How To Play The Blinds – SB or BB Strategies

Position is a critical factor in poker and the blinds are considered the worst positions to play from. Clearly here our strategy should be to take any cheap chances that we can and limit any losses.

The ideal situation is that everyone checks and you get to see the flop for free. Whilst this might happen on some no limit tables with very loose players, this is extremely unlikely to happen in reality. Most likely someone will raise and you will be forced with a decision to call/reraise or to fold.

Whatever you do, don’t fall into the beginners trap of possessing mediocre cards and deciding to throw some more chips in just to see the flop. If you keep doing that then you will lose money.
However, if you are up against a lot of players then the possible payout is quite high and it would be worth calling a raise, even with not-so-great cards. On the other hand, if many people have already folded then the future value of the pot will be reduced and you should fold on anything but the nuts!

The best thing to do is to fold on mid-range hands. If you have the nuts then obviously play it out. If you don’t, then so long as players remain in the game, the odds are in your favour. Otherwise, fold in this situation.

Remember, poker is a long term game – you should play when you think your chances are good and not play when you think they are bad. In the long run, this will balance out and you should profit handsomely.