Playing the Big Blind in No-Limit Hold’Em

Playing the big blind seems easy most of the time. The odds say you will be dealt a bad hand. If the flop is raised preflop, you can fold. If no one raises and you miss the flop, you can fold. This is mundane and straightforward. Of course, every once in a while, you get an opportunity to win the pot with a bad hand. Let’s talk about these situations where you have a chance to turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse.

In unraised pots, since you did not decide to play, you have random cards. This means you have the ability to represent any hand that would not have raised the pot preflop. Whereas all the other players tend to play the higher-ranked cards, the lower-ranked cards are your zone of the deck. So the first benefit of being in the blind is being able to represent any holding.

When the flop comes with a low pair such as 5-5-2, you might fairly easily have trip fives, but the other players seldom will have such a hand. You can either bet a flop like this or check with the intention of check-raising, which can be a more credible representation of trips. A word of warning, though. If you get played with big time, it probably means that your opponent has either A-5 or pocket deuces, since there are no other hands with a five in it that a player who voluntarily puts money into the pot would be likely to have.

When the flop is three low cards to a straight, such as 6-4-2, you are certainly the only player who could show up with the nuts in a believable manner. If there is a two-flush on the board, an opponent could have a hand such as the nut-flush draw and a pair or the nut-flush draw and a gutshot, which are hands that most opponents will be willing to put big bucks into the pot with. Your chances of hauling in the pot with a bet or check-raise are much improved if the flop is rainbow. Of course, there is always the chance of a small set being in somebody’s hand, which will make it hard for you to run off with the money.

The second benefit of being in the blind is the fact that on the preflop betting round, you are last to act. In unraised pots, the possibility exists that you will be able to make a big raise and no one will have enough hand or heart to call you. In theory, the only person who could have an unlimited hand is the person who initially opened the pot by a call. It is useful when in the big blind to keep an eye on the opener and see whether he is more interested in the betting than the TV screen or cocktail waitress. If you can get by this person with your preflop raise, things are looking good for a hijacking. But do keep an eye out for a short-stacked limper when on a steal, as your raise may be just what that person has been hoping for.

Whether you have a real hand or a steal, be sure to bet an amount that is substantially larger than the pot size. For example, in a $5-$10 blind game, if there were four callers (making $55 in the pot from the calls and blind money), I would raise at least $75 more when in the big blind if I decided to pop it up. $80 more would also be a good number. Have no regrets if you hold a big pair and do not get played with, as there are worse fates than winning a small pot when you are out of position with a preflop pop. Do not let opponents have a cheap shot at beating you a big pot or busting you.

Another way to steal a pot is to bet the turn when all have checked the flop and a blank comes. With only a couple of opponents, I would be looking to steal a good bit of the time. With three opponents, there is more need to be careful. With four or more opponents, I would hardly ever be getting out of line. Crowds make me nervous. Beware of flops where the board is ace-rag-rag, as this flop is often checked by someone with top pair, as it is harder for people to draw out on the next card.

The big blind will often be involved in a struggle with a late position open-raiser for blind and ante money. He is the last obstacle between the raiser and the goal line. Some people make a macho thing out of this; I do not. No-limit hold’em is not a game of pot odds; it is a game of implied odds. Your stack is at risk every time you do not fold. Getting involved with a weakish hand out-of-position is unhealthy for your bankroll. I realize that a raise by the cutoff or button is nearly obligatory, but that does not mean you have to be a loose caller. If I have a good hand, I play back at the raiser, and if not, I usually fold. If I do reraise, it will be for a bigger amount than is in the pot after my call is counted. If I have a $10 blind and the button makes it $30, my call will make the pot size $65. So my reraise will be $75 to $100 more on top of my called amount. Playing a lot of pots out of position is unhealthy for your bankroll. On the other hand, I will often call the small blind if he is the open-raiser, because I have position on him.

Once in a while, there is only a late limper in the pot left with the big blind. Why would you want to raise such a person on no hand, just because he limped? I prefer to encourage such friendly behavior, rather than be a macho man who does not tolerate limping. Of course, if it is a tournament with antes involved, I would be a bit more aggressive.

When I spoke about no-limit hold’em being a game of implied odds, this also applies when the pot is raised and it comes around to me in the big blind. I hate being out of position. A lot of players want to defend that little dab they have in the pot, or think that they like getting a discount on the admission price from that dab. They defend their big blind like my shepherd-husky mix Biscuit defends my backyard. I would love to have all the extra money that having a litle dab has cost people in the big blind. I could move into the Gates-Buffett bracket. ♠

Bob Ciaffone has authored four poker books, Middle Limit Holdem Poker, Pot-limit and No-limit Poker, Improve Your Poker, and Omaha Poker. All can be ordered (autographed to you) from Bob by e-mail: [email protected]. Free U.S. shipping to Card Player readers. Ciaffone is available for poker lessons at a reasonable rate. His website is www.pokercoach.us, where you can get his rulebook, Robert’s Rules of Poker, for free. Bob also has a website called www.fairlawsonpoker.org.