Playing the Blinds in Limit Hold'em - Part III

I continue this series on playing the blinds in limit hold'em by looking at how the big blind should respond to steal-raises. Because they are so important, I'd like to start by reviewing the three rules for playing the blinds against a steal-raise:



• The better the player who raised, the fewer hands you should play.



• The tighter the player who raised, the fewer hands you should play.



• Play fewer hands against a steal-raiser in the cutoff seat than one on the button.



The big blind also must consider what the small blind does and how he plays. Let's separately examine the instances when the small blind folds, calls, and reraises.



The small blind folds: Now, the big blind is faced with a simple decision of whether or not to play heads up with the steal-raiser. If he decides to play, he can choose to reraise. The big blind is also looking at pot odds of more than 3-1, depending on the size of the small blind.



Even though out of position, the big blind can play a reasonable number of hands here. My general rule is to call (at least) with any hand that I would have raised preflop from the cutoff seat. There is only one opponent, and he presumably has a suspect hand. I would never throw away a pair here, or any two Broadway cards. I am leery about ace-rag, but will usually play it if suited. Although I know that some of you are addicted to king-rag suited, I urge you to avoid big-little holdings.



I hear lots of cries from out there: "Suited does not help you that much when you are heads up." True, but there will be betting involved after the flop, and suited cards sometimes give me what I call "the right to be aggressive." Post-flop betting in a heads-up situation often comes down to who can be more aggressive. It is harder to be more aggressive than the guy who's in position, but draws, sometimes even backdoor draws, permit that extra measure of aggression that will win a few extra pots for you when you don't flop a pair or better.



Understanding that, also play suited connectors down to 7-6 suited. These hands play poorly in a heads-up showdown, but provide opportunities for aggression and sometimes hit big hands. As always, a lot of judgment is involved in their play. Play unsuited connecting cards down to 8-7, as well as J-9 and 10-8.



Given that we now know when to play and when to fold, which hands should you reraise with? My answer (and some good players will disagree) is, usually very few. Your opponent is in position and will bet at virtually every flop, so if you call the preflop raise, you always will get another chance to raise once you have more information. If my opponent is highly aggressive, I will wait for the turn to raise him with both excellent hands and bluffs.



If you think reraising preflop will somehow psychologically slow down the frequency of steal-raises you see, go ahead and do it more often. Three-betting preflop and betting the flop might induce more folds from your opponent than calling and check-raising the flop. The pot odds will be the same for him, but psychologically, your opponent is more likely to call once he has bet on a particular round. If your opponent is like this, you may find more success in reraising preflop. In a tight game, when your opponent is taking frequent shots at your blinds, vary your raising patterns depending on the response you want.



The small blind calls: We know by now that the small blind probably should not have called, but he often does. His action implies that he is not highly skilled, so you do not have to tighten your standards on that score. However, if the small blind is the type of player who loves to lead at many flops, play fewer hands so you don't get sandwiched between the small blind and the original raiser.



His call improves your pot odds, which now become 5-1, thus increasing slightly the number of hands you can play, particularly drawing hands like suited connectors and suited single-gappers.



It also increases the incentive to raise, as now you will be getting two extra bets preflop for each one you put in. Unlike the heads-up case, these bets may not be available after the flop, as one of the players may fold. In addition, with three players in the pot, there is slightly more incentive for the preflop raiser to check occasionally. You should now be raising with your better hands, large pairs and big aces. Nobody will fold for this raise, but with the steal-raiser having questionable values, and the small blind (unless he is a very tough and experienced player) feeling too weak to reraise, you probably are getting your money in with a significant edge.



The small blind reraises: This is always a tough situation for the big blind, which is one of the reasons it is such a good raise by the small blind. Not only is this the worst pot-odds situation of the three scenarios (you are getting only 3-1), but there is a clear risk of yet another raise (or two, depending on where you play).



Certainly, you may think both players are ganging up on you to take your blind away, and you easily could be right. But the price of poker has risen, and you simply cannot play mediocre hands just because each of your opponents may be weaker than normal raisers. In fact, we are back to the case that you primarily must raise or fold.



The steal-raiser may have simply been taking a shot, and may not be inclined to play for two more bets. All he was trying to do was quietly win a bit of money, not get involved in a poker war. If you can eliminate the steal-raiser at least 10 percent of the time, in limit poker that is worth considerable equity to you.



If you are certain that the raiser will call, you have some volume equity, and are in the lower range of hands you might play (A-10 suited, for example), calling is an option. But most of the hands you will play for two more bets are premium hands, and you should not be afraid to put in an extra raise with them. In addition, you typically do not want to play drawing hands for extra bets in a shorthanded situation. You no longer can no rely on your opponents' missing the flop, because there are now two of them. So, you should play only hands with which you would open-raise from early-middle position.



Conclusion: In general, you need to be aware of the post-flop skills of both opponents when both are in, and vary your hand selection and playing strategies accordingly. The guidelines here are just that, and your particular opponents and playing styles will dictate your decisions. But playing tightly in the blinds is never a terrible idea, so when you believe your decision is close, let the hand go.



In the next issue, I will talk about play from the blinds when facing a raise from early or middle position.

Barry offers poker lessons tailored to the specific strengths and weaknesses of the individual student. Please visit his web site at http://www.barrytanenbaum.com/ or e-mail him at [email protected]. Parts I and II of this series can be found at www.CardPlayer.com.