Starting hand selection for SB/BB

Hey,

For the purpose of your starting hand ranges, what do you guys consider the SB/BB to be? Middle position-ish?

SB and BB should be considered late position preflop and early position post flop.

See, I'm not sure if I agree with that. I mean, technically you are correct. They are late position pre-flop and early position post-flop. After the flop, there's no reason to consider yourself anything other than early position.

Pre-flop, though, I generally don't treat them like late position, simply because part of the reason we lower our calling/raising ranges pre-flop in late position is the favourable situation you end up with on later streets, which you don't get in the SB/BB. So I often use my middle position starting hands as a raising guide, mixing in a few other types of hands (suited connectors, small pairs) that are nice calling hands here.

To me it depends.. Being 1st to act is very tough to do especially when you are holding 7,8 suited in SB... BB I just check alot, again I don't like the one to act 1st..

The blinds are great for the check-raise especially when you hit a great to monster hand and there are many others after you to act.

The blinds are great for the hidden sets, straights and high flushes when they hit, not saying later positions aren't.

Is K,10 early good? Nope cause anybody with A,10 will squash you.. and if you bet that "mini" bet cause the board came 10,5,2 rainbow out of the blinds cause you did limp with K,10, better hope I am not playing out on your table lol sorry cause I hate the mini raise.

I am pretty sure though that Power and Position go hand in hand.. If you don't have Power in the earlier positions then you will go home broke.

To further explain and expand on this the other day about 4 of us limped in.. I am in LP CO to be exact with K,Q(yes a raising hand but at times I enjoy limping with it)... Button and SB fold.. BB does a 3XBB raise, I thought that SOB had better have something cause I am going to call him. The rest of the table folded and I called.. spiked my K right off the flop.. he bet and I came over the top see if indeed he may have A,K, KK's or AA's...He just called.. he checked the turn.. I bet he called.. Called no matter what all the way down.
I won that hand, checked hand history and pocket 66's.

Then the other thing I would say about the blinds.. they fit or fold cause this is very vital to determine if you are going to see the turn and the river card for these 2 postions.

Nice thoughts, Twizzy. Agreed.

Ty and to reiterate what I was trying to say.. I just got this quote out of an artical I was just recently reading online


You need to be very selective about the cards you start with in the early positions in Holdem. The powerful advantage for your opponents of being able to act after you remains through all rounds of betting after the first.

Do this to test yourself and see if you are too loose/tight in the blinds. Keep track if you are making money, loosing money or just staying even when in the blinds.

Loosing alot can mean two things. You are too tight and folding them away and not defending them enough or just the opposite and are playing to many hands that dig you in a hole quickly by playing out of position.

About even means that you have probably found the right mix for the number of hands to play. Breaking even or just alittle behind is not bad in the blinds.

Ahead means that you caught a monster or are catching cards when you play. Just make sure you are being selective enough and not start giving it back.

The problem of the blinds is that you are forced to pay money when completely out of position. Since you can see for a discount you get tempted to play hands you would not normally. You can talk yourself into bad situations when playing average starting hands from there. It can be one of the true tests of your patience for the game.

bluffs are easier when isolated from the blinds.