Big Blind Alley

The big blind position is one that gives even seasoned players a bit of a headache. Many players will find themselves in a pot as a result of several limpers while they are holding a poor hand. Or, perhaps, they called a small pre-flop raise with a mediocre hand as they were getting ample odds to do so. Best case scenario? They fired out a raise from the big blind to isolate or even take the pot down right there and then, and were called.

Regardless of how you found yourself in the hand the bottom line now is you are in the hand post-flop in a very disadvantageous position. As such, we need to explore our options. But, before we can do that we need to qualify who we are in the pot with and what their impression of us is thus far. This may sound familiar to our regular readers as I will rarely submit a strategy piece for publication that does not include the following questions: your table image, your opponents’ table image, what hand could they have put you on and what possible hand might they be on? Assuming you have answered these questions, we can now move on to our post-flop strategy. In the following three examples, you will encounter three common big blind scenarios:

• The other players limp and you check, hoping to hit the flop with a drawing hand
• Calling a raise with a marginal hand because you have the odds to call
• Raising with a premium hand and getting several callers as a result

Check and draw

Example 1
You’re playing a $50/$100 no-limit hold’em game. Two players have limped, the small blind called and you check. This is the perfect situation for you to see a flop with a weak or marginal, mediocre hand. You got 3/1 on your big blind without any further investment in the hand required at this time and are freerolling at this point. You are playing J♥-9♠.

The flop is Q♥-10♥-3♠, which is not too bad for your hand. Most people would be tempted to bet out here to see where they stand in the hand. This would also be my ‘standard’ advice, erring on the side of aggression. The only problem here is that if you do bet out, your hand cannot sustain a re-raise and, most likely, if facing a reraise, you will not be getting ample odds to make the call with an open-ended straight draw. So, try to take the free card and simply check. With this flop, if I was holding K-J, I would be tempted to bet out as I could consider a King as additional outs that may win the hand. Also, if my hand was suited and I was drawing to the flush as well as the straight, I would certainly bet out with 15 outs to come – because I would be able to call a reasonable reraise. So back to the action: you check, the first player to acts bets out $500. The button calls as do you.

The Turn is the K♥, and you have now hit your straight. The only problem is that a heart flush is on the board and A-J beats you with a higher straight. So, you place out a bet of $900, which is immediately called by the first player to act. The button folds. The river is a meaningless 4♣. You have invested enough money in this hand and it is extremely unlikely you are ahead. You check, the other player bets $1,900, and you fold. He shows you A♥-3♥: the nut flush.

Odds to call

Example 2
You’re playing $50/$100 no-limit hold’em again. A solid player from mid-position raised four times the big blind and the button called, as did you. Once again, you got better than 3/1 odds to make the call. You are playing A♠-10♠. Even though you got good odds to make the call, with a raise and a call ahead of you this may be a dangerous hand. Despite this threat, you decide to call nonetheless. The flop is A;-K♠-3♠, which, under the circumstances, is not a bad flop for you. Even though you hit your Ace, you may very well be out-kicked; you may even be up against top two or a set against these two players. This would be a good time to put out a feeler bet (about 1/2 – 3/4 the pot) to see where you stand. If you are able to get to the turn without being re-raised or calling a raise while getting about 4/1 odds, you may be in good shape to continue with the hope of improving your hand. You decide to bet out $900, which is called by both players.

The turn is a J♠, which is a great card for you for two reasons: you made the nut flush and it could have helped one, if not both, of your opponents’ hands. You choose to check the hand. The player from mid-position bets out $1,700, while the button folds. You call. The river is a 10♦. You bet out $2,800 and are immediately called. The other player has been playing A♦-Q♠ and just made Broadway. You take down a very nice pot.

Solid start

Example 3
Again, you are playing in a $50/$100 no-limit hold’em game. One player from mid-position limps, as does the button. The small blind calls and you raise five times the big blind. The player from midposition calls, as does the button. The small blind folds. You are holding Q♥-Q♦; a good starting hand, but with two callers and being out of position, you need the flop to go your way. The flop is J♥-10♦-4♠. This is a great flop for you, or at least, so it appears. The two players that called you are solid players. They both have strong hands otherwise would not have continued with the hand.

We can possibly rule out Aces or Kings as they, most likely, would have re-raised with those hands in an attempt to isolate. You could be facing hands like J-J, 10- 10 or A-K suited. So, even though this flop appears harmless, your opponents could well have landed a piece of it. This would be the appropriate time to find out and a continuation bet in this type of scenario is a must. We cannot check, as they will immediately fire at the pot, and their action will tell us nothing.

You place out a pot-sized bet. The first player folds, the second player raises you all-in. Unless you have a stone cold read on the player on the button that he is making a move, consider this the appropriate time to fold. Even though you have an over pair to the board it is still just one pair, and if you are behind in the hand, with only two outs, you are a significant underdog. You need to stop marrying losing hands post-flop no matter how good they looked pre-flop. Yes, on the surface this appears to be a tough lay down. It is, however, a routine lay down for a skilled player who has a good read on the table.

Conclusion

Playing from the big blind requires a great deal of manoeuvring and adjustment. A player has to be able to rely on their poker instincts and skills. Many players find themselves caught up in the fact they have already made an investment in the hand pre-flop as a result of being on the big blind and, thus, have some responsibility to continue in the hand. You may even have heard some pros comment they have ‘their children out there’, referring to the chips they wagered on the big blind. This has no relevance and is of no consequence.

This mindset may differ in a tournament setting where it is common practice to try and pick up the blinds and antes every so often. If you find yourself in a situation whereby someone is constantly raising your big blind, err on the side of aggression and fire back. However, be prepared to continue with the hand post-flop otherwise your pre-flop aggression will have little to no effect as the tournament goes on.