Is a poker blind defense strategy a waste of a bet?

In most games, most often you can see that most of the beginner players rush to defend mandatory bets with genuine enthusiasm, as if they were being stripped of their last shirt. And after serious raises by fairly experienced players, whose position is much more advantageous, such beginners, having nothing in essence, rush to the defense of their mandatory bets, because they believe that a specific robbery is going on from their opponents. But defending the blinds is not what is needed in every situation.

Why Players Started Using Blind Defense

Such tactics began to spread at the speed of light since the 2000s, aggression gained momentum in poker tournaments. Due to the influx of emotions during the tournament, players began to regard any raises from their neighbors on the gaming table as aggressive strategic attacks that should not be ignored. And, despite the cardinal difference in game formats, after a while this strategic direction moved to cash games.

There is a point of view among professionals that blinds are no longer those chips that can be disposed of, but common ones. When is blind protection necessary and when is it inappropriate?

Tournament blind defense

In the initial games, a defensive strategy will not bring any profit, but, on the contrary, will only make you suffer a loss. You will be wasting your chips, which will come in handy in the future to enter into a more profitable hand with a chance of earning income.

In the beginning, players don’t attach any importance to any raise when it’s time to add 60-120 chips in the blinds, which, of course, from their point of view, will not affect their stack in any way. However, you should not constantly throw your chips into the wind. It will only reduce that important reserve, which would be better to use later.

In the final stages of tournaments, defensive tactics will not in all cases be considered completely useless, but, nevertheless, frequent resorting to defense will not give the expected result. You must not forget that you need to approach the defense of your mandatory bet with a cold, calculating head and stick to the intended strategy. 

Is it worth defending the blinds in cash games?

And now about cash games. Unlike tournaments, in cash games, a raise is usually changed to a pre-flop call. This allows blind bettors to participate in the most aggressive round. In a cash game, you can buy more chips whenever you want, so your costs are minimal, associated with adding low amounts in the blinds, and more often than not justified.

So is it worth defending the blinds

It makes absolutely no difference whether you are playing cash or a tournament, always pay attention to your position at the table first of all. Sometimes there are cases when it is necessary to defend bets, having no cards at all. If you see a “thief” lurking at the table who only steals the blinds, then it’s time to re-raise to check it out. With this action, you will force him to fold, which will allow you to regain a certain part of the previously merged blinds and cool off such an energetic player. Thus, a blind betting strategy is not an illegal act that requires you to hit yourself on the hand every time, but it should not become a special strategic point for you every hand.