Steal blinds and slow play

[out_at_sea]

Can you explain thsoe to me please?

How would one steal blinds? How do you "slow play? Is just calling bets?

Trying to get familiarized with all the jargon.....

[mindgame]

Well, you need to get a book, first of all, because almost any good beginner book has a section in the back for expressions like these.

Stealing blinds: This refers to raising when you are one of the last players to act (on the button or just off the button) on the first betting round. In other words, the blinds are in there, everyone folds and it's your turn to act. You have no hand, but you feel that both the big and small blinds are very tight players and won't call a raise. So you raise hoping not to be called...hoping they just happen to have average cards or worse and will toss in their hands.

In a no limit game you can put out a sizable bet and usually get a lot of players to fold outright. In limit poker it's a little harder because you can't put that much pressure on with a raise that's only as large as the big blind. However, I play a lot of limit poker and there are times in which the table gets so squeaky tight you can steal the blinds even when you are 3 or four seats off the button. That is, three or four people will decline to call your raise cold and the blinds, with no extra call in there, will just dump and run.

Now there are some times when you'd just as soon NOT steal the blinds...when you want to take a flop and play those two cards you were dealt. In games like that squeaky tight one I just described, if I were dealt AK suited and I knew that raising before the flop would chase everybody out of the pot I might choose to slowplay that hand. That is, even though it's a raising hand, I'll just call with it, hoping my extra money in the pot will lure in some extra callers...maybe even tempt someone to try that raise I didn't take!

[ballbp]

Stealing the blinds is simply when it's down to a small amount of players and you are one of the last to act you make a bet, usually somewhat strong, to make the guys with money already in fold their marginal hands. Slow playing is say you have pocket aces and the flop comes with an ace. You know you pretty much have the best hand at that point but you want to get more money in the pot so you just check when it comes to you, or call if there was a bet in front of you. You have to watch out slow playing though because sometimes giving the others free cards can get you outdrawn.

Edit:Someone typing at the same time I was again. Oh well, at least we agree.

[out_at_sea]

Where I play stealing blinds make no sense as the blinds are being colected by the dealer for the house benefit, thus no steal blinds!!!!

How does the house make money at different clubs? Do htey take some percentage from the pot?

At my local poker room the house usually takes the blinds.....

[Icecold99]

for online poker the house usallly take a very small % of the pot
like 5 cent outta a $1 pot

[humbleman]

Maybe I just haven't got around enough, but I've never heard of the house taking the blinds outright, the rake is robbery enough, but the both of the blinds in total??? I'd go somewhere else if I could, but as I say, maybe I just haven't been around enough :D :D

[ballbp]

No humbleman, you're not "green" on thinking that. I have never heard of the house taking the blinds out-right either. Taking a rake, especially 10% is bad enough but the guy rakes the blinds too??? He better at least serve up a nice steak dinner and provide all the beer anyone can drink and still drive your ass home for that.

[JohnnyCache]

Where I play stealing blinds make no sense as the blinds are being colected by the dealer for the house benefit, thus no steal blinds!!!!

How does the house make money at different clubs? Do htey take some percentage from the pot?

At my local poker room the house usually takes the blinds.....

That's B.S. man. Your game is doing it different from 90% of the world.

[alphakenny1]

look buddy stop asking these common poker knowledge questions and go get a book. its the best way to learn.

[out_at_sea]

look buddy stop asking these common poker knowledge questions and go get a book. its the best way to learn.

Listen buddy,

This is a beginner forum, thus I ask questions. If you dont have anything to say related to my original query take a hike.

[wEbMaStEr]

look buddy stop asking these common poker knowledge questions and go get a book. its the best way to learn.

wow what an a**
must be that time of the month

[out_at_sea]

just for the record:

I played again at my local poker room and the house racks the blinds all the time as opposed to getting a percentage from the pot!

I guess every place has its own rules!!!!

[mindgame]

My God that's a HUGE rake!

At my 10/20 game that would be taking $15 out of every hand, as opposed to the $5 they currently take. Even if the house only took the small blind, that would be about the rake I'm currently paying.

But it's really worse than that, because Harrah's takes 10% up to $5. If there isn't any action after the flop the pot might not even get to $50. (Which is one reason a lot of players have left Harrah's and gone to Trump--about 500yds away--Trump takes only 5% up to that same $5 limit. On small pots that makes a huge difference.)

The other big thing is that if no one calls at all, so that the big and small blinds are the only two live players, they can elect not to take the flop--it's called "chopping." In this case they can take back their blinds without penalty and the button moves. In many tight games there can be as many as two or three "chops" per round--and it's in those tight games that every nickle adds up. The advantage, of course, is that the house takes NO rake on "chopped" hands.

In the long run you will find it difficult to win consistently in a game with a rake so completely out of line as that poker room's.

[BeerWench13]

Oh, the tension in this thread!

He better at least serve up a nice steak dinner and provide all the beer anyone can drink and still drive your ass home for that.

He should put you up in a suite with a Jacuzzi and a butler. Hell, even a hooker...er....relaxation therapist for that kind of rape....oops....I think I meant rake (Freudian slip?). I'd highly suggest you find another poker room. You'll not make much profit there. You'll never beat the rake.

Hmmm, I think I may open my own poker room now and rake the blinds...yeah, maybe antes too.

[mindgame]

Who but the BeerWench could get away with that post?