Stealing blinds

[Guthrie]

The AleoMagus strategy post says, in late stages:

On button, aim to steal about 25% of blinds with hands like A7s-A9s, KTs-KJs.

I don't get hands like those anywhere near 25% of the time on the button, more like 5 or 10%, and when I do get one and attempt to steal, I get called or re-raised quite often.

Any stack bigger than mine, however, seems to attempt to steal my blinds about 75% of the time from both cutoff and the button in late stages, and I have a hard time calling with hands like 72, T5, Q4, so I just bleed chips until I'm forced to go all-in with the first decent hand I catch.

What am I missing?

[bawcerelli]

sngpt

[zambonidrivr]

just shove it in

[Guthrie]

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sngpt

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Is this some sort of code which answers my question?

[Guthrie]

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just shove it in

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Okay, next time I'm on the button with 72o, I'll just shove it in. Maybe someone should update the strategy post to include this brilliant new addition.

[tigerite]

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sngpt

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Is this some sort of code which answers my question?

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www.sitngo-analyzer.com (http://www.sitngo-analyzer.com)

Otherwise known as 'ICM made easy' or 'ICM for dummies' (no offence!)

[Uppercut]

If a bigger stack is always raising your blinds from late position, you need to take a decent hand and reraise him all-in, not merely call and hope you hit the flop. That usually slows 'em down.

[Guthrie]

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If a bigger stack is always raising your blinds from late position, you need to take a decent hand and reraise him all-in, not merely call and hope you hit the flop. That usually slows 'em down.

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I get this, but after three or four orbits of junk hands waiting for anything decent, I'm nearly blinded out.

The AleoMagus strategy gives a very limited range of hands attempt to steal with in late stages and says to do it 25% of the time. I get nowhere near this many hands on the button, but lots of other people are raising from the button nearly every time. Clearly these people aren't using the AleoMagus strategy since they can't possibly be getting that range of hands 75% of the time while I get them 5%. They seem to be raising far too much and I seem to be raising far to little. I'm just trying to resolve the difference.

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just shove it in

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Okay, next time I'm on the button with 72o, I'll just shove it in. Maybe someone should update the strategy post to include this brilliant new addition.

[/ QUOTE ]There are times when pushing 72 is right. Pushing more often is better than waiting for a premium hand and getting blinded out in the process. I do think the short answer to your question is: push more often.

Push more often - and choose who you are pushing againt. Dont want to do it when the shorties are on the blinds, they are short already and you will likely be giving them odds to call. The mid-level stacks tend to be the most likely to fold, not wanting to risk dropping to low (even if they have a half-way decent hand).

[jb9]

Push with hands that have some chance of winning unimproved v. the blinds or making top pair: any A or K, any 2 cards above 9, Q8s, J8s, any pair.

Do it when you think there is a reasonable chance they will fold and when the blinds are valuable to you. Relative stack sizes are always important (if the big blind can fold and not be desperate for chips, he is more likely to fold marginal hands).

If you've been pushing a lot and everyone has been folding, you might want to tighten up a bit (especially since by this point you should have enough chips to be more patient).

The smaller your stack, the more aggressive you need to be.

Understand that sometimes they will have you crushed and sometimes the cards will fall their way even when you start out ahead.