seeking general info about blind steals/defense

[siegfriedandroy]

One observation I've made as a fairly new poster is that as you move up levels online, blind steals/defense seems to become a much more important issue. Unfortunately, I know next to nothing about optimum strategy here!

I attempt to pattern my game after THFAP and SSHE. However, it seems these important texts have little or nothing to say about blind steals/defense. Why is that, considering that Sklansky's own site seems to see this as such a crucial part of the game?

Questions:
1) I feel that if I more or less follow Sklansky's preflop advice in SSHE, then I will be too tight in blind defense (since he recommends against raises only playing hands from SB that you'd play early against a raise, as well as not even playing hands like K-10, Q-10, A9 from BB against raises). Arent these recommendations way tighter than the ones winning players here would like to see as correct according to Pokertracker, etc.?

2) If in fact I am too tight in blind defense, what hands should I loosen up with from the SB and BB, respectively (and allow myself to depart from SSHE's guidelines?

3) What hands can I attempt to steal with? (that would depart from SSHE's guidelines)

4) Does blind stealing generally refer to button or cutoff, or should I consider stealing from middle (or even early) position as well? (If so, then what hands would be reasonable options to attempt steals from mid/early position, as opposed to late?)

5) Does Sklansky or this site (or anyone else whose poker advice you believe is sound) provide any definitive, solid information regarding blind steals/defense?


**I feel my game is becoming fairly solid, and I would like to move up soon, but am concerned about blinds/steals since it seems so important to the experts here, and yet my knowledge of the subjects is elementary. PLEASE HELP!!