Learn Texas Holdem

In No-Limit Texas Hold'em, the forced blinds represent money that no one has a claim on as action begins. It is important, particularly in no limit Texas Hold'em tournaments where the blinds rise consistently, to recognize when those blinds are vulnerable and attack them.

Stealing Blinds in No-Limit Texas Hold'em

If you can successfully steal blinds in a No-Limit Hold'em cash game, you will increase your positive expectation. If you can do so in tournaments, you can increase your chances of surviving for one more round. To steal, you must be able to sense weakness and go after it. The best time to steal is when you are in late position. The more players who have already folded in front of you, the less likely you are to encounter resistance in the steal position. For this reason, the button and small blind are ideal spots to steal from if no one has come into the pot. However, since people are expected to attempt steals from these positions, many players prefer to steal from the position just before the button, called the cutoff seat, or even the position right before that, now known as the hijack seat.

Re-Stealing in No-Limit Texas Hold'em

Re-stealing is a more advanced play where a player recognizes that another player is on a steal and re-raises. When a re-stealer re-raises, the initial raiser will usually have two choices: re-raise all in or fold. Only the most hardened players will be able to adopt the former move if they are on a steal.

Conditions for Re-stealing

You should consider a re-steal attempt if an opponent is raising from a late position and no one else has entered the pot. Your observation should tell you if this is the type of player who is likely to be on a steal. If the opponent is a loose aggressive player who often attacks pots, a steal is likely. If he is a tight player who hasn't entered many pots, you will often want to give him credit for a real hand. If you do attempt a re-steal, you should put in more than a minimum re-raise. Raise enough to put the opponent to a real decision, but not enough to commit yourself to the pot.

Re-stealing pre-flop has its advantages. For one, it can win you a nice-sized pot without being challenged, since you are winning the blinds plus the steal attempt. It will also make the player to your right think twice about making moves, since he knows you are not afraid to play back at him. Finally, players may be reluctant to go after your blinds once they see that you are capable of pre-flop aggression.