Texas Hold ‘Em Poker Tournament

Some people consider stealing a pot with limpers preflop to be a blind steal attempt. I love to make this move if my table is passive, fairly tight, not tricky, and I have a somewhat decent hand.

If I had JT offsuit after a few limpers, it is a perfectly fine hand to limp in with in late position if I’m unlikely to get raised. There’s nothing wrong with that play. There’s also nothing wrong with folding it if players on the button or the blinds are aggressive, or if you want to start to create a tight image. However, since it’s not suited, I don’t care if I get raised off of it by the blinds or a limper. If I raise fairly large here, it’s pretty unlikely that people will limp and call a raise with a jack, and definitely not a ten. If they had AJ they are fairly likely to raise preflop, and if they have king jack and limp in they’re probably ready to fold since they are out of position facing a raise. Of course many lower stake games, and really loose games will definitely limp call with ace jack, so forget this play in that situation. I’m making this play hoping I’m not dominated when I get called.

Remember I’m not just raising 3 times the big blind here, I’m generally going to be raising 3 plus 1 for every person who limped or maybe even 1.5 per every limper. Sometimes even 2. Generally you might need to kick up the raise amount since your opponents are getting good odds to call. When I make a big steal attempt OVER limpers, I’m more focused on how large the pot is. I might think about raising 2.5-3.5 times the pot, but on rare occasion I might make the 4 times the pot raise. People often make larger raises with JJ and TT and maybe AK, so this raise is going to represent a realistic hand. People will generally not be afraid that someone has aces because they just won’t believe them. But a raise like this represents a realistic hand.

If my opponents just limp in, they’re probably just going to call or fold the raise. So lets say the blinds are 50/100. 2 people limp in, but they’ve been doing it a lot, AND they’ve done it from late position. There’s now 350 in the pot. I could make it 600-1500 here and easily take it down.

So I raise maybe 800. If I occasionally decide to make the biggest raise I’ll make up to 1400, it is only because I have a healthy stack, and because it’s worth setting up the image so I get action when I have a hand.

If my opponents reraise me a bunch, I can fold, but when I have a hand and make that play, I can make a small minimum rereraise, create a huge pot, and get them pot committed to call on the flop and soon all of his chips are going my way. Although I might raise a large amount, when I’m playing a BIG pot for most or all of my chips, I usually have a monster hand. So If I have maybe 12,000 or more, I have no problem making that play raising to 1400. Never more than 15% of my stack if it’s a 4 times raise. The raise is set up where if I’m raised to 3200, I can either move all in, or just make it like 6800 or just a little more and my opponent will have to only call 3600 with 10,000 in the pot. My opponent not only will think that he’s getting the right pot odds to call now getting nearly 3:1, BUT I will probably have Aces or Kings meaning he doesn’t have the odds… But then he will say, “well if I call I’m going to be committed to call, so I have to move all in” What’s more, once the flop comes, with half of my money in the pot already, there’s no way I can give my opponent the implied odds to beat me.

The reason this large raise works is because your opponents are much less likely to try to play back at you, and when they do, you could have a big hand and they’re going to get themselves pot committed. Most of them know that at some level. But If they just call, even if they call half the time, you would still have to be a pretty big dog for it to be unprofitable for you because you’ve taken control.

My game advanced more than any other point in my career overnight when I started focusing on making moves that fit in with the style of keeping it the right size.

Anything over 15% is the wrong size. That doesnt mean you throw out raises that are over 15% completely, but you just make sure you have a good hand such a high percentage of the time, that your steals that are more than 15% are super effective.

You have to make sure that your raises don’t give anything away. Every so often, change your bet from 3 big blinds, to 4 or 5 big blinds to 2.5 big blinds, to 3 times the pot, to 2 times the pot. The bigger raise might be bigger than anything you’ve made, but if you’re someone that raises smaller than average one hand, then larger than average, a bigger bet still doesn’t stand out that much, because you just look like an unpredictable player unless you’ve been playing too many hands…

Of course if you play too tight when you become shorter stacked, you won’t be able to survive either, and that’s why it’s nice to have this play in your arsenal. Many times because the blinds are always rising, it is better to pass up a steal attmpt that will only win you the small and big blind in order to wait a rotation or even a few, so that when the blinds go up a level or two you have more credibility and not only is an individual steal attempt worth more, but now you can get away with winning more in terms of big blinds as well. You can make up for the opportunity you gave up and then some because of the credibility you’ve gained. Not only does it allow you to win a few big blinds, but you still potentially can win even more if you’re just called and you win on or after the flop. In addition, if you pick up a big hand later, it’s more likely you can get a lot more out of it.

Keep these ideas in mind, and you should find yourself advancing deeper in tournaments without taking on as many major* risks.

Blind steals are important in tournaments.  But not all blind steals are created equal.  Generally you should be much less likely to steal at aggressive tables, and you should play tighter to avoid taking risks and being forced into tough situations.  Part two more specifically centered on dealing with aggressive tables, now we will center on passive tables.

Against passive opponents you can steal with mch more hands, even if the opponents are slightly looser.  The reason is, if you are unsuccessful, your hand still has value and you cann check it down to the river.  While ace high probably doesn’t play as good down to 5 cards as it does after 3, you at least have the advantage to avoid trouble when you hit your ace, and possibly check down against a pair like kings and have 2 more cards to hit your ace. Against passive opponents, a raise usually means a lot of strength.

Suited Connectors- These are great for stealing the blinds at passive tables. The only disadvantage is many passive tables will raise when they have a hand like aces.  Unfortunately against aces you absolutely want to be able to call, hit the perfect flop and bust them for all of their chips. So you don’t ALWAYS want to raise.  You can certainly try a “delayed steal” or if you have over 60 big blinds the “ministeal) The delayed steal is where you limp in, with the intention to steal on the flop, and the ministeal is where you make a minraise with the intention to steal a low percentage of the time, recognizing that your hand still has a lot of value when the steal attempt is called. A normal steal attempt is perfectly fine here though.  You may miss out on the ability to crack aces, but you attempt a steal, and you’re called, but then you get to see all 5 cards.  When you DO hit, you can bet small amounts, and if your opponent calls 2 bets, he’ll probably call a larger bet on the river. A perfect hand to steal because it isn’t one where you’re raising to get value from, but if you do get called, you can easily recognize when your hand does have value.  Generally check down everything, unless you hit two pair or better, then bet.  You may decide to make 1 small bet on the river if you have a medium pair, and there aren’t a lot of overcards, but only bet an amount that ace high, or a low pair would call. These do NOT have much value when you are shorter stacked because when you hit you won’t be able to extract value as much.

Suited broadway cards – These hands are better than  suited connectors, but they’re slightly more dangerous.  If you hit top pair, it’s more likely that say your Q9 with a pair of queens is the best hand, but if it’s not, you’re in trouble, and you could easily be up gainst KQ or AQ.  Just procede more cautiously than normal if you hit top pair, and play this like you hit a pair with suited connectors.  Check it down, then bet the river.  You may put 2 really small bets in on both the turn and river, or minbet the flop, check the turn and bet the river. Or just minbet every street.  You can bet slightly more because if your opponent has a middle pair, he also will call, if he has 2nd or 3rd pair he may call if you check to the river, and you don’t only want to bet when your hand is defniately the best hand otherwise your opponents are going to figure you out.  These are playable at passive tables.

Unsuited broadway – This is actually a playable hand in passive games. It has some significant value.  It doesn’t play quite as well to 5 cards as it does to 3, but it’s a strong hand that you probably won’t get raised off of, and as long as you don’t get carried away with top pair, you can actually bet preflop for value. You want to make a very small bet to give your opponents the right price to call hands that they’ll be uncomfortable with.  Maybe they call with 98 offsuit and they’ll hit their 8 when you hit your ten with a king kicker.  They will call your small bets down and you’ll get paid off. Maybe you’ll hit two pair with KT and your opponent will have KJ and he’ll pay you off.  Maybe your opponent will slow play AK and you’ll flop a straight and get a lot of chips. This is a marginal hand with marginal value, but in passive games you can find ways to get value out of it.  But you can steal knowing that you might get called with a lower pair and be ni a coinflip situation, or you might get called being dominated, but you won’t be forced to risk all of your chips because your opponent will play passively, and you will procede cautiously.  These are probably slightly more valuable than suited connectors when you are shorter stacked, but slightly less value when deeper stacked.

Suited king – This hand is going to have some value in a passive table regardless of whether you are somewhat short stacked or very deep stacked. Not as good as the suited ace, but slightly less likely to be dominated than a suited ace. If you’re short stacked and hit your king, you have to try to extract some value, if you are deeps tacked procede cautiously.  Deep stacked you are looking for two pair, or flush possibilities. short stacked you just want to hit a decent draw and/or a pair.

Any ace or king- this hand does not have much value in stealing unless you are shorter stacked, so that you are willing to play on a bluff all in with a couple overcards, or a straightdraw with an overcard to the board, and you’re willing to get it all in with top pair, at a passive table this will be rare. It may be a good ministeal hand when you minraise because ace high is probably the best hand, and if you can get a loose opponent to call you with a lot of hands, it might be best.  But in that case, you are going to slow play the ace, bet on the turn and river, or on the river, to make sure your opponent doesn’t trap you with a better ace, and also to make your opponent think you don’t have the ace.  You can generally just check down a failed steal attempt, and maybe get one bet out of your pair of aces or kings.   It also may have value in moving all in from the button and small blind as a really short stacked, hoping to pick up the blinds, recognizing that KQ might call you, and that you will probably mathematically be able to steal enough to profit in the long run before your opponent has a strong enough hand to call you.

nonsuited connectors- These hands are usually good stealing hands with a deep enough stack. If you have a tight image, you can steal with hands like these. Also, you may choose to limp with most of the hands above (if not al) and then raise with hands like this to steal for deception. These hands are certainly not as strong as suited connectors, or even 1 gap suited connectors, but even so, it’s a hand that if you’re reraised and your opponnt does have a strong hand, you don’t really care. If you’re called, you can still have an okay shot at winning, and if you hit your straight or two pair you know your hand is probably good, and you might get a lot of chips.

1+2 gap suited connectors-These hands are also good hands to steal with at passive tables, even though that’s not as true at aggressive tables. If you get called, you have some value, and have potential to hit a big flop. You have the potential to hit open ended straight flush draws.  Any hand with a high probability to flop a draw with a decent chance of hitting is a good hand to represent strength. If the draw comes, you can semibluff against a passive table and build the pot up. Then if you hit, you can get paid off.  If you miss, just fold.

high suited 3 and 4 gap connectors (J7s, Q8s, K9s, ATs and even K8s, Q7s, J6s), Not the greatest hands in the world, and  if you don’t steal with these, that’s perfectly fine.  But they are hands that you have the ability to steal if you should choose because you are not going to get rereaised and can see a flop.  These are speculative hands that must be handled with care. They are dangerous hands that probably won’t give you the best opportunity to draw at the best hand, but you have several straigh possibilities and will have several potential backdoor draws, and you could hit a double bellybuster draw by the turn. These are really only hands you’ll want to use if you feel you can outplay your opponents after the flop as well by exploiting either too tight or too lose postflop, and/or passive tendencies after the flop, or if you feel stealing is just too profitable to not try to do it as often as you can. Aggression can make this hand profitable, and then slowing down and catching draws and taking free cards since the table will allow youwill make it playable.

high-medium 1, 2 and even 3 gap nonsuited connectors J9, J8, J7, QT, Q9, Q8, T7, KT, K9 – These hands are dangerous since you can’t hit as much, and a pair is usually not good, but because your table will allow you to control the action, these hands have some use, even though they are marginal. 

These are hands that have little value, they are not going to be great hands, and with all the other hands out their tha can be great steal hands, these probably shouldn’t be used often.  Save these and the high suited gap connectors for resteals and steals over limpers, or steals that require both preflop and continuation bets. Marginally profitable at best.

And possibly even some 1 gap unsuited connectors (86, 97) – These are hands that if you have absolute control over the table and really know your opponents, and maybe a faster blind structure or if you are short stacked, or if your opponents are just rock tight and never defend their blind you may consider stealing. Or if they are the most passive and loose players you’ll ever see, you may want to raise to isolate them, and check it don knowing that if you hit big you can get all of your opponents stack very easily but can bet based on the strength of your hand.

Passive tables give you the ability to steal a lot more, although it’s not a whole lot different in the sense that if you’re called you consider yourself beat, at a passive table, and if you’re raised you consider yourself beat at an aggressive table, the ability to come from behind and win occurs when you are not required to call a raise, making stealing at passive tables more profitable.  Because of this, you are free to speclate more and show aggression with much more marginal hands, and suddenly even if the steal itself isn’t profitable, the ability to check it down on a failed steal attempt makes playing the hand from start to finish profitable.