Blind Stealing

This might help

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It's a disadvantage to have loose players to your left--especially in a tourny. You don't want to compound the problem by playing more loosely because you're going to get called/reraised a lot, even when you raise in EP to steal someone elses blinds. In this spot, tighten up, and hope to get paid off by the loose players with good hands.

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When you do tighten up go to playing a solid TAG style with loose players to your left do you look to take advantage of your image at all? Also I'm not saying that the players are loose but more that they are good players and are aggressive themselves.

I find that when I've been making quit a few steal attempts in LP that good players to my left start to pick up on this an play back at me. I then tighten up and look to take advatage, an obvious gear shift.

Now it's been a couple levels and my image has changed and I feel like the players to my left are good enough to have noticed. When I do raise it gets played back at less and has become more successful again. I don't feel it's time to shift gears again and get looser though.

I feel like if there are tight players in the blinds when I am in MP or EP that there are situations where raising can be an effective play with cards you don't normally look to raise with in that spot. Just like blind stealing in LP with any two when it's folded to you, I realize you must proceed with caution if called or raised.

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This is a little too specific for me to answer without actually playing a tourny with you. Of course you take advantage of your image when you play tightly, but you have to be playing tightly in order to do that first [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img].

Basically, you should play tighter preflop the looser your opponents are preflop. That doesn't mean never raise with a marginal hand; it just means do it less.

My blind stealing has little to do with my cards. I played a tourney where I was often stealing blinds twice an orbit when they were big. Occassionally I would double up a short stack, but I made far more than I lost (as I would occasionally take that short stack out). Basically, in LP, I'll steal with any two. I don't usually try to steal in EP. I wait till I'm in early MP. The hands that I try to steal with in MP are not necessarily premium hands. A9+, 55+, KQ, KJ, JT, and probably a few others depending on how I'm feeling. The thing is, I only try to do this when I've noticed that the table is often folding to any raise. Also, I usually only try to steal from MP with really big blinds (somewhere around 1000/2000+) unless I'm in the hijack, then I may take a stab at it when the blinds are smaller. I think that people tighten up with these gigantic blinds because it's psychologically a lot of chips, regardless of stack size.

Also, I'm very wary about stealing from small stacks, unless they've shown a willingness to get blinded away. If there's a small stack to my left, I'd usually rather wait till the blind goes past him/her and steal it from the next person.

Basically, I'd usually recommend against an EP steal, unless you have a very good read on the table (i.e. it's tighter than spandex).

Oh, and don't forget, playing back at a known blind stealer can get you enough bbs for 3-4 orbits (but that's not to say you can't steal during those too [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]).

Will

Thanks for finding this AJFenix... the thread had some great points and definitly gave me a large part of what I was trying to come up with.

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My blind stealing has little to do with my cards. I played a tourney where I was often stealing blinds twice an orbit when they were big. Occassionally I would double up a short stack, but I made far more than I lost (as I would occasionally take that short stack out). Basically, in LP, I'll steal with any two. I don't usually try to steal in EP. I wait till I'm in early MP. The hands that I try to steal with in MP are not necessarily premium hands. A9+, 55+, KQ, KJ, JT, and probably a few others depending on how I'm feeling. The thing is, I only try to do this when I've noticed that the table is often folding to any raise. Also, I usually only try to steal from MP with really big blinds (somewhere around 1000/2000+) unless I'm in the hijack, then I may take a stab at it when the blinds are smaller. I think that people tighten up with these gigantic blinds because it's psychologically a lot of chips, regardless of stack size.

Also, I'm very wary about stealing from small stacks, unless they've shown a willingness to get blinded away. If there's a small stack to my left, I'd usually rather wait till the blind goes past him/her and steal it from the next person.

Basically, I'd usually recommend against an EP steal, unless you have a very good read on the table (i.e. it's tighter than spandex).

Oh, and don't forget, playing back at a known blind stealer can get you enough bbs for 3-4 orbits (but that's not to say you can't steal during those too ).

Will

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I think you've missed my point here. I'm looking at expanding the concept of stealing with any two from LP.

The reason you raise any two from LP when folded to is because you feel the blinds are tight/weak and won't play back at you. When these players do play back you can be confident that they have a very big hand and you can easily fold your steal attempt to them. When these types of players flat call a continuation bet on the flop usually works and if not it's easy to get away from.

I'm looking at the situation where you are in LP and it's folded to you, it's now incorrect to raise any two since the players in the blinds will defend them more than a weak player. However many of these players who defend their blinds very aggressivly from LP raisers will fold if the same player raises from MP or EP since:

1) it's not their blind
2) there are more people to act so they have to risk a large portion of their stack to stop your steal
3) since you are raising from an ealier position they give your raise more credit

I'm looking for times, even though not made as often, that people look to steal from MP and EP. I feel there are times where this can be a good move. I'm looking for what factors people look for to make a play like this.

Does the entire table have to be tight? How much are the cards you are raising with affecting your decision, if at all? And any other factors or reasons that people think makes a steal from a position other than LP effective.

[tdomeski]

Don't force blind stealing upon yourself. Take advantage as often as you can of tight players in the blinds. .but I would be very weary of doing something like that from MP with good players behind you in LP. The button re raise is one of the more widely used plays by good players to take advantage of people like you who try to steal the blinds that they want to steal.

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Don't force blind stealing upon yourself. Take advantage as often as you can of tight players in the blinds. .but I would be very weary of doing something like that from MP with good players behind you in LP. The button re raise is one of the more widely used plays by good players to take advantage of people like you who try to steal the blinds that they want to steal.

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I'm not trying to force stealing nor am I looking to do it every orbit. I play a pretty solid game and am starting to have quit a bit of success. That being said I'm looking at a play that may not be done often but can show value when used at the right time. I don't mean to be asking the "when should I steal" generic question.

I find while a good player will defend his blind from LP raises enough to discourage it, it takes a very good player to defend his button because you are taking his stealing opportunity. Even a player who will do this is unlikely to play back at you when they are in late MP.

I enjoy punishing loose players who limp too often or raise too often when I'm on the button so I realize that many will use this play.

When (if ever) do you look to steal from EP or MP knowing that if nobody has a hand that the players in the blinds are tight and will easily let them go. I realize that this is not something to 'force' into your game but I feel like there is a place for it. Especially when you are the larger stack at the table or have a deep stack compared to the blinds. Here making a move like this at the right time does not hurt you if you are wrong.