Defending your blinds

[zook]

1) In what situations to you do it?
2) Do you open up your re-raise range, call range, or both?
3) Do you do it from the SB, BB or both?

When I'm in the BB, it's folded to the CO or button and they raise, I generally open up my re-raise range to include more PPs, AK & AQ. I open up my calling range to include Ax, KT+, QT+, but not drawing hands like SCs that I don't want to play OOP. I don't if this is a good strategy, so I'd love to read other opinions. If there are any good articles or posts out there about blind defense at NL ring, please tell me about them.

[Toadstool]

Personally, I dont bother defending the blinds, If it is raised from the CO or BTN, then you are OOP the whole hand (if they do decide to call) by giving up your blind you lose a tiny bit of EV, its only 1BB, also its much better to be the blind stealer than the blind defender. If you do decide to defend your blind by reraising with a marginal hand, say BTN raises to 4BB, and you hold Q10s - an OK hand, but your not gonna win a big pot with it OOP, especially in a heads up pot with a BTN who likely has rags and wont pay you off if you hit unless your beat. you then can either reraise, to 14xBB (IMO 12xBB would be too small, you want to try to end the hand now as youll be OOP) than thats 14xBB to win 5BB, or you can fold and lose 1BB. I usually fold all but the best hands when the button raises, due to the above factors, I'll even throw 22-55 as the implied odds are just not there when facing a button raiser, and I dont want to be playing a big pot OOP with these small PP's unless i hit a set, and its very unlikely ill get paid off if i do.

[martindcx1e]

Blind defense in NL ring is massively unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Then again, so is poker, but you know what I mean.

[Mulligan]

i usually (as most do) loose more in my blinds than in other positions. compounding that by playing MORE marginal hands doesn't seem to be the solution. i generally play back big much less often just so they don't know they can take it whenever they want, but without getting exposed OOP as often. general starting reqs seem to be enough for that most of the time, but occasionally i will re-pop with anything based on table feel.

mulligan

[Fnord]

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $ BB (9 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

SB ($198)
BB ($212)
UTG ($49.20)
UTG+1 ($328.35)
MP1 ($17.12)
MP2 ($211.90)
MP3 ($132.08)
CO ($45)
Button ($192)

Fnord is BB with 6 T and wants to gamb00l
SB is tight, weak and predictable

Preflop: SB posts a blind of $1.
7 folds, SB (poster) raises to $6, BB calls $5.

Flop: ($14) T, 8, 8 (2 players)
SB bets $8, BB calls $8.

Turn: ($30) Q (2 players)
SB bets $15, BB raises to $40, SB calls $25.

River: ($110) 3 (2 players)
SB checks, BB checks.

Final Pot: $110

Results:
SB has Ad Jd (one pair, eights).
BB has 6h Th (two pair, tens and eights).
Outcome: BB wins $110.

[jackvance]

1) In what situations to you do it?

Only when you think some guy is purposely trying to steal the blinds a lot.. meaning his raising range is huge, or in other words, he might just have a sucky hand. If a guy raises the button just once when it is folded to him, no need to reraise him or defend it with crap.. he might've just caught a hand. If he keeps doing it, then it's time to look for a spot to teach him a lesson.

[Fnord]

If he keeps doing it, then it's time to look for a spot to teach him a lesson.

LMAO. This is why I love raising any 2 on the button in some games. Guys without a clue how to play a hand that isn't AK/pair try to out-play me out of position with crap cards.

[jmontis]

If he keeps doing it, then it's time to look for a spot to teach him a lesson.

LMAO. This is why I love raising any 2 on the button in some games. Guys without a clue how to play a hand that isn't AK/pair try to out-play me out of position with crap cards.

it's great isn't it, kind of restores your confidence in the future of NL

[jackvance]

LMAO. This is why I love raising any 2 on the button in some games. Guys without a clue how to play a hand that isn't AK/pair try to out-play me out of position with crap cards.

People with sucky postflop skills are always the ideal targets, especially if you can get them riled up, annoyed enough to play back at you, like by constantly raising etc. However if you're up against people with decent postflop skills, or people who remain unphased by your Lagging up the table, raising any two in the button won't work too well anymore..

[Fnord]

However if you're up against people with decent postflop skills, or people who remain unphased by your Lagging up the table, raising any two in the button won't work too well anymore..

It takes a few orbits to figure out what I'm up to if it's a full table, particular the multi-table campers. I also will shift down gears after establishing that I'm a raiser.

[jackvance]

I like to do this too. It's great to see how the table plays. And identify the people who want to play back at you - ie, the ones who are most likely to pay you off in the future.

Ugh and I really *really* hate multitable nutcampers.. I really wish there was a good way to take their money. It's always the donks that end up paying you.. but I get ten times the satisfaction from taking money from a nutcamper because I hate that playstyle. Mister 1.3% PFR throws out a raise.. nice AA/KK, pff.. reraises me on the flop, ah you hit a set..

[Mulligan]

why do you hate that player? not hard to identify, no secret to their play. either leave or avoid. i would rather know the style and play accordingly than have tough decisions all the time against an unpredictable. sure, they are the ones who give you the biggest pots, but they also are the ones who get paid off on bad plays/decisions with the biggest pots too. you can always take the multitable nut campers' (is MNC a proper acryonym here? heh) one SB+BB at a time, heh.

mulligan.