Thievery is an essential part of poker. If poker were simply a game where the best hand always drags the pot, it would lose much of its strategic nuances and in turn, much of its appeal. The giant all-in bluff is the most dramatic form of poker larceny, but there are many others. Stealing the blinds and antes is small potatoes by comparison, but it's still a crucial tactic, especially in tournaments.
Typically it goes something like this. Pre-flop, the early position players fold, the mid-position players fold, everybody folds ... until the action reaches a late-position player who opens for a raise. The small and big blinds are then faced with deciding whether or not to call the raise or fold right there and let the raiser, whom they suspect in on a steal attempt, take their blinds. Statistically speaking, the blinds are likely to be holding only random so-so cards. Very often the players in the blinds will fold, even if they suspect they're being mugged, rather than deal with the hassle of playing a mediocre hand out of position against an aggressive raiser.
Needless to say, stealing the blinds is a more effective tactic in big bet games like pot-limit and no-limit, but even in limit games it works well if the blinds are tight players. The catch in the big-bet games is that you must put more of your chips at risk to win only the blinds, and often it's just not worth it. A chronic blind-napper will get called sometimes, or perhaps even re-raised.
Some players always suspect that a late-position raiser is on a steal attempt, and they'll put up a fight. For this reason, steal attempts work better when you make them with suited-connector type cards, as opposed to random trash hands. At least you'll have a better chance to actually make a hand on the flop when you do get called.
The decision to go for the steal depends on many factors. First, you must consider the style of those players in the blinds. Obviously a steal attempt is unlikely to work against calling stations. You must also consider your own table image. If other players in the game see you as a tight player, then they'll be much more likely to respect your raise even if it looks and smells like a classic steal attempt. Also, can you outplay your opponent after the flop if he does call?
Conversely, these same factors also come into play when you're in the blind and faced with a possible steal-raise. Is the raiser habitually aggressive? Does he see you as a weak tight player who'll meekly hand over the goods? How well can you play against him after the flop?
Stealing the blinds and antes is an essential part of tournament strategy, especially in the later stages. If the forced bets include both blinds and antes, you can pad your chip stack nicely with some well-timed pre-flop pot-pilfering. It's particularly effective once the tourney gets near the bubble stage. Many shorter-stacked players will want to survive awhile longer and will be more likely to surrender to a steal-raise, rather than to fight back and risk losing.
Of course the trick is to know when, where, and how much. Knowing your opponent is critical. As a rule, it's easier for big stacks to mug smaller stacks. The exception would be Lilliputian stacks in desperation mode, since they'll call and defend with just about anything. As for how much to raise in relation to the big blind, you must consider how much of your stack you're willing to put at risk to take down those blinds and antes, and also how much you mind the idea of getting called by this particular opponent. Stealing the blinds may be penny-ante poker theft, but you still must consider every angle-including the price of getting caught.
Barbara Connors is a sucker for classic old movies, science fiction, and the St. Louis Cardinals. Her life's ambition is to figure out the unusual behavior patterns of that unique breed of humans who call themselves poker players. Contact her at fyreflye222@yahoo.com.
