Imagine that you are playing in a short-handed game – only four of you are playing, to be more precise. The game has been on for quite a while. Currently, the button is in front of you, the cards have been shuffled, and you watch the dealer deal out the hole cards. You take a quick peek – pair of fives. You sit back as the play unfolds. The small blind bets five dollars. The big blind puts in ten dollars. The other player calls and antes up and the ball is now in your court.

Common sense tells you to fold at this point. You have a low pair, the other players seem confident in their cards and – you check their stacks – they’ve been doing well so far. You open your mouth to fold. Instead of folding, however, you heard yourself say ‘all in’ and you saw yourself pushing your entire stack towards the center the table. It was all you can do to keep your cool when you realized what you’ve done – and on a pair of fives, no less.

Are you on tilt? Perhaps you just want to get the game over with, cash in your chips and go home?

In any case, you feel the eyes of the player on your left. You raise your eyes to stare, trying your best to imitate a cobra staring down a mongoose – or is it the other way around? A beat, and he folds. You shift your eyes to the next player – and watch as he also folds. It’s down to the last player and you – your eyes lock and you watch, unblinking, as he stares for a moment longer, shrugs and folds, too.

As the chips are pushed your way, you relax for the briefest of moments – you’ve successfully stolen the blinds.

Stealing the Blinds

Blind stealing or a stealing attempt is a viable strategy to gain chips. It is especially useful in short-handed games since the fewer players there are, the smaller the risk of getting beaten with a better hand.

Stealing blinds is also best accomplished when you are in a late position, say, you’re the dealer. In this case, you’re the last one to act so you have a chance to see how your opponents react to their cards and more importantly, how they act after looking at their hole cards. You therefore have more information on which to base your decision when it’s your turn.

The biggest risk when stealing blinds is someone taking the chance and challenging you – at which point the pair of fives in your hand will suddenly look like pop gun. Thus, it’s also good strategy to observe your opponents’ playing styles before you push your luck. For instance, in the previous example, having tight opponents paid off.