Poker Terminology: ‘Stealing the Blinds’
One of the great things about any hand of poker is that no matter what anyone is dealt, there is money to be had. The forced bets of the blind players, which in cash games usually tend to remain set, and in tournaments are raised throughout set intervals, are like immediate bait for those poker players at the table who think they can get away with stealing.
In cash games stealing the blinds straight out usually isn’t profitable, as the blinds in relation to what your chip stacks are (if you’ve bought in correctly) aren’t really all that valuable. Still it can be a good way to keep your money even while you snatch a pot here and there, but really, in essence, the concept of stealing blinds is more useful in tournament play.
As time progresses in a poker tournament, and the blinds begin to escalate, depending on how quickly things escalate, you usually not too shortly reach a point where the blinds (and antes, if you’re deep enough) become valuable enough to steal without any other money in the pot. Often a well timed raise, in position, will pick up these pots without any sort of hand needed to show down.
The most popular spot to steal blinds from, obviously, is the button, as it is the position last to act (excluding the blind bets preflop) at the table. Many players, when folded to on the button, or one or two spots off the button) will raise will just about any two cards in hopes that this raise alone will give them the pot. In many occasions, especially when your table is tight, it can make the difference between surviving to the money, and not.
