SB strategies

The SB is one of those inherently hairy spots. Let's say I'm BB. If the table folds around or damn near it, and the SB just completes, I will Frequently assume heshe's trying to get a cheap flop and raise it. Sometimes bigly.

I personally play pretty tight in the SB, partly to prevent that happening to me, and for the obvious reason that I'm first next round. Another thing that may work is doing the opposite as everyone else does when they're SB. Other thoughts?

Here's a decent blind thread I dug up, for further reading:
http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...9&highlight=sb

I have found in my brief, but colorfull HE experience, this is one of those damned if you do, damned if you don't situations. So, until my NLHEESP sharpens; I'm tighter than a bull's ass at fly time! 8-)

TABTA! Just because of the positional disadvantage on all following betting rounds.

If there are a ton of limpers, I will loosen up a bit and look at a flop with that much money in the pot. More often than not, its an automatic fold for me.

Wow, I'm surprised I'm in the minority here. I'm a limp almost anything but fold to any raise kind of guy in the SB in NL. The exception is if its folded around to the blinds, in which case I really mix it up and am much more likely to raise. The more limpers in front of me, the more likely I'm going to complete with a marginal hand, unless of course its absolutely horrid (in which case I'll still consider it with a ton of limpers and rather small blinds).

But when I'm in the SB and someone raises, even a minraise usually, I really am as tight as a baby turtle's anus. I never call raises in the small blind unless I have at least a good suited connector and there's many callers in front of me. Its really my tightest position in terms of calling a raise with the horrid position and much less of a discount when compared to the BB (especially on minraises).

I can't believe there are people that raise often in the SB with a bunch of limpers either. I must think I have the best hand to raise in the SB basically. Its not necessarily true anywhere else for me. Again, the exception is a blind war and maybe a late position limper (who does this when they're weak). But with multiple or early position limpers, I'm really damn tight when it comes to calling or raising in the SB.

I can't really answer this one because I have 3 different answers for it.

Limit Holdem... Tight as hell

NL... Loose calling a larger number of hands, based on the "i can get your stack" factor

Tourneys, really loose early on, I tighten as the blinds go up.

michael's SB strat is what I usually try to follow, but often if its a marginal hand without enough callers the implied odds arent worth completing.

To those that refuse to limp from the SB, Mike Caro had an audio lesson where he talked how you often times destroy your pot odds if you raise from the SB.

This is because when you limp from the SB behind a few callers, you are getting really great pot odds due to the 1/2 bet "discount". When you raise (or somebody else does), your "discount" goes down to 1/4 or less.

After listening to that, I am now much less likely to raise from the SB. I do loosen up and play some decent draw hands that I normally wouldn't, if there were some other callers ahead of me.

I don't like to raise from SB (unless I have AA, KK, or AKs) based on the sole fact that your position on the table is horrible. I will usually see the flop and if I hit, I'll play it out. If not, it's an easy check/fold.