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Playing the Small Blind


The small blind is probably the trickiest position to play in poker. You have already got half a big blind into the pot, which means the pot odds you will get, will often be too hard to turn down. This gets you into the pot with normally a weak hand, and you will also be out of position for the remaining streets.

Some players believe the advantages outweigh the disadvantages and feel the small blind is worthy of a call with almost any hand. They feel the odds are a much bigger benefit then the position is a drawback. Some players lose many chips doing this however, and it can even turn a winning session into a losing one if you play enough orbits of the table.

Odds are almost a curse in disguise when playing the small blind, as they will look simply irresistible, but will often mislead you into calling. If you are facing an un-raised pot which has a few limpers, you will be getting odds from 6:1 to call the remaining half a blind. Those are great odds, but when holding 7-2 off suit is it really worth a call?

The odds cannot turn a bad hand into a good one, just as playing them in the small blind cannot. If you wouldn’t play it from under the gun, why play it in an even worse position?

The hands you want to complete the small blind with are just the normal good hands you would play, as well as hands that do well in multi player pots. These are hands such as suited connectors and small pocket pairs as you have good drawing odds and the ability to take down a huge pot if your hand hits.

You can practice this poker strategy without risking any of your own money using a no deposit poker bonus.