Hold Em Authority - Texas Hold Em Strategy and advice for all levels of players

The first true article on advanced strategy is coming to the forefront right now, and the topic is defending against the oh so common blind steal. I’ll run through a simple example that should bring light to the situation that may be muddy, or perhaps even unheard of to some of you new players. Here we go….

******

Let’s say you’re in the big blind and you are dealt:

Everyone folds around to the button who doubles the blinds. This appears to be a classic blind steal, and to be honest, this player could be making a move like this with any two cards.

******

If we assume (or know) that the small blind is a solid player, we can put ourselves in his/her shoes. If the small blind knows what we just stated, that the button could have any two cards, he/she might be more inclined to reraise with a weaker holding than normal. Let’s say in this case, the small blind reraises a healthy amount.

******

Now, we know that the button is very possibly weak, and although less likely, it’s possible that the small blind could be weak as well. This move isn’t for the faint of heart, or for the short on chips; a massive stack isn’t needed, but a solid stack is. Why don’t we just try to re-re-pop it and represent some real strength, even though we only hold a pair of walking sticks? This bet looks like we have something like AA, KK, or QQ, but because we’ve thought it out and determined that both of these players are weak, we can really take down the pot with a less than premium hand most of the time.

******

Now, we don’t really want to try this move with a horrid hand, because in the off chance that we get called, it’d be nice to have at least something that has a legitimate chance of winning.

******

It’s very possible that we could make this move and be forced to call an all in because we are pot committed. Hopefully we can think that out before making this type of move so we can get away from the hand if someone does indeed come back over the top.

******

So, there’s lots to think about when making a move like this, and you have to know the types of players you’re dealing with when attempting to execute this move. Make sure you have a healthy stack and a reason to get away from the hand if someone comes back over the top of you. Best of luck at the tables.

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 26th, 2006 at 9:15 pm and is filed under Intermediate Hold Em Strategy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.