Blinds in Poker

In position 1 - small blind - (SB), and position 2 - big blind (BB), you already have your money in on the hand. The only advantage you get in the blinds is that pre-flop, you get to bet last. After that, it’s a terrible place to be.

Generally speaking, you don't want to play from this position. But, it is a no-limit game we are talking about here, so anything can happen. When you are in the blinds, you do get to see what everyone else does first. Sometimes, you actually get a decent hand.

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If everyone just calls the big blind, you are pretty golden. This is actually pretty common in lower buy-in games. Most folks are afraid to bet their hands, and try to slow play too much. You know a decent player by if he bets his hand or not.

If it gets called around to you, and you are in position 1, you have a decision to make. First, you are already in for ½ a bet. From the small blind, it is a losing proposition, over time, to always call to the big blind. But, with a decent hand, why not?

If you have one of the top 84 hands, in the small blinds, you are quite lucky. Since no one raised, and you are in for ½ already, it may be a good idea to put in the other half.

If the blinds are low enough, say 10/15 or 15/30, I almost always put in the other ½ if that is all it will cost me. Regardless of what I have. You could get lucky. If the bb is 30, and you are already in for 15, and have roughly 800 chips, like at the start of a game, you are really only throwing in 2% of your stack. That is not much.

You need discipline though if you are going to play from the blinds. If you called, and have a lower grouping hand, say groups 5-8, and don’t get a flush draw, trips, or two-pair, be prepared to fold it up. Even an open-ended straight draw isn’t so good from here.

Generally speaking, from the blinds, you will want to check. If you have the top hands, group 1, and are in either of the blinds, by all means, play them accordingly. AA and KK don’t play well with a bunch of people in. AK doesn’t play to its strength unless it’s against one other guy. Basically everything else you will want to limp in.

Since this is the only time you will play last, and you have one of the top hands, you need to raise it. Play it just as you would from late position. If you were UTG, it would be advisable to just call with AA or KK, and hope someone else raised so you could call that, or re-raise.

But, from the blinds in poker, you just raise with the group 1 hands.

If you limp in, with some bad hand, and hit your flop, it is up to you to bet it or check it. If you flop the nuts, always check! If you have a pretty good hand, say two pair, I still always check. Check, check, check. This way, you “sort of” steal the button from the player on the button. If you check, whether you have a good hand, a draw, or even nothing, at least you get to see what everyone else does without committing any more chips.

Say it’s early in the game, and everyone has about the same amount of chips. You’d hate to have, say A7 limped in, get an ace on the flop, and throw up 50 chips. Then as it goes around the board, and #5 re-raises to all-in over the top of you. I wouldn’t advise going all-in with A7 at that point of the game. Odds are he was slowplaying AK, or hit 2 pair.

Either way, he most likely has a better kicker than your 7. So you fold it down, and are out 50 chips when you could have just as easily checked to see if nimrod #5 was coming out firing anyway.

Most good players know that amateurs raise while in the blinds. Tight players only raise in the blinds with the very top hands. If you’ve identified a player as a tight player, and he’s raising from the blinds, if you don’t have one of the top hands,something in group one or two, it’d probably be best to fold it up and watch.