Tags:
Intermediate, Multi-table tournaments
Many people play out of the small blind incorrectly because they don't understand the positional disadvantage they'll be playing from post-flop, or don't understand the maths surrounding when to call or fold. Too often, players are willing to call raises from late position players out of the small blind with marginal hands like J-10 or A-9 without recognizing the fact that they will be first to act post-flop.
Fold or raise
The positional disadvantage turns hands that would be playable in position to ones that are unplayable. Granted, there are times that you can take advantage of a pre-flop raiser who plays weak post-flop, but more often than not you are better off folding or re-raising. (We'll talk more about defending the blinds in a later article)
One thing that you should do out of the small blind is raise frequently when it has been folded to you. Calling is usually a mistake in these instances because of the positional disadvantage you will be facing, and more times than not the big blind will fold most hands. This, of course, is dependent on who the player is, but generally speaking, raising is the correct course of action.
When to call
Calling with any two cards out of the small blind when you are getting the right price can be a profitable play if utilised correctly. For every ten times you put in a small blind when you are getting 7:1 or better on your money, it only takes winning two times out of ten for this play to be profitable. For example, if there is 700 in the pot, and it is 100 for you to call, if you win one pot by calling, you can lose six of these pots and still make money. This doesn't even account for the times where you win big pots playing any two.
The implied odds in these multi-way pots make this play even more valuable. How many times have you been playing in a tournament and seen a player limp in early position with a big pair only to go broke to the small blind who has 9-3 offsuit and flops two pair? If that player had folded for that tiny additional bet, they wouldn't have won that huge pot.