EmptyHouse
Visionary
Platinum Level
antonis32123
Legend
Loyaler
to defend or not , yeah , it is a difficult decision especially if cards do not help you or opponent is very aggressive , at least for me . I like defending , more than I used to do in the past . How much it depends also on the specific opponent against whom I play .
VGShaa
Legend
Bronze Level
Blind defense is an important part of the game of poker, it can give the player a very significant increase in win rate. There are many strategies for defending the blinds, depending on the opponent's raise, their playing style and position. The main thing is not to overdo it and choose the right spots to defend and just pass.
K
karylpretty
Enthusiast
Silver Level
BetterThanAvgButNotByMuch
Visionary
Bronze Level
This again, is a concept for ADVANCED PLAYERS.
You don't need to "defend" a blind if you're playing a $1/2, $2/4 NL live game against a horrible weak table that doesn't know starting hands or over plays Ace x or just plays an aggressive donk game. In that case, the game boils down to just who makes the LEAST AMOUNT OF MISTAKES and not something like defending a blind.
This is another example of a beginner watching a youtube vid hearing some advanced player or professional player talking about the importance of defending their blind in a $5/10, $10/20 or a cash game where the competition actually has a clue what they're doing/are winning players and the stealer is looking to improve their hourly rate/performance.
THIS IS NOT FOR folks that MAKE HUGE BLUNDERS like I mentioned above or have huge holes in their games. Again, this is not for folks who don't have a clue about the basics of the game, that will play some mediocre hand who hits second pair or top pair with an awful kicker on a board and shoves all in not knowing how to read board texture or having a clue what their opponent plays and doesn't have the discipline to fold hands when they're more than likely behind in a hand.
You don't need to "defend" a blind if you're playing a $1/2, $2/4 NL live game against a horrible weak table that doesn't know starting hands or over plays Ace x or just plays an aggressive donk game. In that case, the game boils down to just who makes the LEAST AMOUNT OF MISTAKES and not something like defending a blind.
This is another example of a beginner watching a youtube vid hearing some advanced player or professional player talking about the importance of defending their blind in a $5/10, $10/20 or a cash game where the competition actually has a clue what they're doing/are winning players and the stealer is looking to improve their hourly rate/performance.
THIS IS NOT FOR folks that MAKE HUGE BLUNDERS like I mentioned above or have huge holes in their games. Again, this is not for folks who don't have a clue about the basics of the game, that will play some mediocre hand who hits second pair or top pair with an awful kicker on a board and shoves all in not knowing how to read board texture or having a clue what their opponent plays and doesn't have the discipline to fold hands when they're more than likely behind in a hand.
dreamer13
Legend
Platinum Level
The fundamental question is:how often should we defend our big blind?With two players in the pot-us and our opponent-our big blind defense strategy will depend on two factors
pening range forces and the Pot odds We're Being Offered.A plus action suggests that his EV should be slightly above zero.
pening range forces and the Pot odds We're Being Offered.A plus action suggests that his EV should be slightly above zero.
yango
Rock Star
Silver Level
It is better to defend a big blind by calling when you have good cards and when the raise is not so strong, for this reason it is better to avoid betting too much with bad hands, or simply call and then see what the flop brings.
T
Tuoppi76
Rising Star
Bronze Level
Glad I found this thread! Iv been little confused about playing blinds, since there seems to be lots of different kinds of information (some defend very wide, others way less). Noticed myself, I got too blinded by good pot odds, specially in SB and leaked much chips doing so. PS: Positively suprised how well Stop&Go has worked for me in late stages and good spot..
MattRyder
🍏 Tech That Works!
Platinum Level
I don’t see the infatuation with defending the blinds UNLESS you’re playing against a bunch of Super-nits OR you’re on a lucky roll.
I should add that defending against blind defenders is probably the most profitable game there is.
All else equal - position, position, position!
I should add that defending against blind defenders is probably the most profitable game there is.
All else equal - position, position, position!
Vilgeoforc
Visionary
Bronze Level
The best position to learn to defend your hand and learn to read ranges is in the big blind. And here you need to decide everything either aggressively preflop, or fold the hand right away. Calling and post-flop is possible in very rare situations when there are high implied odds and/or multipots.
L
LetterRip
Rock Star
Bronze Level
How wide you should defend your BB preflop, depends on your skill and opponents skill postflop. The less aggressive your opponent is preflop and postflop, the greater your equity realization and the more hands you can play. If you have skill defending (correct 3bet/4bet frequencies; correct check raise flop frequencies, and probe turn frequencies) then again you can play a wide range. If your postflop skill is poor though, then defending as wide as solvers suggest, will result in you bleeding chips, since you won't be defending enough, nor aggressive enough on flop and turn and river to neutralize some of your position disadvantage.