Big Blind pre-flop: how do you usually play it?

JhonnyThe357

JhonnyThe357

Rock Star
Platinum Level
Awards
2
BR
Poker Chips
450
Casino Coins
0
Big Blind pre-flop: how do you usually play it?
In NL Hold’em tournaments, playing the Big Blind is tricky. You already have chips invested in the pot, yet you often have to decide whether to call, raise, or fold.
When someone raises and you’re in the BB, do you tend to defend with weaker hands because you already have chips in the pot, or do you prefer to play it safe? And when facing a raise from early position, do you significantly alter your strategy?
 
In tournaments with antes from the whole table, I defend the BB much wider because the pot is already bigger. Hands like 98, JT, KT and other marginal holdings can be reasonable calls. If the player is raising too often, I’ll also mix in some 3-bets with hands that play well against a wide range. Against an early-position raise, I still tighten up because the range is usually stronger.
 
I never continue from the blinds just because I already have money in. However, if pot odds are good and I have a playable hand I will usually defend.

I will say for newer players, it's totally okay to fold from the blinds. Don't defend the blinds just because of the mantra, gotta defend the blinds. Hands worth defending in these spots can be tricky to play and a newer player can end up losing a lot of money defending and chasing out of position. Just remember that defending wide out of position, regardless of pot odds, is usually a check-fold on the flop, so pick your spots judiciously and make sure that your stack can afford the pre-flop call.
 
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: fundiver199
JhonnyThe357 said:
When someone raises and you’re in the BB, do you tend to defend with weaker hands because you already have chips in the pot, or do you prefer to play it safe?
Click to expand...
I try to defend correctly, just as I try to play correctly preflop from all the other seats of the table.
JhonnyThe357 said:
And when facing a raise from early position, do you significantly alter your strategy?
Click to expand...
Yes of course. A player opening from early position is supposed to be on a much tighter range than a player opening from late position. And therefore the value of hands like weak aces go way down, since there is a much higher risk of being dominated.
 
I usually defend the BB fairly wide because you are getting good price, but I don't consider the amount of money I have invested as a reason to call, rather what the pot odds are and how the hand plays postflop
Against an early position raise, I'd tighten up a lot as they would have a tighter range, while I'm much more willing to defend against late position opens and fight for the pot. Position is a very important factor, along with stack sizes and tendencies of the opponent, which can affect the decision greatly. ♠️
 
To me, the BB is already lost once I put it in the pot. I don't like calling or raising just because I feel like I need to defend my blind. I prefer to look at the strength of my hand and the situation before deciding whether to continue. If my hand is too weak, I'm comfortable folding and moving on. Trying to defend every blind can easily mean putting even more chips into a pot with a hand that isn't strong enough. I'd rather lose one blind than lose several more just because I felt obligated to defend it
 
You should defend your BB roughly 70 % of the time (vs single open).
 
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: fundiver199
I think a lot of players get confused by the term defend. They think that defend means to defend the chips already paid in. That's inaccurate. When we defend, we are defending our chance to win the pot. We can defend from any seat and with most seats we don't have ANY money committed into the pot yet.

I also believe that most unskilled players just want to see the flop, because the flop is exciting. We open the box and see if we got a prize. J4s. We could hit a flush! Let's see! Any excuse to see that flop, and 'gotta defend the big blind' is just another excuse.
 
Reply
  • Like
Reactions: nilsharker
Back
Top