Stealing the blinds blindly!
Introduction: What is Blind stealing?
While stealing the blinds, your basic intentions should be of picking up the blinds. It is a very profitable aspect of playing pre-flop poker. A poker player raises pre-flop to win the blinds and contest. If everyone folds after you raise, you win the vote regardless of what cards you have. When you’re blind stealing in poker is successful, your cards would never have to see a low and what cards you hold do not matter.
Blind stealing in online poker is an extremely profitable technique that online poker players use. If you master the art of stealing online, you can bag the pot. When you are on the table, you will be into a different position –
- You will have the opportunity to raise and steal the opponent’s blinds.
- Your opponents can steal your blinds.
There is a very murky line between blind stealing and raising for pre-flop. Why don’t you picture a situation where you are on the button with 6-7; of clubs and everyone folds. You raise, hoping that you will steal the blinds. Do you think that is bankable or profitable? But the situation remains:
- The small blind usually falls to steal 85% of the time
- Big blind you fold the steel 45% of the time.
Blind stealing in poker can sometimes make you weaker than usual hands from the button. You will always notice that there will be some players who never fold the blind, not even raise or re-raise. They only calculate their money invested in the pot. Do you think you can steal this guy’s blinds? Is your hand likely to be better than his? If not, fold.
Also, there are some people who play well on the blinds. You need to tighten up more against a good player who is also good judges of the open end’s cards. A few good players also defend their blinds very aggressively, which makes other people less confident.
You absolutely can bet big if you steal your blinds and make it profitable without you making a move on your post-flop. Some people consider that you are the trap when you have an opportunity to steal the blind. You never know when a small blind would steal the big blind.
Blind stealing can also be of advantage:
- Blind stealing in online poker occasionally can benefit you in terms of establishing your game plan and image in front of your fellow mates.
- You can show your aggressive betting to steal the blinds.
- You can also bluff when you’re stealing.
- Stealing blind during online poker
- is easier because your opponents can’t see your facial expressions. Facial expressions tend to sometimes leak out the excitement or the bluff that you’re trying to play.
How do you respond to blind stealing?
- Defend your big blind against a raise.
- If you are against an aggressive player, they will open 50-70% of their buttons in opposition to you.
- Make sure you are not dealing with an over aggressive blind stealer.
- Against the tightest of players, you need to defend hundred percent of your hand against a minimum pot.
- Make sure you defend yourself correctly.
Checklist to make sure that you’re blind stealing is on point:
- Make sure you study your opponent.
- Make sure you fix your bet according to the other people’s bet.
- Don’t be a passive player and give out free cash.
- Make sure you fix your game if you think you’re going to get caught.
- Play with your opponent’s mind.
- Steal the blinds gradually and not all at once.
The many bets that you will win by playing your steal and make sure you continue to be consistent. Don’t stay around bluffing if you aren’t confident. You have tough decisions to make. You need to take into account the strength of your fellow players. Bend towards folding your non-premium hands and call with premium hands. You have to be cautious while stealing. Make sure you consider of being cautious while playing smartly and craftily.
Tip one: Don’t be reckless or over adventurous.
Don’t be desperate to win a hand. If you hold terrible cards and you try to steal the blinds, you might end up in a pit of Showdown. If you continue playing like a madcap and bet thoughtlessly, your fellow players will stop respecting you and your tricks to blind steal. If you play it right and if you blind steal perfect, it is an advantage to you. That is the beauty of blind stealing in poker.
Tip two: Stage play your opponent.
There is a typical poker mantra which says: “Play the player, not the cards”. When you sit to bet on a bluff or not a strong hand, you complicate the situation for your opponents. Make sure you are all the more cautious when you are sitting to the right of your blind steal target. You might end up losing a big portion of your pot. Chances are that you might end up having the worst hand on Flop, but you have to bet all the money in. Play your game very elegantly. Be nimble-witted.
Tip three: It’s okay to let go.
It’s okay to let go when none of your cards hit the flop. You are not supposed to give up but don’t be overconfident and try to bluff your opponents. The hijack seat, the cut-offs or the buttons, usually are the best one you can do blind stealing with since you need a smaller number of players to fold in order to be successful. However, these late positions are the positions from which most players tend to do stealing of their blinds. If you make an open raise from the seats mentioned, you might be in a position of being treated with suspicion.
Tip four: Your temperament matters a lot.
You are always observed in a game. What have you betted over the last couple of orbits? Have you been playing a rash game? How have you reacted on smaller blinds? Have you been active? Have you played a high percentage of cards? All these questions arise in an opponent’s head. Your image matters and influences their judgement about you.
Tip five: Your stack size.
When you attempt to make blind stealing in online poker, your stack size does the most talking. Usually in the middle of the late stage, short stacks don’t really have an advantage. Obviously, it does differ when it comes to the hand you have. Some people have short stacks but play big because they are confident. Some people have big stacks, great hands but do not play big. You better be a good judge of it.
It is a battle of frequencies. A poker table is meant to be a battleground to counter the opponents. You shouldn’t always do stealing of blinds while playing poker. There are other aspects to a tournament than stealing the blinds. Make sure you don’t steal the blinds blindly! You are your own boss. Act accordingly! Head to Spartan Poker, an online poker game to practice your strategies. Are you ready to bet? Bet big time? Steal a blind?
