PLAYING THE BLINDS QUESTION.. XPOST FROM BEGINNERS FORUM

[Scal007]

When you're playing the blind positions does "pot equity" come into play as to whether or not you play?

For example1: game 3/6 limit sb $2 bb $3

if you're in the SB with 8c4d (a hand you're not supposed to play) and there are 3 callers before you act.

pot size 3sb, pot equity is .5 bets to 3 (3/.5 = 6 to 1?) or 9/3? $9 in pot/$3 to call (9/3 = 3 to 1) BB still to act

if the BB raises then toss the hand. Move on the next round

for example2: game 4/8limit sb $2 bb $4

if you're in the BB with 6s9d and there is a raise in early position with 4 callers including the SB

pot size 8sb, "pot equity" is 8/4 = 2 to 1? fold the hand and move on?

if I'm wrong here please clarify what I'm doing wrong

Also in the SB/BB positions is there a "pot equity" min. that you should look for?.... greater than 3to1?

Probably not the best job in describing this question, but thanks for taking the time to read.

I'm probably missing something here so looking forward to the replies....

[jesse8888]

OK, so this is going to be a bit rough maybe, but I'll try to help. SSHE says to play "any hand that you would play from the button" in a 1/3 blind structure (meaning that the sb is 1/3rd of the big blind). In a 2/3 blind structure, I think you can really play just about any two cards so long as least one person has limped in and you play reasonable well post flop.

Your pot equity math baffles me. The number you want is the odds the pot is laying you. If you're closing the action against a raise and 4 callers, then there are 11 small bets already in the pot (the raiser's two, two each from the 4 callers, and your big blind). You're being offered 11:1 for your trouble, which is a pretty nice price. If you have any sort of hand you should probably see the flop.

Hope that helps.

[Scal007]

Thanks for the reply.... baffles me to... lol... but I'm still learning.... making mistakes but catching on quick.... my biggest weakness is playing the blinds...

[jesse8888]

What is the structure of the game you play? Is it 1/3, 2/3 or 1/2? Defending the blinds is tricky. Another thing you want to think about is the effect of the rake. Playing a 3/6 pot 3-handed doesnt make a whole lot of sense if the rake+tip is 5 dollars [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Scal007]

I usually play 3/6 where the small blind is 1/3 and 4/8 where the small blind is 1/2.

The blinds is where I'm the weakest.... I have a really hard time deciding what to do in a situation where for one more chip or one small bet... what to do...especially with suited connectors like 87o, Q9o.... hands that according to SSHE you're not supposed to play.

On a side note.. back to basis of the question... do you look at the size of the pot to determine if you should call in the blinds?

Thanks again for taking the time.....

[One Outer]

Playing these hands in the SB when you're just completing the bet is a small mistake if you're having trouble dealing with them postflop. You seem to be sort of a beginner to all of this, so my advice would be to just fold them if you're not comfortable.

[Scal007]

Double O... thanks for the reply

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a beginner at all of this.

Going back to the origional question though, which I muffed terribly, do you look at the size of the pot when playing from the blind position? "pot equity"...... right term?

Something like 87o/67s in either blind looks tempting to play when there are are a 3 or more players coming into the pot.... but if I live by SSHE... it's a hand I should just trow away and move on.....

Are you looking for >3:1 to justify calling with junk hands that you're not supposed to play?

I've read SSHE and keep reading....

Thanks again for replying.....

[gobbledygeek]

Frond posted a thread a month or so ago regarding tightening up in the blinds. This thread contained a link that concluded that to play unsuited connecters (I'm assuming < 10) from the SB (where the SB was half the price of the BB) you needed 5 limpers for 0 gappers, 6 limpers for 1 gappers and 2+ gappers were unplayable. I'm guessing this is erring on the side of caution but still...

[jesse8888]

Pot Equity isn't really the right term. Pot Equity is your equity in the pot based on your holding vs your opponents' holdings. For example, if you have AA and your single opponent has AKo, your pot equity is about 93% (that is to say if you played this hand 1000 times you would win about 93% of the money).

In a more complex situation, if you're in the big blind with QJs and 7 players have limped in, you can raise because your pot equity is surely more than 12.5% (this is the idea of "winning more than your fair share"). In that situation you don't know your exact pot equity, but against most reasonable hands for the limpers it will be somewhere in the 15 to 25 % range.

What I think you should focus on is the concept of "pot odds", which means "how much money is in the pot, and how much am I being asked to put in". If you're in the small blind and 4 players have already limped in, you're being asked to put 2/3rds of a bet into a pot that contains 5.333 bets already.

In order to decide if this is a good move, you should try to take a guess at your pot equity. How do you do this? Well, first you figure out what .6666666/6 is (this happens to be 11%). Then you decide if you have more than 11% pot equity; if you think you do, and think you play well postflop, a call is justified. If you don't or it's fairly close and you're not comfortable playing 6 handed out of position, a fold is in order.

Hope this helps.

[Scal007]

Jesse...

Thanks, I knew I was using the wrong term....

If you take the the below example:
What I think you should focus on is the concept of "pot odds", which means "how much money is in the pot, and how much am I being asked to put in". If you're in the small blind and 4 players have already limped in, you're being asked to put 2/3rds of a bet into a pot that contains 5.333 bets already.

if you're in SB with with any two non suited cards calling would not be justified, 5.33/.66 = 8.0 please correct me if I'm wrong here


but if if you 6callers the call is justified? 7.333/.66 = 11.0 calling is justified?