I need help! I suck at playing the blinds!

I play very aggressive. A lot of times, maybe to aggressive. So I dont enter pots with marginal holdings (AJ/KQ UTG, AT/KJ from MP, etc etc), and I always open-raise never open-call. I will limp from late position with some hands, such as QJs/JTs/Axs if there are already a few people committed. This works fine, because I usually have the best hand and/or good position so I can afford to push very hard. The problem is the blinds.


In the games I play in, 80% of the hands are raised, so my blinds are constantly under attack. And to defend them means playing with an inferior hand with the worst position. And its hard to switch gears from my normal attack mode when I do defend. Heads-up or short handed is not a problem, because I feel very comfortable short-handed. Its multiway pots with hands like QT when you flop a Q or a T, or hands like Ax when you flop an A.


Should you bet and then fold to a raise? Cause this seems really weak to me.


Should you check, and then go for the check-raise from a late position player? I dont like this either because if somebody in early position bets they could be betting a flush draw, or any combination of other draws and I dont want to fold with such a huge pot. Also, if nobody bets thats even worse because your hand was good and you didnt protect it.


I also dont like just checking and calling because with multiway action you have to do something to get out the trash because your hand is very weak and vulnerable.


I think it may be better to just avoid borderline non-suited hands from the blinds even though you are getting tremendous pot odds. Although I guess you could still play connectors like 89/56 to try and flop a draw or 2 pair considering the tremendous pot odds. I call with a lot of suited hands in multiway pots because they are easy to get away from, even though this may be in error also.

1 problem is calling raises from ep to mp players with Ax and QT both os. these hands suck multiway. if an A hits yer probably outkicked. same with the Q, if a T hits you may be against an over pair. also if about 3+ people are coldcalling your Ax and QT are huge dogs. even in the blind. i wouldnt defend with crap on this type of table. as you stated...the decisions are difficult. you may be defending too liberally.


btw, you can play the 'marginal holdings' being first in. raise with em. cut the field. they play better shorthanded. you may be giving up alot of cash not using these hands when you could.


b

I have found raising KQo from early position to not be that profitable. I only get calls from better hands. So I end up playing a likely dominated hand out of position with almost no high card strength. These are the types of situations I like to avoid. Maybe a good player could make a profit with KQo up front, but I dont feel like I can.


If there are a few loose players I will open-raise up front with KQo, but in a normal game I dont.

I would search the archives for Tommy's posts on this subject.


One thing though. On the flop you essentially become the last to act since it is very rare that the stealer will not bet the flop when checked to. This helps a bit since you can often set up the play on the later streets with flop play.


Paul Talbot

You write


"My blinds are constantly under attack. And to defend them means playing with an inferior hand with the worst position. And its hard to switch gears from my normal attack mode when I do defend."


Well, that's absolutely true. Don't shift FROM attack mode, shift TO attack/recon mode (or whatever you want to call it). You have a hand, you want the draws to pay or get out, and you need to get a sense of where the late position player is at. A check raise with top pair does all of this. The drawing hands will have to call 2 bets cold if the late position player is the bettor, so what more could you want? If you don't get 3-bet and the turn is a blank, you're right where you want to be.


And


"Also, if nobody bets thats even worse because your hand was good and you didnt protect it."


That may be true, but how often is it going to get checked around? If the late player is any sort of player, he wants those draws out, and wants to either represent a hand or protect his hand.

You're in the hand for a reason. Maximize your potential. Do not check and call. If you bet, and get raised, there are 2 more cards coming. It's not like you've been totally eradicated. If you check-raise (which I prefer) and get 3-bet, you've got the field narrowed, I'm sure, and still have a reasonable shot at the pot. How many times have you seen this 3-bet end up checking the turn and river after destroying the field, only to turn over his overcards?

i dont raise with it in this situation. just call and watch the action behind me. mind you it doesnt work well on tighter and more aggressive tables. but its great on loose/passive tables with A chasers and players that only raise premium. which is why if someone raises behind you, then ya gotta watch the flop. if ya hit, your betting/raising/checkraising for information. if they slow down, your usually in the lead. if the come back over top, your probably beat. i have made tons on the passive tables with this hand.


b