Strategy for playing the blinds?

kmixer

kmixer

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What cards are playable, should be raised and or should be folded if in the SB and BB and everyone else has folded around?

Are their any good existing strategies for this? If not let's get some good conversation going on this.
 
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Ranger390

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Playing the blinds is important if you don't want to unnecessarily bleed off chips. It would seem that you are "priced in," but that thinking can get you in a lot of trouble. If the pot is raised in front of me, I will only play hands that I would normally play in early position. If the pot is unraised, with a few callers, in the SB, I stick to playing any 2 cards 10 or higher, suited conectors, any two suited cards, or any Ace rag. Of course, in an unraised pot, I will always play the BB.
 
twizzybop

twizzybop

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Depends 1st on any situation, if perhaps I am in any of the blinds and hold say pocket 10's while facing a raise and re-raise, more than likely I am beat and fold here, Once you pay the blinds the money/chips are no longer yours.

Next the flow goes from left to right, my saying to myself is you always need a good hand to fight with while acting 1st.

Last is that the SB I do fold because 2 SB's saved is 1BB I can pay for.
 
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Cilderr

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Blind vs Blind u need to play agressive, because most likely your opponent has rags(like yourself). I also always look at the image of the raiser before you. Like if loose/agressive button has made it 4xBB, then i wont fold like K8s, A3o .... .... ... . But if TAG has raised from the button then i'd rather let him take the pot(steal), because he has most likely better hand then me. Ofc he may steal, but it isnt worth a risk.
 
Double-A

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What cards are playable, should be raised and or should be folded if in the SB and BB and everyone else has folded around?

Are their any good existing strategies for this? If not let's get some good conversation going on this.

I'd like some advice on my blind play as well.

In NLHE cash games...

Unraised Pot:

If it's folded to me in the SB I'll raise with just about any playable hand.

Raise w/ JJ+ and AK.

I'll limp with plenty. Any pair, any 2 B-way, Axs, Kxs, 67s+ and even some trashier stuff like A7o+, and 78o+.

Raised Pot:

3bet w/ QQ+ and AK (JJ+ and AQ+ if the raise is from LP)

Call w/ any pair, AQ+, and SC's if there are multiple callers
 
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jeffred1111

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How the table plays will affect on how to play my blinds. I was recently playing a game in a nearby bar and the play was HELLA loose but I always had the goods. Always. So my image was very tight: people put me on good hands.

This meant that I could be very agressive in the SB or in the BB defending my blinds. A good portion of my money that night came from my blind play. This was because I had the guy to my immediate left and right pretty much figured out and could, realisically, put them on accurate hand ranges every time.

Another guy, seated two to my left, was the loosest man to ever loose in loose town: he took an attack on his blind personally and would not denfend as much as call any raise or even reraises saying he was priced in. This is obviously not true: you have to weight the pot odds against what you are required to put in. The forced blind has nothing to do with it... This meant that I would try to "steal" with showable hands only: knowing he played trash, I widened my hand ranges but tamed my agression, knowing that I still had position postflop and that he wouldn't ever let go of his blind.

For NL cash games, usually, playing pretty tight in the blinds is the way to go: a lot of players (and I'd say the vast majority) play too much hands from the blinds, with opponents who will have position on them everytime and on whom they might not have such an edge. This means that they lose money from them. Any money you lose cuts into your hourly and this is bad. You might not make the blinds profitable, very few do and it is normal, but you can make them less unprofitable.

Defend once in a while with good hands and try to have info on the player to your right: what will he raise to steal my BB in the SB ? How will he play postflop ? What is his button raising range ?

And if there was a raise and a reraise, I'll need the optimal goods to even consider going in: you will always be first to act after the flop, so use
your preflop ositional advantage wisely.

I'd like some advice on my blind play as well.

In NLHE cash games...

Unraised Pot:

If it's folded to me in the SB I'll raise with just about any playable hand.

Raise w/ JJ+ and AK.

I'll limp with plenty. Any pair, any 2 B-way, Axs, Kxs, 67s+ and even some trashier stuff like A7o+, and 78o+.

Raised Pot:

3bet w/ QQ+ and AK (JJ+ and AQ+ if the raise is from LP)

Call w/ any pair, AQ+, and SC's if there are multiple callers

In unraised pots while in the SB, you must not abuse this line (rasising ATC). People pick on it pretty fast. unless they're complete doofusses like the guys I mentionned above. And limping in a dry pot with trash is asking for complicated situations. It's okay to fold your SB to the BB when you have 37o once in a while to avoid to have to bet into the dry pot to take it down on the flop or turn and be greated with a slowplayed high pair or two pairs.

I'll usually raise any hand that is worth playing in a blind battle.

Facing a raise, you still need good pot odds to limp SC/any pair and know that the BB won't reraise. Plus, as was said, your position is VERY bad.

Let's say you limp 9h8h in the SB and the flop comes:
Ah8s3s.

There was a raise and two people in LP flatted + the BB. What is your line ? Bet into the very possible A ? Check and let someone try to steal the pot ?
 
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