Does Short-Handed Play Affect Blind Defense?
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Blind stealing and blind defense. What hands should I do it with? Should I do it more short-handed? What factors affect whether I try a blind steal or whether I defend my blind. These questions are extremely common. I get asked them in many forms. Unfortunately, a complete answer could fill a book, and it’s not a book I’m particularly inclined to write.
So instead I’ll answer a single question here from Jim, one of my readers:
I do have a question for Ed concerning full ring to short-handed blind defense. Do the requirements for blinds steals/defenses change at all between the two games?
The short answer is that the requirements do and they don’t change. The short answer is never very informative, is it? How’s this: They don’t change from a theoretical perspective, and they do change from a practical perspective. It’s not a 100 percent accurate answer, but it’s close enough. Here’s what I mean.
Everyone folds to someone one off the button. She raises. Everyone folds to you in the big blind. You have K 
9 
. Should you call?
Well, I don’t know if you should call or not. After all, we don’t even know yet if the game is limit or no-limit. But that’s not my point with this example. My point is: Do you need to know how short-handed the game is to answer the question? From a theoretical standpoint, no, you don’t.
The only difference theoretically between a 10-handed game that gets to this situation or a 6-handed game is how many people have folded up front. Once people fold, they’re irrelevant. When I say “Everyone folds to one off the button,” all the folders are irrelevant. Who cares if there were two of them or six? Who cares if there were zero or twelve? It doesn’t matter. They’re out of the hand. They’re out of the picture. They don’t change your play one iota.
That’s the theoretical answer. In practical terms, however, things do change. Why? Because it’s all about range.
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Tags: blind-defense, blind-stealing, no-limit-holdem, poker, poker theory, shorthanded play
Hello Ed, two quick questions regarding statements in your FAQ relating to the Small Stakes No-Limit Hold’em book:
1) Why is live play at small stakes generally much easier than online play?
2) Why is full-ring play typically easier than short-handed play?
Thanks for your time! When I get a job, I’m buying the book.