Playing the Blinds in Limit Hold'em Part VI - Final Topics

As a wrap-up to this series on playing the blinds, here are a few final topics:

• Playing the big blind when no one raises

• Small-blind vs. big-blind play

• Playing trash hands after the flop in multiway pots



Playing the Big Blind When No One Raises: It's always nice to get a free play in the big blind, but sometimes you should raise instead of just checking. Let's look at this according to the number of opponents you are facing:



Against only one limper, your raises should be determined primarily by the limper's standards and how well he plays. You can raise fairly liberally against most players if you think you have the best hand, especially if the opponent is passive and will not always bet the flop for you.



I want to consider as a special case the times you are up against one limper plus the small blind. You should go out of your way to raise if you think the small blind will fold sometimes. Many small-blind players who put in only one-third of a bet will fold to a raise, but few who put in two-thirds will, so you need to take that into account. Raising with your better high-card hands (A-K – A-9, K-Q – K-10, and pairs) forces a small blind who has a weak hand and has tossed in half a bet to commit another full small bet or fold. Most small blinds continue to put money in the pot even with trash, but the advantage you have over them is great and worth the raise.



Against two or three players, you should raise only with your top pairs, A-K, and A-Q. You are not getting the volume to make fancy raises with drawing hands, and your post-flop position is worse with more players in.



Against four players (one of whom may be the small blind), you should raise only with top pairs. Do not raise with A-K or worse, as big cards play poorly against a larger field, which this has now become. AK does not play well from out of position multiway, particularly the two times out of three that you miss the flop. And when you do hit an ace or king, your raise may discourage action that you otherwise might have gotten. Many late-position players will bet into an A-X-X or K-X-X board with anything if they are checked to, hoping to pick the pot up without a fight, so you will frequently get a chance to check-raise when you do hit your hand.



With five or more players in before your big-blind option, you can raise with a large number of volume hands as well as classic power hands. You should still always raise with A-A and K-K. With Q-Q, J-J, and perhaps 10-10, simply check. You have enough high-card value that you will occasionally flop an overpair, and when you do, you want to be able to check-raise to protect your hand from overcard callers. Plus, you will get calls from players who do not suspect a hand that good.



With pairs lower than tens, raising makes sense. You now are unlikely to flop an overpair, but you are still getting an excellent price to hit your set. If you do flop a set, you want the pot to be large so that people with overcards and one-pair hands will stay in, hoping to catch something to beat you. If you make this raise, do not continue to put money in the pot unless you hit your set or an overpair. Don't try to bluff your way through a large field just because you made a preflop raise.



You also can raise here with A-K suited and K-Q suited. These hands have high-card value (chances are that your opponents do not hold A-K or A-Q, since there was no raise) as well as value if two cards of your suit hit. This combination possibility of having the best hand and flopping a big draw makes it worthwhile for you to increase the size of the pot. Do not raise if your A-K or K-Q is not suited, for the reasons discussed above against four players.



A final hand for occasional raises is J-10 suited. This hand plays well in volume pots, as it has excellent straight possibilities as well as flush potential. This is a powerful drawing hand, as J-10 makes the maximum number of straights, and when you do make a straight with J-10, it is nearly always the nut straight. Again, if you flop nothing, be prepared to check and fold.



Making these volume-hand raises in six-way or larger pots increases your volatility, so make them only if your bankroll can sustain significant swings. A benefit of making these raises, in addition to long-term profit, is that they confuse opponents, who then give you excess action when you do raise with A-A or K-K.



Small-Blind VS. Big-Blind Play. I never chop blinds, and typically, I don't think you should, either (see my column "Should You Chop?" at www.CardPlayer.com for more details). Online, you can't chop. So, how should you play? Much depends on the relative skills of the players, and we don't have room here for a discussion of heads-up play, but I do want to make a few observations.



If you are in the small blind, the hands you play and how you play them depends on how well the big blind plays. If he is a weak, timid, or predictable player, you can play pretty much all of your hands, and you can raise with aces, any two Broadway cards, and all pairs. If the big blind is a good, tough, or aggressive player, however, you should fold most of your hands and raise less with your good ones, hoping to trap later if you hit the flop or hold a premium hand. If you don't know anything about the big blind, err on the side of caution.



If you are in the big blind and the small blind calls, raise with most normally playable hands. You have positional advantage and probably the best hand, as well. If the small blind raises, you have to decide what type of player he is. If he is tight, fold any hand with which you would not open-raise from middle position. If he is aggressive and raises a lot (and many small blinds raise with anything), you should call with at least any ace, king, suited queen, pair, suited connector higher than 5-4, Q-J – Q-8, and J-10 – J-7, and reraise with any pair or two high cards. You cannot afford to let an aggressive small blind take control of the action.



Playing Trash Hands After the Flop In Multiway Pots. I haven't covered post-flop play in this series, but I do want to mention one type of hand that tends to confuse people: the type that a player would never play from any position unless he got a free play in the blind. Players become lost when they are playing the J 3 with four or five opponents and the flop comes J 7 5. Should they bet out to avoid giving a free card? Check and try for the check-raise? Check and fold?



If you are an excellent player with good judgment, you may have a good feel for how to play hands like this. Otherwise, I suggest that you use my rule of thumb: If you have a trash hand in a multiway pot, check and fold if there is any significant action, unless you hit the flop twice. In the case of the J-3, that means that if the flop does not come J-J-X, 3-3-X or J-3-X, check and fold if there is a bet and a call. Since one of your goals should be to avoid large losses with hands that you would never play unless you were in the blind and nobody raised, missing an occasional opportunity to win a small pot should not bother you (it's hard to win a large pot with J-3 and a J-high board).



Conclusion: This concludes my six-part series on playing the blinds. Here's a summary of the main points:

• Do not be seduced by the fact that you can see flops cheaply if you have a terrible hand. Playing a hand from out of position is difficult, and playing a bad hand from out of position is even more so.



• Remember that you still have options, and you must consider the skill of the players, the number of players, and the impact of your plays on future streets before deciding to complete, call, raise, or fold. Selective-aggressive play is the key to winning poker, and it still holds true when you are in the blinds.



• Everyone loses money in the blinds, but with prudent play and the right measure of aggression, you can lose a lot less than the other guys.

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 through V of this column can be found at www.CardPlayer.com.