NLHE: Blind position and no one has entered the pot
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 94
What are the commonly accepted starting hands guidelines in blind position?
On the one hand I know the rest of the table is weak and on the other I'll be out of position on the flop.
To simplify the problem assume that you always want to play preflop in an automatic manner following a starting-hand chart.
More specifically, the rules for blind position when no one has entered the pot yet would be more similar to early or late position guidelines?
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 13,059
Are you asking what you should do if it is just you and the other blind? Personally, I'd raise ATC.
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 13,256
Assuming deep stacks (100bb at least) in a 6-max or full ring cash game, anything from 35-100% of hands can be raised profitably in the SB. A lot depends on who is in the big blind, because your main aim is to steal the blinds.
Against an unknown in the micros, I open about 45% in the SB, with a range that is very similar to my button opening range. I also have a limping range, but this isn't recommended for newbies or low stakes.
If there's action in front of you (e.g. someone opened in MP), then you should instead be very tight in the SB.
The basic idea is this:
If you have a good chance of winning the dead money (because few players have live cards), open with a wide range.
If you have little chance of winning the dead money (because other people have entered the pot), play tight.
