Blind Steal

Blind stealing is essential to maintaining and growing your stack in MTTs. As blinds and antes increase, the cost of sitting idle becomes significant. A successful blind steal picks up 2.5 to 3.5 big blinds uncontested, which adds up substantially over the course of a tournament. The best positions for stealing are the Button and the Cutoff, because fewer players remain to act behind you, reducing the chance of running into a strong hand. From the Small Blind, steals are also common when it folds to you, though you will be out of position against the Big Blind if called. A good blind steal range includes a wide variety of hands that have some postflop playability, such as suited aces, suited connectors, broadway hands, and pocket pairs. The idea is not that these hands are strong enough to win at showdown, but that they win immediately often enough to show a profit. Your steal frequency should increase as the tournament progresses and antes become a bigger portion of the pot. In the late stages with antes, the reward for a successful steal is proportionally much greater. However, you must be aware of opponents who defend their blinds aggressively. Against a player who 3-bets frequently from the big blind, you should tighten your stealing range or be prepared to play back. The dynamic between the button stealer and the big blind defender is one of the most common and strategically rich situations in MTT poker.