with a decent hand and a short stack is likely to go all-in because he’s playing with his back to the wall, and knows he needs to make a move or risk bleeding all of his chips. On the other hand, a player with a huge stack (in a no-limit game) might be willing to call your bet if he is suspicious of you.

The ‘bubble’ is the point in a poker tournament where the next player out is the last player to walk away without any of the winnings. For instance, if a tournament pays the top three players, the bubble occurs when only four players remain. As you approach this bubble, you will notice the other players at the table will begin to play more conservatively to avoid being the unlucky next player out. If you are ever going to steal the blinds, this might be the easiest time to do so because most players will shy away from any perceived risks at this point.

Position Is Everything

You should not even think about stealing the pot if any players have already called or raised the big blind. To steal the blinds you need to get everyone to fold, which is unlikely if you already know someone has put money down to see the flop. Ideally you will have seen lots of players fold before it is your turn, which takes us to our next point…

Every player who folds, calls, or raises before your turn gives you valuable information. Theoretically, the best position from which to steal the blinds is right before the small blind, in the dealer position. This used to be the case but now more players have learned about this stealing technique. If you are consistently raising pre-flop only when you are in the dealer position, the smarter players will have no problem seeing through your ruse and calling your bluff. Stealing while sitting one seat to the right of the dealer position could help keep your opponents off your trail, without exposing yourself to too much more risk.

Don’t Steal With Strong Cards

The beauty of stealing the blinds is that it does not matter what cards you were dealt. None of the other players can see anything other than the cards they are holding. If you do not think your cards are stronger than the rest of the cards at the table you should either fold or go for the steal/bluff (based on whether the other players have called or folded). If, however, you believe you have a strong enough hand to beat your opponents’, then you should not bet aggressively enough to scare away players who are playing the pre-flop timidly (as you would in order to steal the blinds). These players can contribute to the pot, and give you a bigger win. Stealing the blinds is not always your best option; in fact the situation rarely calls for it.