When is it not a good time to steal?

Stealing in poker is a good thing except when the timing is wrong. What are some factors that tell you when it is not a good time to steal?

When the opponent is unlikely to fold any hand or the board hits his range hard.

don't try to steal from short stacks, they have nothing to lose and are looking for a place to make a stand.
not against big stacks they can afford to call you down.
never against weak players they don't know how to fold.
AND THE BIG ONE, NEVER WHEN IT'S MY BIG BLIND!!!!

I would say that stealing is good anytime just don't do it too many times.
Regarding stealing from a short stack u have a major reason to do it since you want to put some extra pressure on him.
You can also steal from the chip leader but only if he's a decent player( he will think..oh this is a donkey with a short stack so I better don't call his all in because I don't want to double him up)lol
But in the same time don't forget that everybody can make mistakes me too....lol

Lol.

Stealing is great but you have to stop when its not profitable anymore.
these are the reasons I can think that I dont steal:

1) My will lose table image which is worth more chips then I can count.
2) The obvious one, the steal is likely to get called.

You don't want to try a steal out of position -- or only rarely, and only when your likely table image is very tight. (If you haven't played for a half hour, you are probably too tight. Still, it's a good time to try to steal a pot, just to loosen yourself up. At that point, it doesn't matter if it works, you need to kick yourself out of scared mode.)

Quit making steal plays when people start playing back at you -- your table image is now donkish and your steal attempts will just cost you chips.

Don't try to steal from a calling station or a rock.

i am assuming you mean stealing the blinds. and not bluffing at the pot. when is it not a good time to steal the pot when your not on the button or cut-off in an unopened pot other than that steal away. i sometimes steal UTG but this can be over done(it only works once). if you happen to have a short stack in the blinds make sure you raise 2-2.5xBB and not more. also make sure there not committed already. if there the type to fight back alot with reraises you might tighten up with your steals. if not its ok to get called once in a while. you really don't mind playing a bigger pot when you got position and raised preflop. you can still flop strong or take it away if their weak.

I steal if I have the right table image and I'm not picking on short stacks as they are likely to shove. If you have Pokertracker you can use the stats to determine if the villian is likely to call or raise.

Harrington on Holdem volume two gives 4 specific criteria before a steal is to be considered a profitable move.

Are you talking tourneys? Full Ring or SnG's. Just the blinds or the pot on a specific street? Some of the guys who could help you really like the specifics that you're asking for. I just quote from books.

Yes I mean stealing the blinds from CO or button but when called I assume a CBet is still part of the "steal". Maybe the question I should be asking is when is it not a good time to CBet?

Full ring and I meant just the blinds with possible Cbet but now that I think about it I am interested in all stealing situations thanks!

Like anything else in Poker if your stealing becomes predictable then it has to stop.

If you steal against the same person too many times they are bound to call (or even re-raise) anything to make a stand. Especially if their stack can afford it.

^^^^^ +1
Found that out the hard way, but watch who i steal from..
If blinds are low there is no need to steal, and with low blinds the odds are its not going to work. As like anything else it depends on the table, the players at the table.

cbet and steal are to seperate things all together. theres a few different factors about stealing also. i understand most of these but not enough to explain them all. the amount of you raise has a lot of importance here. if you make it 3xBB then if it works more than 66% of the time you show imediate profit. if this were the case you would never need to follow it up with a cbet. so if you think your steal attempt was a +EV play then dont feel obligated to cbet. this is especally true if your hand has a good shot to improve and your cbet doesnt have much fold equity. if however you think theres a good chance you get them to fold and you hand has little chance to improve then maybe it better to cbet. but if you dont have a hand i think its better not to build a big pot. also dont just throw in a cbet. think about what type of hands they may have and what type of hands call your bet.

Like anything else, it needs to be done in moderation. Do it too often, someone will call you with an Ace and a rag.

To me, a steal is a preflop play to get the blinds, usually done in position.

A bluff is a postflop play, on any street, made often in position, when the others in the hand have checked to you and you think there is a chance to take the pot right now.

A c-bet, or continuation bet, is neither a steal nor a bluff. A player makes a c-bet when he has been the pre-flop raiser and it is meant to signal that he still thinks he has the best hand. (This bet is sometimes hard to make when one is looking at a very unfriendly flop.)

None of these should be used all the time, because others will notice (it is quite irksome and gathers attention) and begin to play against such tendencies. If one does any of these often, the play will lose its effectiveness, and start losing you money.

alot of factors...notes on players i keep...knowing if they are likely to call when i have nothing ...im able to steal alot of pots in cash games for whatever reason...its just a gut feeling more than anything.. .i know i need to steal X amount of pots while i wait for my big hand...and i just wait for the right situation each orbit to do so

cheers and gl
wooter