Defending your blinds...

[Turn4Tori]

What do you guys do to defend or take a stand so to speak? I'm finding repeatedly I'm getting hammered for my blinds...I don't know if I'm just unlucky, or truly handling it wrong. I've tried re-raising, I've tried shoving...Any advice is appreciated.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2102125

[JimTheFish]

unfortunately you ran into A's so its moot point what you could've done.
regardless, he obv keeps right in line with whatever you do as most cant let A's go.

[Trashtalker961]

Defending your blinds is a very interesting subject and I can't wait to hear some answers from some of the better players.

I know people that will call almost any moderate raise in the blinds with almost any two cards..in the name of defending your blind.

I on the other hand think you have to just play the cards... play the people on your table etc. If I had someone who almost every hand on the button was raising my blinds and every time I looked down I had King 5 offsuit or 7 3 offsuit etc. I am going to fold almost 100% of the time.

However, If I have someone that is doing that almost every time and I have A semi moderate hand... Ace, Ten and better or King 10 and better ..or middle pair and better...I might re-pop them once or twice to keep them honest.

Others can give their thoughts...but I would say don't get caught up in defending the blinds.. it is a sure way to lose a bunch of chips!

[hemi 06]

Defending your blinds all has to do with the read you have on the button position and the small or big blind.

Most good poker players get a read on the people that they are in the blinds with, before they read anyone else)
(This allows the player to be able to make the re-raise, or the raise)

More often than not, I like to make a move from the BB against the SB. This allows me to have position on the SB.

***If you can't call a raise from the SB, when the blinds ae high, DON'T limp***

[alecdent]

Originally Posted by Trashtalker961

Defending your blinds is a very interesting subject and I can't wait to hear some answers from some of the better players.

I know people that will call almost any moderate raise in the blinds with almost any two cards..in the name of defending your blind.

I on the other hand think you have to just play the cards... play the people on your table etc. If I had someone who almost every hand on the button was raising my blinds and every time I looked down I had King 5 offsuit or 7 3 offsuit etc. I am going to fold almost 100% of the time.

However, If I have someone that is doing that almost every time and I have A semi moderate hand... Ace, Ten and better or King 10 and better ..or middle pair and better...I might re-pop them once or twice to keep them honest.

Others can give their thoughts...but I would say don't get caught up in defending the blinds.. it is a sure way to lose a bunch of chips!

I agree, but if someone is raising my blind just about everytime, then I am liable to repop him with just about anything if I feel he is weak. But yeah, I wanna hear what the better players have to say also..

[Turn4Tori]

yeah exactly...I did the repop/shove at a badddd time/unlucky - looking forward to some more info...

Specifically when you are making a move/stand how much do you commit, or is it an auto shove back?

[cardsfan04]

2 points:

1. I think this is a standard jam given your stack and hand and he raised from button.

2. I think protecting blinds is one of the most overdone things people do. I think Negreneau once said that bets typically mean what they are representing (or something like that), meaning that a raise is a bluff a small ammount of the time. Therefore, protecting your blinds light is typically a mistake.

[chimp__greg]

The answer is really... "it depends"

It was most likely a good and +EV shove here, unless you were shoving every single hand and that guy almost never raised, which is unlucky imo.

Generally if it's a resteal bloof, not a valueshove, the play should be profitable or close to it with any two cards.

That only is when you have the correct stack sizes for each of you, and the correct situation.

For example, 10k in the BB w/ anything with a tightass image and the button w/ 15k bumps it to 1600 when he has been very aggressive in LP, and has raise-folded alot.

To add to it even more, it's the bubble and he's been bullying it.

This is likely a spot where 32o or 72o could be pushed profitably, therefore it is likely correct to resteal with any two cards.

But other spots where you've been very loose and the OR very tight, and you have a reckless image, even KJs could possibly be a fold.

I know this isn't a good answer, but it's the right one. It depends.

If you provided more information and a specific spot then it would be easier to give advice and also likely more helpful as you could see the thought process into it.

With deep stacks in a rebuy 3-betting/restealing is a different monster as well, so let me/eveyone know what exactly you are looking at in terms of defending.

[chimp__greg]

Originally Posted by cardsfan04

2 points:

1. I think this is a standard jam given your stack and hand and he raised from button.

2. I think protecting blinds is one of the most overdone things people do. I think Negreneau once said that bets typically mean what they are representing (or something like that), meaning that a raise is a bluff a small ammount of the time. Therefore, protecting your blinds light is typically a mistake.

Generally ya I'm sure it's overused and I sure I overuse it alot, but for tight players I think it can be a huge weapon especially deepstacked and is underused, especially as a bluff in good spots.

[cardsfan04]

I agree it can be an effective weapon and that everybody should have it in their arsenal, but I think people do it just to do it too often. I'm not very good at it, so I don't do it a ton.

[Turn4Tori]

Originally Posted by chimp__greg

Generally ya I'm sure it's overused and I sure I overuse it alot, but for tight players I think it can be a huge weapon especially deepstacked and is underused, especially as a bluff in good spots.

That's exactly it...I'm TAG.
Here's my stats hour 1 of this tourney - it continued on pretty much the same...

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 65 hands and saw flop:
- 2 out of 8 times while in big blind (25%)
- 0 out of 8 times while in small blind (0%)
- 3 out of 49 times in other positions (6%)
- a total of 5 out of 65 (7%)
Pots won at showdown - 0 of 1 (0%)
Pots won without showdown - 2

I had been sitting at that table for approx 45mins without playing a hand...

[rotary13b]

take hersh's blind on blind play lesson. id like to tell you guys what i learned, but im really not allowed. he wants people to take his lessons to gain that information. very good lesson and worth the $20(or just get 4 lessons for $60, well worth the money)

[DaCus3]

Originally Posted by Turn4Tori

That's exactly it...I'm TAG.
Here's my stats hour 1 of this tourney - it continued on pretty much the same...

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 65 hands and saw flop:
- 2 out of 8 times while in big blind (25%)
- 0 out of 8 times while in small blind (0%)
- 3 out of 49 times in other positions (6%)
- a total of 5 out of 65 (7%)
Pots won at showdown - 0 of 1 (0%)
Pots won without showdown - 2

I had been sitting at that table for approx 45mins without playing a hand...

for god sake play more hands.... there is no way you should ever see 7% imo...

on a side note... i generally wouldnt make that play with KJ for this reason... ANY hand he calls with there has u smoked... KJ is just a terrible hand to make a play with. obviously in this situation it wouldnt have matter but if your going to do a resteal like that its better to do it with suited connectors because there is a drastically smaller chance of being dominated.

just my humble opinion.

[sizzlinbetta]

Originally Posted by Turn4Tori

That's exactly it...I'm TAG.
Here's my stats hour 1 of this tourney - it continued on pretty much the same...

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 65 hands and saw flop:
- 2 out of 8 times while in big blind (25%)
- 0 out of 8 times while in small blind (0%)
- 3 out of 49 times in other positions (6%)
- a total of 5 out of 65 (7%)
Pots won at showdown - 0 of 1 (0%)
Pots won without showdown - 2

I had been sitting at that table for approx 45mins without playing a hand...

that's wayyyyy to tight people will go at your blinds because of those stats

[chimp__greg]

It's only 65 hands, not enough of a sample.