Losing money in SB

[steelcmg]

I purchased poker tracker about 1 month ago now and have about 5000 hands in it. Ive noticed that ive have lost most of my money in the SB. ive been playing mostly 50/1 1/2 limit. Im looking for some advice to try and bring this number down.

[Derek in NYC]

You will always lose the most from the blinds. Nothing you can do about this.

If in doubt, dont call a raise/defend from the small blind.

Play the small blind for its implied value, e.g. connectors, suited cards, etc.; big card no kicker is dangerous

If you complete, be willing to fold the flop to any substantial action

If youre going to play, dont bet out against a large field; rely more on checkraise against positional bets

Small blinds tend to like ragged flops and small fields.

Steal as much as you can from the big blind

[bdk3clash]

[ QUOTE ]
Small blinds tend to like ragged flops.

[/ QUOTE ]
Good points, but what the hell does this mean?

[Fnord]

Your sample size is too small. I've had similar runs where I've broke even or made money from my blinds.

You probably are playing too many hands from your SB (most new players do.) Run a filter of hands where you VP$IP from your SB and go from there...

[Derek in NYC]

One man's crap is another man's treasure. In other words, the SB is one of those places where playing a duck can be profitable.

[bdk3clash]

[ QUOTE ]
One man's crap is another man's treasure. In other words, the SB is one of those places where playing a duck can be profitable.

[/ QUOTE ]
OK. I don't think we should be completing with offsuit cheese or anything, but I see what you're saying.

In a 1/2 structure, suited, connected, or two-Broadwayed and I'm good to go. 1/3 and 2/5 I tighten up a little.

[steelcmg]

about what number should this be around

[Fnord]

[ QUOTE ]
about what number should this be around

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You're better off looking at individual decisions. A "good" number will be the end result.

[Derek in NYC]

With a passive big blind, on a 1/2 structure, I will call any two suited, any connected or 1- or maybe 2-gapped, any pair, any ace, or any two over 9. Pretty much trash. I havent analyzed much of my results from the SB (though now I'm curious to), but I dont get the sense that I get trapped into many bad hands. Where I sometimes go astray is in stealing from the BB too often, and getting slapped with a big loss.

[Fnord]

[ QUOTE ]

In a 1/2 structure, suited, connected, or two-Broadwayed and I'm good to go. 1/3 and 2/5 I tighten up a little.

[/ QUOTE ]

Really? I stopped completing with unsuited connectors in the 2/4 game. Although I might come in (and fold if the BB raises) if there are a *lot* of limpers in front. For suited trash, I like to be a little connected.

72s - No
73s - probably not
74s - maybe
75s - probably
76s - yup

[bdk3clash]

I need a bunch of limpers before I complete with small (like, 56o) unsuited connectors.

I have a penchant for 74s so I pretty much always complete there. Cambodian Slick! I also pretty much always complete with 72s for comedic showdown value alone. Some things can't be quantified in BBs.

[Derek in NYC]

completing with 72. i TOTALLY hear you man. it is worth doing it only so when the flop comes A72, you can showdown a winner, then type in the universal tilt-inducer emoticon: <")))><

followed by HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. i must say, i am quite impolite online sometimes.

[Abu Turab]

I was worried about this too and then checked the "show only hands that saw the flop". My sb then showed a profit for when I completed (vs the cost of doing business and folding) and my bb loss wasn't as bad as originally shown but highlighted areas I could improve on by going back through the hands.

Do the regulars find any sense in doing this or am I just data mining?

[donny5k]

Are you actually saying you lose more net in the small blind than the big blind? If you aren't losing almost exactly twice as much in the BB as SB then you are doing a lot of things wrong in the SB (probably postflop problems as much as preflop).