Advanced Poker Advice: The Importance of Blind Stealing

by Jose Severino | Jan 2 2008

There's no doubt that in order to win a tournament you should steal blinds at least once during the whole tournament. Of course, I'm not saying that you can't win a tournament if you don't steal blinds, but stealing blinds is one of the most important and most used features in No Limit Texas Holdem. It sounds easy to do, but it's not. Stealing blinds triggers several questions that most of people are not aware of, like when you should steal blinds and from where you should steal blinds.

When you should steal blinds?

I'm the kind of person that follows the Stu Ungar theory of never ever stealing blinds before the antes kick in, unless you have a real premium hand that you won't fold if someone resteals you. It's not worth it, and it's definitely minus expected value (-EV). Let's say that the blinds are 150-300, there's 450 in the pot and the random raise is three times the big blind. You are raising to 900 into a 450 pot. If someone goes all-in, you lose 900, and you need to raise two other hands to recover that 900.

Instead, when the antes get in, it's totally different. Let's say the blinds are 400-800 with 100 of ante. In a nine-handed table, the total pot is 400+800+(100X9) = 2,100. Now everything changes. If you raise three times the big blind to 2,400, you are raising almost the entire pot, so if someone moves all-in, you would only need one other hand to break almost even on your steals. In fact, what I like to do when I steal with antes is to raise two and a half times the big blind so I break completely even or sometimes benefit from my steals.

From where you should steal blinds?

This is a question that varies a lot between different levels of players. In a full table, there are three different positions from where to steal blinds: early position (let's call this type of raise the "under the gun" raise), middle position and late position (which I would just call the "dealer" position).

The best known steal from these three positions is the dealer position. Everyone knows about this raise. The amateurs, the pros, every single player knows how to steal blinds from the dealer position when the action is folded to them. This is the easiest steal and is the one you get most used to. But like I said, everyone knows the dealer steal, so this brings some problems. You will get repopped 10 times more than if you raise from middle position or from under the gun. That is why you've got to choose very carefully whose blinds you raise from this spot. Fortunately, if you are still alive when the ante gets in, you will have a good idea of whom you can and can't steal the blinds from.

What most people have problems with is when there's about 20 people left and you are playing a short-handed table with six or seven players. This is a very tough spot because action goes by so fast, and if you are not comfortable stealing blinds, you will get blinded out in just a couple of rounds. The action is short-handed, so my best advice here, if you are not getting hands and you want to survive the bubble, is to raise under the gun or early position at least once per round. This raise is so strong and so meaningful that the blinds won't bother to resteal unless they really have a premium.

So, like the new saying says, "Under the gun is the new button."