If you ever find yourself playing in a live cash game in Las Vegas and the action folds to you on the small blind, don’t be surprised if you get a dirty look when you raise. It was long ago decided by Vegas grinders that blind-on-blind action was too high variance for words and that if play folded to the small blind the two players would simply ‘chop’ and take back their antes. When playing online this isn’t possible, and you know what? That’s a good thing for you because there are a lot of players out there who don’t know how to play in the blinds and end up making a lot of mistakes, which means more winning opportunities!
The crucial thing to understand is that, whether you’re playing full-ring or six-max, when it folds to the blinds you’re effectively playing heads-up. And what does that mean? Well, in heads-up play the most aggressive players tend to win the most – even if they do occasionally get their fingers burnt. With only two players left the chances of running into a premium hand are that much lower and as such you can value your own holdings that much higher. In most cases it’s the player who puts in the last raise who wins. Just don’t make the mistake of raising without the goods into a player who is obviously pot-committed because of their stack size.
Tight versus loose
Paying attention to the playing styles and tendencies of the players directly to your left and right is incredibly important, as they’re the stacks you’ll be involved in pots with most frequently. Doyle Brunson once wrote that you should play tight on a loose table and loose on a tight table, and never has that been truer than when you’re in a blind-on-blind fight. If the big blind to your small blind is on the tight side you are making a huge mistake by not raising the majority of your hands when the action passes to you. Likewise if you don’t factor in that your opponent is aggressive you’ll be throwing away chips if you enter a pot without being ready to adapt.
Attacking from the small blind
In blind-versus-blind battles it’s the small blind who sets the pace of the action. When it’s folded to your small blind you have the choice of folding, limping or raising. Each move has it merits depending on the situation and it’s important to make the most of this advantage, as it’s the only one you’ve got. One thing you will never have is position and, as we all should know position is an incredibly powerful weapon to have at your disposal. By entering into a blind battle from the small blind you’re automatically handing position to your opponent. Let’s look at your options.
This is an easy way out and if you’ve got a weak to marginal hand it’s often your best option. You’re not going to get yourself in any difficult situations and you’re certainly not going to lose any more chips. You may miss out on some easy small pots but if you’ve got a tough player in the big blind passing is going to be more +EV than tackling them out of position. An obvious exception is in a tournament when either you or your opponent is short-stacked and you stand to gain by shoving all-in (particularly if there are antes in the pot to scoop).
Strong aggressive poker is winning poker. While we all know this to be true, it doesn’t necessarily mean you should raise every time the action folds to you. This is where knowing your opponent’s tendencies is vital. If you’re facing a wet lettuce who will wilt as soon as you reach for your chips, then by all means bet 90% of your hands. If you’re facing an aggressive player who will play back at you, then raising can just open the flood-gates. This is where it’s best to polarise your range by raising with monsters and the occasional steal. You must also be prepared to occasionally make moves by playing back at them and four-betting light. As well as winning an inflated pot it will stop them running over you.
While limping seems weak, there are some advantages to it. If you think you are a stronger player than your opponent, why wouldn’t you want to engage them in some postflop combat? Yes, you’re more likely to run into a cooler from time to time, but if they fold to every raise, bar when they’ve got a premium hand or are set-mining, then you’ll have trouble prising their chips away from them. Limping from the small blind can also be useful at the beginning of a tournament, when you’ve got a limited time to build a stack and there’s a higher proportion of weaker players left in the field.
Defending in the big blind
In blinds-only conflict the big blind always holds the higher ground postflop, and whether you have the bigger stack or not, having position makes it a lot easier to thump your opponent out of the way. If you don’t make the occasional move you’re missing out on using that position to its full effect. So when should you call, raise or fold?
This is obviously only an option should your opponent raise from the small blind. In this situation you have three primary concerns: your hole cards, your opponent’s aggression levels and the stack sizes. If you’ve got a premium hand you’re obviously playing on, but if you’re holding absolute rags in most cases you’re best simply ditching your hand. It’s when you have a marginal hand that you need to consider your play more. Against super-tight or very good players you’re best mucking most marginal hands, particularly ones that could be easily dominated.
In no-limit hold’em there’s a lot to be said for raising. You either take the pot down preflop or build a bigger pot that you’ll hopefully scoop on the flop, playing as you are with position. Against a raise from the small blind you’re even more likely to win with a chunky three-bet given that the small blind’s range is that much wider than, say, a player in middle position. A lot depends on your opponent here and how often they’ve been raising, as well as your own image. If you’ve folded the last few times they’ve raised you should find it that much easier to make a credible three-bet.
Calling a raise with hands that can flop really hard is often the better approach when both you and your opponent are deep-stacked. Small pairs and medium suited connectors are perfect to call with here. In tournament poker, if you have fold equity, shoving your pair may be the better play if you’ve established that your foe won’t call lightly. Calling against a player who has shown himself to be quite straightforward postflop is also a solid play, as you can out-flop them or steal the pot away from them when they check to you.