I was playing a MTT last night.. Question to everyone

What is the definition to you of defending your blind?
Me it is re-raising from the blinds when you think someone is stealing.
This is from a hand last night(I should have remembered and read my notes on this player from earlier in the tourney)


I am on the button with 6,5 not a great hand mind you but everyone folded to me. I raise here 3X the blinds to see what happens(I have position of course).. SB folds and BB calls.. This is where it gets tricky because I didn't remember from his plays previously or read my notes(calling station). He checks to me on the flop.. I bet out again my previous 3X BB bet, He calls. The cards don't matter to me by now cause I am trying to play him and my position. I bet the turn and he calls.. I am thinking wtf does he have cause I had a pair on a unscary board of J,8,6 for the flop.. Anyway I bet again on the river.. her raises a mini raise..
I call.. he turns over J,8 suited. Not a big deal to me that I lost with the 2 pair. I had to ask him why though. response was I was defending my blind.
I am thinking if you were defending why not re-raise cause you have to act 1st no matter what. I should have realized he had top pair cause 4 other times and 1 in particular that sticks out in my mind. He called the same thing against me.. I bluffed at a pot with 10 being the highest card out there.. and he called me all the way down with 10,2 from the blinds before.

The question is what do you think it is to defend your blind when anybody raises? is it the re-raise or the call?

Dont defend it under any circumstances. That's why the button is so important. If a blind call my raise from the button, I normally think they have something worth calling with. Conversely, dont defend your money, anything less than a j10 is going to get you in trouble. But I think you should have not bet the river and realised that you were done.

Cheers,
Chris

lol I am trying to classify what one determines as defending the blinds?

calling a raise or a re-raise.. that hand was just an example.

I would really appreciate it if you could position yourself 2 seats to my left, during any tournament I am playing.

Cheers,
Fish.

I am on the button question still asked what is determined as defending the blinds... a call or a raise?

Can be either.
consider it like this:
If the Button raises an unopened pot on the blind, this is like an attack.
The Blind, can
a) fold = submit to the attack
b) re-raise = counterattack
c) call = take the first shot and reevaluate whether or not to enter the battle when the flop comes.

ur blinds arent your money anymore

Defending your blinds can be just calling when you suspect someone is trying to steal - generally you'd give someone less credit for a hand if they raise an empty pot from the button. With absolute junk he'd probably have folded, but J8 suited isn't such a terrible hand to just see the flop with. There's also some implied value if the raiser will carry through with the bluff when you hit a big hand on the flop.

Btw slightly suspect call with only a pair of sixes on the river??

Hmm, interesting hand if you ask me this whole hand only took place because it was SOOTED.

Exactly. This is why I don't like the idea of "defending" your blind. It's not your money to defend. It's part of the pot. All that matters is whether you think the other guy is trying to steal or not. If you think he is, then you can steal it from him. But, IMO, it's not yours to defend, and thinking of it in that way can get people in trouble.

but J8 suited isn't such a terrible hand to just see the flop with.

Yes it isn't such a terrible hand to see it with but calling a 3X raise with isn't especially when you are 1st to act. Position and Power is the key and he didn't have neither.

Hence noted again for him: Calling station

Tournament situation.
Middle of tournament, an hour before bubble,
player 3 seats to your right has attacked your blind 10 of the last 10 times you were big blind.
You folded everytime.
You just made this tournament that much harder for yourself because this player understands you will fold to pressure on your blind unless you have a good hand.
By defending your blind early, you may lose the hand, and or have to throw the hand away, but a smart player will not attack your blinds as often knowing that you are willing to defend.

By saying they are not your money anymore, you are technically correct, but you will make it that much easier for skilled observant players to keep it that way.