(for important tips on how to play your big blind correctly – check out this article) Facing a Raise in the Small Blindįacing a raise, you’ll want to start defending a little more carefully, since the big blind is likely to have something decent. This means that even with hands like J7s and 93s you can limp in and try to see a flop. In fact, over 70% of the time you’re likely to see a check-back.
Players in the big blind at low-mid stakes aren’t aggressive enough to punish you for doing this. Think about it, we’re already investing ½ of a big blind preflop, so when everyone else folds we only need to pay another ½ of a big blind to see a flop. However, even if you’re a beginner, the small blind is the exception to this rule. Now, normally the phrase “tight is right” is a mantra that you want to live by in poker, especially when starting out. After all, what’s ½ a big blind lost in the grand scheme of things? They’re afraid to play hands like T7o, J7s or 92s, because they think they’re supposed to “play it safe”. The single biggest mistake players make from this position is simply being too hesitant to play when all other players fold. In fact, the Small Blind might actually be the most incorrectly played position at the table. When it comes to playing first in from the Small Blind, most poker players are making big mistakes that have a drastic impact on their winrate.
