Playing the Small Blind

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pocketace

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Hello,

How do you play the small blinds? To be more specific, lets say its early game and the blinds are moderate. Starting stack of 1500 and 20/20.

You are dealt 2/7 off suit, or a comparably poor hole. What do you do? Do you pay the 10 small? I often feel inclined to. Especially since the pots can quickly grow large if something turns out.
 
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9betterluck9

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Early in the game, I am doing the complete opposite. I am not completing with marginal hands from the SB. There really is no need. You are completing from the SB only to win 1:1 on your money.. And your OOP with a weak holding... Not to mention, if you limp, and the BB raises, then do you call that raise as well? You are just bleeding chips in the long run in spots like these. Now if there are antes in play and there is say another limper, I'm much more inclined to see the flop. Even without the other player. But then again, I'd most likely be raising with the 72 from the SB (if unopened to me) if the antes have kicked in.
 
Bogdan Pyts

Bogdan Pyts

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I try to balance the Range, with the ability to play aggro pressuring
 
MAdesG

MAdesG

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First I see my stack and then I look If I have to be aggressive or passive according my cards
 
BigJamo

BigJamo

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For long term tourney success, keeping away from SBs like this will stop you wasting chips that could be used on much better hands. If you called every SB limp, you would end you give away too much, let alone your table image.
 
blackdevil724

blackdevil724

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I tend to pay, but don't like it..too many times i pay with 4-6 or something like that, flop two pairs and lose big after board pairs and opponent has biggerr pair
 
arbahool

arbahool

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in the long term thats not profitable,i rather fold than call.Ofcourse it depends what are you holding,but limping on SB is not option for me,esspecially in early stage of tourney.Raise or fold
 
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hffjd2000

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It depends what happen infront of you.

Another is the strength of hand.

But overall though, limping at sb is not profitable for me.
 
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hashbrown420

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i tend to try and stay away from anything in the small blind really if its crap hands like that 7-2 OS id rather try and save the 10 chips. even with hands that are a little better like 7-4 suited i might go if theres only a few people but for the most part i tend to stay away from paying more if i know that its not a great hand.
 
toots babos

toots babos

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Hello,

How do you play the small blinds? To be more specific, lets say its early game and the blinds are moderate. Starting stack of 1500 and 20/20.

You are dealt 2/7 off suit, or a comparably poor hole. What do you do? Do you pay the 10 small? I often feel inclined to. Especially since the pots can quickly grow large if something turns out.

If there are 4 limpers before you it gets to you I would probably call getting roughly 11 to 1 odds on my 10 chips but then fold to 95% of the possible flops there can be.


If it folds around to you then it's an easy fold early in the tournament, no point raising the big blind trying to win 20 chips and also no point limping in knowing you will be out of position for the whole hand and that nearly every board is no good for you
 
coolDadJimbo

coolDadJimbo

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i will call the 10 sitting in the SB if there are a few limpers...

i've limped in first to act and the BB will almost always raise.... then i fold... this may make me look like a pushover or transparent... but sometimes giving the guy to your left an impression of weakness or submission may pay off with a slow roll when u do get a hand and the blinds are bigger....
 
joker131

joker131

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playing the small blinds early in mtt with rubbish or even picture rag is just giving away to the big blind and shorting your stack.
 
DavidUAH

DavidUAH

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Well

Small blinds are usually lost unless you have a great hand, you can bluff but what would you do if people don´t believe that bluff?
 
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Poker247

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I stay away from any marginal hand in sb unless 3-4 other players have called in front (great price). It's not worth getting dragged into a pot with a hand that is likely beat even if you hit top pair on the flop. Later in the game, when antes are added in, if you only have a single raise before you, you can consider 3-betting, but this requires a good read on the villain that open bet and on the BB person still to act (tight,loose, aggro?) because they might decide to reraise.
 
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