Posting Blinds before or after button

[SodaSurfer]

In some games, a player can post his first blind in either the BB position, or Cutoff Position. Is it better to do it one way or the other? Does it make a difference if it's a 6 player vs. 9 player table? Thanks.

[jack21221]

Your first blind can be posted from any position. It's usually fine to post it from the cutoff. Waiting many hands for the BB could be -EV, since you miss out on so many hands you could be winning money on. Not to mention, you sometimes get a free steal attempt if you post in the cutoff.

Lastly, people often notice if you sit around for a full round before posting. It lets the table know you're a tight player.

[RedJoker]

You shouldn't post a big blind from anywhere except the big blind, it's throwing money away and any time I see a player do this I'm extremely likely to raise him. He's playing a random hand and he'll often fold preflop.

[jack21221]

RedJoker:

It's throwing a fraction of a small bet away for the opportunity to play several additional hands. You'll need to please explain to me how that's "throwing money away" in full ring.

Your advice may be good for 6max, but I can't see it being remotely correct in full ring, where you get to play 6 free hands before the BB comes back around. Your advice further breaks down if you're talking about NL, where the blind amount is so ridiculously small compared to the stacks.

[Harv72b]

In a full ring game where you believe that you have a positive expectancy, posting in the CO is just fine. If the table is that juicy, you could even post in MP3 or MP2. I've also heard the advice that, when playing small stakes live, it's okay to post from any position as that presents a friendlier "just here to have fun" image to the other players; personally I don't agree with that.

What it basically amounts to is, if you post in the CO on a full table, you are spending one extra SB in order to be dealt into 7 more hands (6 more hands if it's a 9-handed table). If there are one or more donors at the table, that's 7 extra chances for you to exploit them. On the other hand, if the table doesn't look that great, you might be better off just waiting for the blind to work its way around to you.

In a 6max or short-handed game you should just wait until the BB to post.

[LadyWrestler]

Personally, I agree with RedJoker. I like coming in with the big blind, and (when I am ready to leave) I like going out when it's my big blind. It helps me remember that it is one long session...for life.

[RedJoker]

[ QUOTE ]
RedJoker:

It's throwing a fraction of a small bet away for the opportunity to play several additional hands. You'll need to please explain to me how that's "throwing money away" in full ring.

Your advice may be good for 6max, but I can't see it being remotely correct in full ring, where you get to play 6 free hands before the BB comes back around. Your advice further breaks down if you're talking about NL, where the blind amount is so ridiculously small compared to the stacks.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes; I play 6 max so maybe my experiences are making me biased.

Having thought about it, it makes some sense. At a 9 handed table posting the BB (2 units we'll say) from the CO gives you 6 hands while posting from BB + SB (3 units) gives you 9 hands. Seems fairly even. Although, because you are posting in the CO you have a better table position. May even be +EV in a 10 handed table as you'll have 7 hands for 2 units vs. 10 hands for 3 units.

[RedJoker]

[ QUOTE ]
Personally, I agree with RedJoker. I like coming in with the big blind, and (when I am ready to leave) I like going out when it's my big blind. It helps me remember that it is one long session...for life.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah always leave before your blind, I can't think of any exception to this.

[Peleus]

From a maths point of view....

8 Player (BB gets better and better value with lower players)
BB = 8 hands for 3 units / 2.6666 hands per unit
CO = 5 hands for 2 units / 2.5 hands per unit

9 Player
BB = 9 hands for 3 units / 3 hands per unit
CO = 6 hands for 2 units / 3 hands per unit

10 Player
BB = 10 hands for 3 units / 3.3333 hands per unit
CO = 7 hands for 2 units / 3.5 hands per unit

The more hands per unit you get the better value you're getting from the table. Mathematically it would be cheaper for you on a 10 man table to sit out after playing your hand UTG and sit back in paying your blind in the CO. Also with this you cut out some of the early positions and come back in the late one's, so it would be beneficial to do so I imagine.

Am I going to sit out next time I've played UTG? No, I can't be bothered for such a little saving. Apart from that sometimes you can trap people with weaker two pair etc you limp in on the blind with, so there is more to it then just the blind money to factor into weather or not its +EV to sit out.

[Poker Plan]

[ QUOTE ]
RedJoker:

It's throwing a fraction of a small bet away for the opportunity to play several additional hands. You'll need to please explain to me how that's "throwing money away" in full ring.

[/ QUOTE ]

You can convince yourself. Open your PT database. Check out your 'profit' from the Big Blind position. There is a profit, isn't there??? No? [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] That's right, no one makes any money from the BB. So if that's the case, it follows that you can't make a long term profit by posting a bet blind.

Also your theory that you're missing out on opportunities would mean that you should see every flop???