Let's face it: Playing only the cards in your hand won't lead you to the final table all the time. Poker is a game of skill, and you need to take advantage of situations when you see them. One of the most important situations that you can take advantage of is being in late position. After discussing playing position last week, I felt I needed to follow it up with a tip about something you can do in late position preflop: Steal the blinds.



Stealing the blinds is necessary when trying to increase your chip stack without getting too involved in big pots. As John Bonetti put it, if the blinds are considered driftwood, you need to everything you can to accumulate the driftwood.

The majority of players recommend that the button steal is the way to go. Raising three to four times the big blind with any two cards from the button will put pressure on the blinds to either defend their hands or fold and let you have the pot. Additionally, raising from this position ensures that for the rest of the hand you will have position on your opponent if they were to call.

The only problem with the button steal is that it has become a predictable move. These days, many players in the small blind (or even the big blind) will reraise the button to see if he's got a real hand. Getting this extra information out of a player will not only help you win this pot, but also put in your mind that this player has the potential to make a move like this. Be sure to understand that if a player makes this move once, he'll do it again if he thinks you'll back down.

Considering the button steal is becoming predictable, the cutoff seat has taken over as the place to make the move. Raising from the cutoff seat (one to the right of the button), allows you to take the button away from the player in the dealer seat and limits his opportunities to make a move from his position. You essentially steal his button (if he folds) and then can take on the blinds with position the rest of the hand.

What's the risk of the cutoff seat steal?

Instead of only needing to force two hands to fold from the button -- the small and big blind -- you are now facing a third opponent. If the player on the button calls, you're now out of position and need to hope that you hit the flop or make a solid bluff if you want to win the pot.

No matter where you steal the blinds from, there are a couple key things to remember:

1. Your position: If you are in early position, you'll need to go through nine other players (at a full table) in order to steal the blinds. You want to blind steal only from favorable positions -- the middle to late positions.

2. Your hand: If you attempt a blind steal and get called, you better at least give yourself a chance once the flop is dealt by holding a playable hand. I'm not talking about blind stealing only with A-K. I'm talking about a small suited connector or a one-gap hand such as 6-8. With drawing hands like suited connectors, you can hit a flop, even if you were never intending to play the hand.

3. Know the big blind: If the big blind defends his hand no matter what, you shouldn't go after that person. Is the big blind an extremely tight player? If so, then you've found your target -- fire away with just about any two cards.

4. Stack size: If your opponent is short-stacked to the point where any raise will force him to go all-in, make sure you have a hand to back yourself up. If you're going to raise a short-stacked player, there will be a showdown, so try to go in with the best hand possible. Remember, you are not responsible for knocking this player out. If you don't have the cards in this situation, wait for a better time. The same goes for attacking the chip leader. He's got the chips to make a loose call with a weaker hand. Make sure you attack the average-size stacks because they'll be more willing to throw their hands away.

5. Image is everything: If you are perceived as a tight player, take advantage of it by stealing some blinds. They'll think you've got a hand and let it go. On the other hand, if your opponents are beating your preflop raise into the pot, you've got some work to do before you can attempt a steal.