Joined: Mar '10
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 49 (M)
Posts: 41
How do you deal with them & have you a specific strategy for thievery?
I get myself in some risky situations, going all in sometimes with bottom pair or sometimes complete air if a bully is relentless on my blinds. If I move to a new table and it happens 3 times in a row, or even 1 hand in between the 3, then I'll take a stand. Obviously I've went out plenty of tourns picking the wrong spots but most of the time I come out with the message being clear and get a lot more 'walks' afterwards.
If it's myself I'll take it easy for a few rounds arriving at a new table to get some respect, then start to turn the screw. Probably about 60/40 stealing, mixing it up from the hijack to buttom to keep everyone off guard. I don't even bother until the blinds are 250+. I've found so far that it's best to keep people guessing and maintaining respect.
Any pointers on my strategy or other ideas on how to exploit or counter being exploited?
Joined: Jan '10
Location: Indonesia
Age: 60 (M)
Posts: 1875
Good thread !! it's my problem, too. Usually I don't care he bluff or not. I just watch my hand, properly to play or not. If reasonable I call. Many time villain like that is very lucky. hit monster and kick me out even my best hand .That case almost same like HU against hyper aggressive, almost go all in all the time. hope some one give better opinion, lol.
Joined: Jan '12
Location: Belgium
Age: 50 (M)
Posts: 32
Good strategy , you must play this way . But better is build up an facade of tight play and once or twice steal hughe blinds with a reraise . The chance on fold is greater and you take only few times the risk .
Joined: Jan '12
Location: Brazil
Age: 36 (F)
Posts: 13
I think you need to steal a lot with blinds and ante in tournaments, many time i rerais up to 3xbb and with a rerais a fold. And you need take youre spots with any two cards!! and if i been raised on my blinds for the second time in a row i rerais also with any two cards, you need to protect youre blinds and play agressive thats the way you play more FT and yes you can win a tournament with tight play but less then when agressive.
Only tight play before bubble even iff youre stack big don't get involved in three handed or more even with AA!! And they FT you play just very tight let them fight for position or you be the smallest stack.
Joined: May '08
Location: Lithuania
Age: 39 (M)
Posts: 10090
i just wait for good cards and go all in in that case- but of course the situation really depends on some other issues- what game- omaha, texas (pl, nl), is it a tourney or a sit and go or maybe it's a cash game- there are many variables so there is no clear answer dude
Joined: Aug '08
Location: Canada
Age: 43 (M)
Posts: 658
Sounds like you got a good philosophy already but as you know you are risking running into hands doing this. The reward is pretty big like you know so its always a tradeoff.
In my experience i tend to make those "hero" type plays when the villain can't felt me. So i wont even bother if someone steals my blinds when im short because i can't afford to defend them without putting myself in harms way. If i do get some breathing space its then that i "turn the screws" like you said. I find people are less hesitant to play a guy who can end them. So if you are in bb and the hijack raises 2.5x the bb then i usually repop him 1/2 pot or something. If they are stealing or holding a marginal pocket pair you may force a fold but no matter what they will need to hit something big to have any chance of taking down the pot. This works in many situations asides from blinds as well.
To me its all about making them believers. if you reraised pre, either cbet OR c/r flop (even stronger move) they would have to make a pretty big play to stay or have a big hand. These plays dont work so well if you have a poor table image or are on a table thats hyper aggro. Also if the first time you try this you get caught then you need to scrap that plan and make the next hand u showdown really strong to have any chance of trying it again.
Joined: Jan '11
Location: United States
Age: 60 (M)
Posts: 3361
This aggrevates the pizz our of me also, but the only thing I can do is hopefully have a decent hand so I can call. This happens a lot in the micro SnG's. Everyone taking turns stealing the blinds instead of betting and possibly gaining more by playing an honest hand. In most cases these "Blind Stealers" don't have a good hand, but most of the players getting their blinds stolen don't have a good enough hand to challenge. I give up a lot of chips to the "Blind Stealers" and don't have a good answer as to how to defeat them or stop this method of play.
Joined: Dec '10
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 38 (M)
Posts: 34
A raise says I have it, but of course this is dependent on position. A person raising from late position can comfortably raise with mediocre cards to steal the blinds and antes.
So as far as beating a steal goes you have to play a hand from the stealing player's position. Look out for more stealing when the blinds get big, your middling holdings might not be most wisely mucked.
Again I see a raise as saying "I have it", 3betting someone you suspect of stealing says "I know you have it/are stealing, but I have it better/know you are stealing so stop it". As usual in poker don't do anything to excess, don't be a hero and try and all in every suspected steal attempt but don't be a nit and be afraid of 3betting some middling pocket pairs and suited connectors. Worst case scenario you can take a flop and if you suspect he's stealing you are often way ahead of his range anyway with these types of hands.
Joined: May '09
Location: Spain
Age: 49 (M)
Posts: 1331
Hi guys!!
Blind game. Poker (specially FR) is now blind game. That is why without a HUD we are nothing in poker world.
If you don´t have one, forget about think a lot. Choose a good range to steal and resteal and play only that. Remember that steal blinds only is Ev+ IF you don´t stupidly give $$ when see flop.
Joined: Apr '09
Location: Portugal
Age: 44 (M)
Posts: 4827
I don’t think about them as a major problem. This thieves are common players who know how to deal with their position at the table. If you think about it, you will see there are certain times when also you can go above your hand and manage to keep the blinds for you, just because of your position. Don’t think you should try to go against them, only if you have a good hand and, in that case, they will fold after your re-raise, don’t worry.
Joined: Mar '10
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 49 (M)
Posts: 41
I should probably elaborate more. I really only play Micro-Low MTT NLH, 4 tabling max.
I know I do get too caught up and prideful that nobody is bullying my blinds sometimes, resulting in the occasional push. These type of situations usually happen when they've a bigger stack than me anyway and my reriasing pf & c-bet just gets called looking to steal on later streets. I find that waiting on those big hands and pushing just results in an instafold and doesn't stop anything in future rounds. Unless you get several monsters in a row. If hand dead it isn't long in draining your stack when in later stages and this is why I like to take a stand and look for advice in dealing with them.
Some good points been made though and I know I need to adjust, it's just how.
Joined: Mar '11
Location: Croatia
Age: 43 (M)
Posts: 1738
It's always tricky to handle it and depends a lot on the history u have on the table. I'm also a micro player but doing sngs mostly. As a rule if the stealer is the same guy or the same 2 or 3 in the great majority of hands, i widen my raise/re-raise preflop hands. The credit I give them for having an hand is directly proportional to the amount of times they act preflop in an obvious bullying aggressive manner.
