Stack Sizes for Stealing, Headache.

Lately I've been spewing chips, per se, at the 75/150 level or 50/100 level in late position. It'll be a somewhat tight table and I'll pick up a J9 suited or a 78 suited and decide to raise it up 3x the big blind. My chip stack will be sitting between 2700-4000. With the raise to 300 and a caller out of the big blind the flop will come ragged. The BB will quickly check and I'll fire a continuation bet at the flop.

Now, warning signs seem to be going off in this guy's head. How can a 7 5 2 flop help this guy? He could have high pockets but hey, let's call. So there goes 600-700 of my chips.

Then it becomes even trickier when paint comes on the turn, say for example a queen, and I have J9 spades. He quickly checks again. What to do, what to do? Is this guy trapping? Is this guy on ace high?

It seems like blind steals, for the most part, are leaving me scratching my head and dumping chips. I usually play the micros or the 5s, 10s, with the occasional 20s. I don't know what I should be doing in the cutoff with hands like these.

I'm trying to get more aggressive, and believe it or not I've almost fully shed the weak/tight lable you've all branded me with. It's almost like I'm getting too cute raising with these hands to take the blinds.

First, is it way too early a level to be raising with suited connectors or marginal hands like J9s, K9s, Q10s in the cutoff/button? At what point, if you don't have a read on a guy is it good to bet a flop with paint on it if you don't have a face card and he checks to you.

It seems to me that to pick up 150 chips you could very well be costing yourself 650 (300+350 on flop.)

So, help a brother out. At what stage is the blind stealing necessary? They say to play ABC poker for the most part in the early stages, with some gambling mixed in.

Am I away from that stage now with blinds at 50/100,75/150 and time to start stealing?

Sorry for the rambling but I think this is a stage of my game that I need worked out so I can start making final tables consistently.

Another thing I want to add. You check out CardPlayer.com and an interview with Howard Lederer, Mike Matusow, you name it they always discuss the nature of not playing big pots with amateurs. For the levels I play ($1,$2,$3,5) I feel like I'm playing with amateurs. Sure I don't have the talent of most here but I feel like I've had the experience from HoH, 2+2, and playing No Limit Hold'em for seven years that I have much more experience than the other eight members of my table. But the nature of keeping the pot small is almost impossible in these tournaments. A simple blind steal/continuation bet could be 1/5th of your chips, which is nowhere near what these pros do in deep stack tournaments like the main event. There aren't too much playing chips, so you have to be careful. Yet you want to scoop up pots.

Wowzers.

Any thoughts on this at the micro level or towards the bigger buyins? At what time is it good to steal blinds in late position or middle position?

[EverettKings]

I'll start by saying that you don't need to raise J9s and the like every time you get the chance. It's good to open up your game and you're trying to not be weak tight, but usually just muck it. An occasional open is fine especially when the blinds are tight or you haven't played many hands. Such plays are not as effective against bad players, unless it's getting deep in a tournament where they're likely to be getting weak/tight.

On top of that, if youve been quiet and then come in for this raise, bet the flop HARD. The pot is like 975 so dont bet 600 or even 700, bet 900. He will not be continuing with anythin marginal since youre threatening to get it all in. Send a message that says "DONT F*** WITH MY RAISES": it will make your life easier to have people afraid of you.

Third, there is NO shame in just checking behind when you airball sometimes. It's a free card that can make you a big hand, and you avoid spewing chips in a pot when you don't think you have a good chance to take it down.

Finally, in my experience, the guy who insta-checks has something marginal, like a draw or decent pair that hes not folding for nominal bets but doesnt want you to bet either. My advice is to bet the flop hard and give up thereafter if you don't improve.

Best of luck

Everett

[ QUOTE ]
I'll start by saying that you don't need to raise J9s and the like every time you get the chance. It's good to open up your game and you're trying to not be weak tight, but usually just muck it. An occasional open is fine especially when the blinds are tight or you haven't played many hands. Such plays are not as effective against bad players, unless it's getting deep in a tournament where they're likely to be getting weak/tight.

On top of that, if youve been quiet and then come in for this raise, bet the flop HARD. The pot is like 975 so dont bet 600 or even 700, bet 900. He will not be continuing with anythin marginal since youre threatening to get it all in. Send a message that says "DONT F*** WITH MY RAISES": it will make your life easier to have people afraid of you.

Third, there is NO shame in just checking behind when you airball sometimes. It's a free card that can make you a big hand, and you avoid spewing chips in a pot when you don't think you have a good chance to take it down.

Finally, in my experience, the guy who insta-checks has something marginal, like a draw or decent pair that hes not folding for nominal bets but doesnt want you to bet either. My advice is to bet the flop hard and give up thereafter if you don't improve.

Best of luck

Everett

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the advice. If you were to open from late position would you rather have an Ace suited or a suited connector? Does it sometimes not even have to do with your cards? Do you 'steal' at the 50/100 level?