Steal More, Defend Blinds More

[imported_bezdi]

Maybe I am just running good for the past 2K hands at 5BB/100Hands after I put away the starting hands chart. (definite sign of a newbie) But all of a sudden I am making steals with a Q5o and snatching blinds.

The same goes for defending blinds with whatever you have if it looks like a steal from the cutoff/button. Even if the button has a legit hand like AKo and I flopped bottom pair, then check-raised to fold the limpers between us to isolate him and won the pot.

Where as before without the steals and defending blinds religiously, my winrate was at an anemic 1.5BB/100Hands.

Obviously I know when to fold, and not just blindly put in bets (throwing money away). This puts the whole table in a frenzy, because they have no idea what my starting hands were. I can finally appreciate limit poker by simply stealing more and defending blinds more.

[bottomset]

uh Q5o isn't a stealing hand unless the blinds are very rockish

my base button steal hands are:

any ace, suited K's, K7o+, occassionally suited Q's, any pair
occasionally a hand like JTs, T9s

cutoff:

suited A, A8o+, K9s+(occasionally K8s, k7s), KTo+, pairs

the biggest factor in HU blindsteals is High Card Strength .. and showdown value UI

defending is a much more complicated topic and very player dependent .. though typical hands in the bb are suited connectors, aces, suited Ks, Qs, good offsuit connectors

[reubenf]

I just flipped a coin with my thumb, and it came up tails. Then I used an my index finger to flip a coin, and it came up heads.

Clearly you should use your index finger in a coin-flipping contest where heads beats tails.

[imported_bezdi]

I am a bit confused by the coin flip thing. Probably mocking the newbie. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Yes I have run into AA in the big blind, which I folded at the turn. And no, I did not attempt the steal with a 23o. What I am saying is just be doing such, it opens up your game so much more instead of being so tight weak (as I was).

[reubenf]

2000 hands is a miniscule sample size to look at your winrate. And it is far smaller for looking at a difference in winrate with respect to a change of blind-stealing/defending strategy.

[imported_bezdi]

I understand that the sample size of 2k is too small to draw any long term conclusions with the change in the style I play. I have a little bit over 51k hands recorded and rated as TA but wasn't really moving anywhere fast with my BR at an anemic winrate. I will post my results after another 10k while defending and stealing more with marginal hands.

[skoal2k4]

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2000 hands is a miniscule sample size to look at your winrate. And it is far smaller for looking at a difference in winrate with respect to a change of blind-stealing/defending strategy.


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I believe what OP's message is is that a player eventually needs to open up his/her game by playing more situational poker, rather than strictly based on a starting hand chart.

[Yobz]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

2000 hands is a miniscule sample size to look at your winrate. And it is far smaller for looking at a difference in winrate with respect to a change of blind-stealing/defending strategy.


[/ QUOTE ]

I believe what OP's message is is that a player eventually needs to open up his/her game by playing more situational poker, rather than strictly based on a starting hand chart.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well said and I fully agree. Q5o on the button after it gets folded around to you is a monster if the blinds are tight or fold to aggression.

I have "buddies" who will defend with any hand and fold the flop for 1 bet if they have nothing or call down if they have something (they will never raise)...I long to sit to the right of these players, they are money machines on tighter tables.

[reubenf]

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I will post my results after another 10k while defending and stealing more with marginal hands.

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But you still won't be able to attribute anything about your winrate to your change in blind stealing/defending strategy.

At 2k hands an entire BB/100 may be accounted for with a single pot that a monkey could have played. There's just no way to single out the few times you've used your new blind strategy through all that noise. 10k hands won't be much better.

[Bodhi]

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10k hands won't be much better.

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What pedantry.