[sweetjazz]

Lestat, I think 3-betting from the BB is pretty suboptimal. A better, though also not optimal, strategy would be to call and reassess after the flop. This is because when you 3-bet you naturally have to lead out on every flop. You steal the initiative briefly but you get in awkward spots when the flop misses you.

By waiting to see the flop, you can choose what to do in response to the continuation bet. Your range is wider -- which is important in thwarting a tough stealer. You can play meekly when you flop top pair A's or K's with a medium kicker in order to lure him for more bets (or raise if your image is such that he thinks you are stealing). Or you can come out with a c/r on an A 8 6 flop with AT. Since you will often be making the same play with 98 or T9 or 76, you put your opponent in a tough spot. If he peels with KQ he may be drawing practically dead. Or he could be ahead of T9. His best play becomes to fold to all of your c/r's without a good piece himself until you are stealing enough pots that he has to stand up to you.

If you are always 3-betting your big aces from the BB, then an A 8 6 flop is a lot less scary when he has K8 or TT. He can 3-bet your flop c/r and more often than not you will be putting in 3 SB into a small pot with 87 or T9, hands which are drawing pretty slim. And even when you have him crushed with A7, say, you cannot extract much more value out of the hand because you may be dominated and are OOP.

I don't mind 3-betting from the BB against bad postflop players, but smooth calling with every hand in the BB against a blind steal seems right to me against a tough blind stealer.