Bullying and stealing

Author: Simon Dexter

In life both bullying and stealing are frowned upon and generally the perpetrators get their comeuppance. In Texas Hold ‘Em without these two ‘attributes’, players may want to think about giving up the game!

The importance of bullying can not be stressed enough. The ability to force people out of pots they would rather stay in or just simply scare them into folding, is paramount to any successful poker strategy.

Think of it not as bullying but as being strong. The survival of the fittest, if you like, and its importance comes into play the longer a game goes on.

It is the players who are short-stacked that need to be targeted. If they are going out of the tournament soon then why shouldn’t it be you who claims their chips? If it is not you then you can be sure somebody else will try the same tactic.

Aggressive raising can usually scare off the ‘victim’, especially if he or she has been limping into pots and folding when challenged.

Stealing refers to players in a late position forcing the blinds to fold their hands by raising. As a game progresses, either in a sit and go or an online tournament, and the cut off for picking up some winnings comes closer then people tend to play a little more carefully and will play less hands. Many will be scared off by a raise and you can win by playing aggressively – irrespective of what cards you have.

If you continually have your own blinds stolen then as the game reaches its climax, you may find yourself very short stacked. Protect them by being aggressive yourself.

To successfully accomplish the art of stealing blinds, players need plenty of practice. Novices need to understand the difference between structured play and belligerent attacking. It can be difficult to tell the two apart at times but by putting discipline ahead of all out aggression, you should not get caught too many times and end up stealing more than you lose.

The importance of stealing blinds comes more sharply into focus towards the end of a game when the blinds are worth serious money. Some like to steal blinds early but most of the time it is not worth the risk – especially when there are many people around the online poker table.