Stealing blinds

Can someone tell me nice ways to steel the blinds? Do I have to make a bet like 3xBB, 4x BB ore more? In which positions you can try o steel the binds, etc.

There are debates between 3x and 4x actually. Whatever you do make it consistant from that spot. Personally I raise 3x on the button in a 6max game when stealing. There's merit to making it 3x because if you get 3bet (meaning the opponent raises you) you get a much better price to call and try to outplay them postflop.

Nice, meaning polite? It's difficult to steal politely.

You need to pressure the blinds to fold, so you do need to raise. The standard is 3 or 4 BB, plus one more for each limper that is ahead of you. There are all kinds of variations on this, such as raising less from early position and more from later position or from the small blind, but that assumes you are playing at a table that understands position and understands that an early position raise represents a stronger hand than a late position raise.

And if you are in a tournament and the blinds are high relative to the stack sizes, smaller raises can be sufficient.


Normally you steal from closer to the blinds, like the dealer or cut off. Some people think this is too well known and will steal from early position on the assumption that people won't expect this, but again this is not typical.

Thanks for your comment. I'm going to try these tactics next week...

Aldwin said:

Can someone tell me nice ways to steel the blinds? Do I have to make a bet like 3xBB, 4x BB ore more? In which positions you can try o steel the binds, etc.

Click to expand...

You can steal the blinds from any position really, but your chance of success is much greater from later position, since you have less players to go through. I like raising 3xbb personally.

If you want to steal them the best position is late position or at the dealer button. Raise 3 x bb , if you get called , they have to act first so you are in adventage to steal the pot with a raise if they check.

Depends on the situation and the players at the table,also your hand.Do you just want to steal??Would you not mind a call or a re-raise?A standard 3x bet will not work if you don't assess the situation first.

I think first position is the #1 factor in stealing Blinds.
Then I would say the cards in hand.
Thirdly, The Chipstacks of the players in the hand.
The Style of the Player.

Also there is the big factor of when you do it.

The later in the the game obviously the more the steal will be worth.

When the blinds are better percentages of the chip stacks in play, after the increase that effects a player on your table.

Learning how to make steals with full tables are the key to long tourney play. Try to get into a position with 1 caller prior to your raise.

Try to make sure it is one of the weaker players at the table, who either is not playing anything but primo, or the guy who has been low all tournaments and has not seemed to get any luck in this tournament.

I don't like to steal from "lucky players" usually they are loose, or seem to have the tournament on their side.

Stealing blinds online is much different than live. Chip stacks seem to be favored a little more online, the hands seem unreal.

Playing less gives you more creditable positions to raise. Due to players viewing you as tight. So sometimes playing a lot less in middle blind rounds, can take you further in the tournament, and give you that edge in stealing blinds in later rounds.

Late position is the best , preferably rt b4 the button , raise maybe 3 x with qx kx or AX

Is it worth stealing the blinds though? i mean you have succesfully steal the blinds say like at least 3 out of every 4 times to make it profitable. so should you only try and steal the blinds if you plan to Cbet or do some other kind of play etc.

Bulldog you don't need to steal it 3 out of 4 times to make it profitable. What about the times you get a flat call from the BB who'll fold to any flop bet? What about the times you actually DO have a big hand and the SB or BB or even the BTN thinks you're "just stealing again" ... stealing is a must for cash game poker.

And to add to Icemonkey's reply, if you're playing at a shorter table the blinds come around more often so collecting the blinds keeps you afloat. On top of which if it's folded to you in late position, there are only a few hands still playing so even a marginal hand may be the best one out there.

You do, though, have to be able to fold when you meet resistance, especially from a tight player. Some players, once they raise, they can't let go even if it was a steal attempt.

And, there are those beautiful times when you raise with crap, get called, and flop an unexpected two pair, trips, or low straight.

I usally raise 4X. I've noticed making lower raises especially online if they have any hand they usally call my 3X raise

It's all about position. At lower levels, where most players play a passive ABC style, you should just adjust your hands according to position. The closer you are to the button, the wider your opening range should be, so if you are raising on the button you should have a very wide range. You also need to take into consideration how often you are getting 3-bet by the blinds after late position raises.