Stealing Blinds Grasping the basics

sumoward

I have been trying to become less of a Nit and as someone remarked “Grow Some Balls”.

To do this I have been trying to get my head around “Stealing Blinds” and defending my own. I want to discuss this at the basic level just to ensure I have a rounded understanding of it.

So would the following be correct, Stealing Blinds can be.

1. A preflop bet 3 to 4 bb (size of raise being consistent with previous raises)
2. A Preflop raise 2 to 4 bb plus I bb per Limper (being aware of possibility of reraise from Limper)
3. A bet out on the Flop, C-Bet


In all this I should be most conscious of my position and avoid betting in mechanical fashions that waves the flag that I am stealing.


I was wondering if anyone had any useful comment or insights on this.

While playing last night online I was far more active in trying for other people blinds and was very successful and it kept my chip count stable even though I was relatively card dead.

There were 2 issues

1. Every time I did it I was nervous
2. I was eventually caught and called most of the time after that I was called

I assume that the nervousness and Fear factor should go away as I grow more comfortable to doing this?

The fact I was caught and called was due to the fact I had probably overdone it.

One final Question.

Does it matter what your cards are if you go to steal the blinds?

Once again thanks for the feedback.

ozpoker

Congrats! IMO this is the most important skill to develop to get you beyond just playing good hands deep into a tourney.

A blind steal is any preflop raise where you will fold to a reraise. It's nice to have some value in the hand because sometimes you will get called and have to play post flop. Whether to continuation bet on the flop has more to do with the texture of the flop, the standards your opponent needed when he called preflop, and your image.

Once you see how the dynamics of these situations work, you will start to see get a feel for what hand values you can use to defend your blinds and resteal preflop.

-Oz-

Mr.Plough

stealing http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Number=5348855



defending http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=7051917&page=2&fpart=1&vc=1

sumoward

Mr.Plough wrote:

stealing http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Number=5348855



defending http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=7051917&page=2&fpart=1&vc=1

Thanks this stuff is gold.

Macspower

stealing in cash and tourneys is different IMO.... when your fully stacked (as you should be) in a cashgame you should be stealing as a matter of course.... cards are not too important but I like to have a little something as you will get called a alot of the time... It also gives you an active image andyou'll have a better chance of getting paid when you do have the proverbial monster...

blind stealing should be profitable and of course you'll be caught the odd time.... but the times your not should more then make up for the once or twice you do....

Keep at it at a level your well bankrolled for and the nerves shoud go.. Actually drop down a level or two and practice it every time and see how it goes...

Blinds stealing in a tourney is different and different at the different stages of a tourney... early on it's not important but in the later stages of a multitable tourney it's all about stealing blinds and stopping yours getting stolen.... I try to get the blinds once every orbit.... cards here are not very important and sometimes I make a concious decision that if it's folded to me here I'm stealing and I don't look at my cards at all (helps a luna like me)

Hope this helps... I havn't seen the 2+2 article but you can learn a lot there....

Mac

dvdfan

I have twice in recent times opened up my stealing range from the CO and Button but i found that on both occassions when ive increased my V$pip from say around 22% to around 25-27% that ive quickly become a losing player and got into alot of trouble.

Im not trying to say that blind stealing isnt very profitable just trying to warn that if your post flop play isnt very good with marginal hands like TP weak kicker etc then you can quickly go from profitable to unprofitable. I still steal alot and cbet alot but as soon as i start doing it with hands like K3, J6 etc this is where i find i start spewing chips and instead of maybe picking up a half buyin with successful stealing during a baron spell i find myself losing a half buyin or more without really losing any big hands. So id suggest slowly adjusting your range for a few sessions and if its working keep adding rather than opening up a big range all at once.

Also the players to your left are important as these are the ones youll be stealing off, you ideally want them to be tight, have a low showdown when saw flop % and/or fold to cbet %, against these types of players you can pretty much bet any 2 cards from the button but a loose player that dosent fold very often then youll need to tighten up your range or move to a better seat. Obvious stuff but taught id mention it.