Poker Blinds 101: Mastering the Big Blind and Small Blind
The big blind and small blind in poker are two of the worst positions. Not only are you forced to put chips into the pot before you even see your cards, but you’ll be acting first after the flop, giving an advantage to all the other players at the table. So, how do you play the poker blinds?
Tips for Playing the Poker Blinds
If you’re playing online poker against real players instead of games like video poker, learning how to play in specific positions is essential, and the blinds are a good place to start. However, whether it’s the big blind, small blind, hijack, or button, how you play the hand will depend on many factors that aren’t easy to predict, including your hand, the experience and skill level of your opponents, how aggressive they are, and what kind of hands you’re up against.
Fortunately, a few tips apply across the board and can help you when playing the big and small blind positions.
Play Aggressively on Occasion
You’re not losing much by giving up a single blind, but if you keep folding to every bet, you will lose a lot of chips throughout a tournament. You’ll also paint a target on your back, showing the other players that your blind is an easy steal.
Put up a defense now and then and start defending the occasional blind. It’s not something you should do every hand, as you’ll be caught out eventually, but by making the odd defense, you can switch things up and make it harder for your opponents to figure out your strategy.
Don’t Limp Too Much
Limping from the small blind is overused in tournament poker. You’re making a small call in the hope that you can see a flop for less, but you could see that flop with several other players, and they’ll all have position on you once it lands. If you want to see the flop, pay for it.
A raise will scare some players out of the hand, thus increasing your chances of landing the winning hand when the flop hits. It also allows you to continuation bet and represent a good hand while still giving you the option to fold if things get too hairy and you haven’t committed too many chips or caught anything interesting.
Steal from the Small Blind
Betting three big blinds from the small blind is a great way to steal from the big blind. It’s a sizeable bet and asks a lot from the big blind. They could defend and raise you, which might happen occasionally, but that’s where reading players come in. After a few rounds, you’ll know what kind of player you’re up against. If they keep giving up those blinds, keep raising and taking them.
Try the Occasional Check-Raise
The check-raise is a strong move that can be employed when holding a valuable hand or trying to bluff something big. You check, and your opponent thinks you’re weak, so they bet with the expectation that you will fold. If you follow this with a raise, you’re giving them something to think about.
If they are bluffing, they will likely give it up. If they hold a decent hand, they may feel like they have to call.
Pay Attention
Watch the other players closely and pay attention to what they do. When people talk about spotting bluffs and looking for tells, they usually think of live poker, where they can actually see the other players. But you can also glean a lot of information in online games. It’s all about how they bet when they have good hands and when they don’t. Do they always play the same way in certain positions? Are they overly aggressive or tight? Do they tend to play aggressively when they lose a hand and get frustrated?
All of this is very valuable information, and it will tell you how they respond to traps, value raises, and aggressive bluffs. It will also indicate what they have in their hand and whether they have caught anything on the flop. If you have this info, you can play strongly from any position, even the poker blinds.
Summary: Playing the Poker Blinds
The small blind and big blind might be two of the worst positions in poker, but that doesn’t mean you should play tight every time and fold any bet that comes your way. You don’t want to be a pushover, so rather than avoiding these positions, learn how to play them properly!
Remember the tips above the next time you engage in a tournament and start wrestling with those poker blinds. If you want to skip all of that and enjoy some simple poker games where position isn’t important, you can play 3 card poker online right here.
Poker Common Queries
What is big blind and little blind in poker?
The poker blinds are mandatory bets paid before each hand is dealt. The big blind is twice the size of the small blind, and these two amounts are determined before the start of play and listed in the tournament details. As the tournament progresses and players start dropping out, the average chip stack of the remaining players increases, and the blinds will increase to account for this, with preset adjustments for every round.
Does big blind go first?
In a game of poker, the big blind doesn’t go first. Instead, the player to their left goes before the flop, and the action moves clockwise around the table.
How much is a big blind small blind?
It depends on the tournament structure. You can learn this information before you play. Typically, the small blind is half of the big blind, and the latter is usually about 1/100 or 1/200 of the starting stack.
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