Playing Blinds
In Hold ‘Em poker games, the best position to be in, by far, is the blind position. Now most beginners will hear this and wonder why this is true. After all, being in a blind position, whether small or large, means that you are forced to put in a certain amount of chips without a guarentee of a playable hand. In many cases, you will have to fold after a pre-flop raise. But the truth is that you shouldn’t be afraid to lose blinds now and then, and the advantage playing in the blind position gives is worth the losses now and then.
Most hands, you will have to choose whether to enter or not. If you put in chips, whether a call or a raise, opponents will know, for the most part, what type of hand you have. Good opponents can read bets and will be able to pick up whether you are playing a big hand or are looking to get lucky. But what happens when you already have money in? You could have two-seven or you could have pocket aces.
Being able to conceal your hand better is a big reason why blinds are so advantageous. As long as you can control your facial features, you don’t have to worry about betting an inappropriate amount or giving away your hand with a call instead of a raise.
This means that you can not only play big hands better, as opponents will not expect you to have one early in the hand, it also means you can play bluffs and smaller hands better. Blinds allow you to, for a lack of a better term, blindside your competition.
So don’t worry about the small losses you incur from folded hands. The fact is that when you have a playable hand, there is no greater advantage than being responsible for blinds. Try playing more hands in that position and you shouldn’t be disappointed.
Filed under: Beginners
