Blind Stealing Tactics

[UncalledAces]

I am having a little trouble stealing blinds when the blinds get high. I typically raise 3-4x the BB with a little 5x thrown in. But when the blinds get so high relative to my stack I can only afford 3x at the most. I usually try and steal against the weaker players and smaller stacks. But when everybody has even stacks and is relativly good players I find myself waiting for a decent stealing hand and position. It works for a little while but I think if I continue people will notice that I am only raising in one place. How do you guys steal when everybody is even and solid.

[fjuanl]

Don't worry about not being able to raise 5xbb when the blinds are huge. 3xbb is plenty enough to get them off their hands if they are crap.

As far as people catching on to you stealing :

In your situation (midstack), I'd like to raise on the button maybe half or 1/4 of the time. That way your opponent thinks you are not stealing and could have a hand.

If you get called, its important to keep up that aggression. Postflop is where you want to prove to your opponent that you have a monster. If you raised with crap and get called, don't assume your beat (but its important to know when you are)

[DWDuck]

What do you define as a "decent stealing hand"? When you're stealing, you're trying to get the other guy to fold. For all he knows you have AA, even if you only have 72o. Don't be so focussed on the cards. Far more important are the characteristics of the people you're stealing from, your image, your position, their chipcount, and your chipcount. Don't just wait for opportunities to steal on the button either. In order to maintain your chip stack, you need an average of one steal per orbit. The odds that you're getting folded to on the button every orbit is fairly low. Steal from MP often as well. Any time the table folds to you is an opportunity. Sometimes with suited connectors or something I'll steal from UTG (the only situations where the cards do matter to me on a steal) If the BB calls, don't be afraid of throwing out a solid bet on a raggy flop either, or representing an ace or something. Sure, if you get called you might be in trouble. You only have to be successful a couple times to be able to withstand a loss like this though. In a bigger tourny, you have to be constantly building your stack this way to stay alive and have a chance to win.

Darkwing

When I blind steal, I don't do so much as to actually look at my hand.

I look at my position and the action before me, if I'm happy, I'll raise it 3xBB.

It really doesn't mater what your cards are for stealing, it's just the situation that matters. If you are in a good position to steal some blinds, then do it!

[UncalledAces]

I don't have high standards for stealing I will steal with any ace, any connectors and most kx, qx suited. But when the table gets down to fewer people I find it harder to maintain a constant steal every orbit. I am asking this because my last MTT final table finish we were stuck on 11 for a while, and in the begging I was the big stack and was maintaining a good steal per orbit ratio. I would steal against one guy who was a tight short stack once every three orbits not neccissarily with great hands and not in position either. But eventually I attempted a steal with a q2o and got called he had aq and I lost. My steals started getting less respect and I eventually found it hard to maintain one steal per orbit because we were a short handed table. I was just wondering what I should do in this situation, if you get caught stealing it was my opinion that you had to lay off the stealing until you made a respectable raise. But it didn't work out so well.

[DWDuck]

I still think you restrict your "stealing hands" too much. If you're able to steal more regularly early, you'll be able to absorb being caught a couple times. I'll steal with any suited cards, or unsuited..... Sure, try to steal more with Ax or Kx if you can, but you can't afford to be that picky with the blinds going up. FAR more important than your cards are your position, your stack, and the person you're stealing from (and their stack). Your cards should hardly enter in the equation. If you're called, tread carefully but be ready to bet on a raggy flop.

If you do get caught stealing, and you will... perhaps take a couple hands off of it... or maybe lay off the guy you stole from. Ideally you'll actually get a real hand fairly soon after getting caught and you can catch somebody trying to catch you.

With the blinds increasing, you really need to keep stealing as often as possible to stay ahead of them. The people who are going out OTM or never getting close to final table are usually the ones being too passive and letting the blinds gobble them up. I'd way rather go down fighting then being dragged down because I'm not getting cards. As long as you can stay ahead of the blinds, you'll have time to catch a hand to double up or something.

And now I'm rambling....

Darkwing