How to Steal the Blinds
If you are a beginner, start at a full table because you will have more time to make decisions and not be overrun by the better and experienced players., When you are in the blinds or button and the player before your raises, play only your good...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: If you are a beginner
A full table is usually nine or ten players in size, but if a player(s) is sitting out consider it full until it is less than seven active players. , If this happens too often you are in a tight aggressive game, quit and look for a passive game., With a computer game, also play against two opponents.
Do not be discouraged when losing, eventually you will win over the computer.
Against a computer, you might be playing 15 times faster than normal so be patient when switching back to human opponents.
If you cannot win against the computer, stay with it, and furthermore, if you cannot win against the computer you will not win against real players.
Take the next step and play against real people in play money games.
If you have to keep adding money to your account you are losing, improve your game by studying heads-up from books and articles.
When you reach the stage where you do not have to add play money to your account you are winning.
Keep increasing your play money balance and remember that in a real game there is a fee for the house that is between 5
-10%. ,, Be aware of them, keep your attention up.
Do not notice just the most aggressive player on the table.,, Steal less from the cutoff than the button.,, Do not consider the amount of money that you put in the blind as your money, consider that money as not your money.
If your steal fails, consider doing a continuation bet on the flop.
If your steal fails, and you connect with the flop, either bet, check/call or check/raise.
Keep a statistic log of your different steals to see if your judgment is correct in the long run. , At the most basic it would be loose aggressive, loose passive, tight aggressive, or tight passive., In this situation, do not call with any two cards, have a plan for what two cards you will not call with.,,, When the blinds get larger, the big stack might awaken, tighten up on your blind steals. -
Step 2: start at a full table because you will have more time to make decisions and not be overrun by the better and experienced players.
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Step 3: When you are in the blinds or button and the player before your raises
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Step 4: play only your good hands.
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Step 5: Practice playing heads-up poker either in a play money game or computer game.
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Step 6: Return to your full ring game after playing a few thousand
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Step 7: at the very least
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Step 8: games on the computer and in play money games.
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Step 9: Do not play mechanically with just your hole cards and the board cards
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Step 10: notice the playing style of the other players.
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Step 11: From the small blind
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Step 12: raise to steal the big blinds money because it is easier to steal with one opponent vs two or three.
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Step 13: From the button or cutoff
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Step 14: steal with better hands than from the small blind.
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Step 15: Steal when the player(s) to act after you are tight and passive.
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Step 16: Be aware of the ratio of your stealing raise to the amount already in the pot.
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Step 17: When the player before you could be attempting a steal
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Step 18: have a plan based on your read on that player's style.
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Step 19: See the flop at little cost and merely call if your opponents after you are passive.
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Step 20: Do not steal if the opponent after you is loose in a ring game.
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Step 21: In a no-limit tournament
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Step 22: if the proper strategy is to go all-in
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Step 23: do not steal.
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Step 24: In no-limit sit n go
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Step 25: as a general rule
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Step 26: do not steal if your opponent has a big stack
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Step 27: however if the big stack has a very big stack and is complacent - steal and keep stealing with small raises.
Detailed Guide
A full table is usually nine or ten players in size, but if a player(s) is sitting out consider it full until it is less than seven active players. , If this happens too often you are in a tight aggressive game, quit and look for a passive game., With a computer game, also play against two opponents.
Do not be discouraged when losing, eventually you will win over the computer.
Against a computer, you might be playing 15 times faster than normal so be patient when switching back to human opponents.
If you cannot win against the computer, stay with it, and furthermore, if you cannot win against the computer you will not win against real players.
Take the next step and play against real people in play money games.
If you have to keep adding money to your account you are losing, improve your game by studying heads-up from books and articles.
When you reach the stage where you do not have to add play money to your account you are winning.
Keep increasing your play money balance and remember that in a real game there is a fee for the house that is between 5
-10%. ,, Be aware of them, keep your attention up.
Do not notice just the most aggressive player on the table.,, Steal less from the cutoff than the button.,, Do not consider the amount of money that you put in the blind as your money, consider that money as not your money.
If your steal fails, consider doing a continuation bet on the flop.
If your steal fails, and you connect with the flop, either bet, check/call or check/raise.
Keep a statistic log of your different steals to see if your judgment is correct in the long run. , At the most basic it would be loose aggressive, loose passive, tight aggressive, or tight passive., In this situation, do not call with any two cards, have a plan for what two cards you will not call with.,,, When the blinds get larger, the big stack might awaken, tighten up on your blind steals.
About the Author
Carol Hayes
Enthusiastic about teaching lifestyle techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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