General rules for playing in the blinds with marginal hands in SSLHE

[synth_floyd]

What are the general rules for playing from the blinds in Low Limit Hold 'Em? A lot of the time If i'm in the small blind with a marginal hand and there are a couple of limpers is it generally better to complete the bet and see a flop or just fold it cause that extra little money will add up after a while?

Also, when I'm in the big blind with a fairly marginal hand and there's a raise and say 2 or 3 callers is it worth calling to see a flop or just fold it and save the extra small bet?

These situations come up a lot and I feel like it's a leak in my game. I would've posted in the small stakes limit forum but it seemed like more of a beginner question.

[MoonOrb]

I think the answer here is going to be "it depends."

Things it's going to depend on:

1. What you consider to be a marginal hand
2. How many people have entered the pot
3. Whether the pot has been raised
4. Who is already in the pot and whether you think you can outplay them after the flop.

From the small blind:

You'll want to play any broadway, any pocket pair, and any two suited cards. If your holding doesn't fit this category (ie 9-10 offsuit or A9) you might want to consider the size of the pot and who is already in it before you play a hand like that. I'd much rather play a nonsuited connector here than a hand like K5o or Q7o because the combination of being potentially dominated and being out of position can make things pretty ugly. If you don't pick up your draw with your offsuit connectors, you just c/f after the flop. But in most cases, I avoid these ugly hands.

From the big blind when there is a raise:

Two big things have changed. First, it's costing you twice as much to play (compared to half a small bet in the SB example). Second, someone has shown strength. On the other hand, the pot's now bigger, giving you more incentive to play.

Thus, you're going to be playing a bit tighter in this situation. But it's still only one bet into what might be a goodsized pot. And unless someone limp-reraises which is really unlikely, you don't have to worry about the action behind you.

Here, consider playing any suited ace, any suited broadway, and suited connectors, as well as any pocket pair. Maybe some gapped suited connectors here too like J9 or 10-8 if you want, too.

The suited connectors, suited aces, and pocket pairs can turn into monsters for you. But in the face of a raise, the offsuit hands (K-10 or A-J etc) run the significant risk of being dominated, so unless you have some other good reason, take a pass on these.