Blinds are perhaps one of the best things to have in a game, whether you’re playing for fun or for cold hard cash. It always ensures some form of action on the table even if everyone is dealt the worst of hands, because someone will always want those chips in the middle of the table.

Cash game blinds are traditionally small and relatively unimportant to people so stealing them isn’t usually that beneficial other than providing you with your blind chips for the next round. However in tournaments blinds can, as the tournament progresses, be worth a significant amount in relation to pot sizes. Certainly that depends on the tournament style but blind stealing is most advantages when used properly in tournaments than anywhere else, because the blinds are just simply put worth it!

Cash game blind stealing can help you get through your own rounds of blinds with little detriment to your own bankroll but all in all isn’t traditionally that big a deal. Mostly because in cash games when you look at the average pot size the blinds don’t match up to its sheer volume and so most players won’t even bother a fight over blinds, unless someone trying to get them may represent a loose player. More often than not in last position at a table or even as the big blind yourself you might pick up the blinds. It certainly isn’t uncommon for a whole table to lay down their hands and fold to the big blind in an online cash game. Many frequent players can attest to this, and is simply that the blinds aren’t high enough to hold any real attraction for players. But since the blinds are small people also don’t have that big a problem calling and following up on blinds and would be blind-stealers, so it can be a situational issue that needs to be taken into account when thinking about picking up blinds if at all in cash games.

Tournament blinds are a whole new situation. The increasing blinds in tournaments result in producing eventually large blinds as the games continue and the tournament progresses. Early in the game however the blinds can be relatively small and so more people will fight to protect thier blinds, it will basically run much more like a cash game in the early rounds of a tournament but blind stealing later on can be an exacting art that can help boost your stacks significantly. Prime stealing position is the late positions, and of course the very last seat is the very best for making a move towards picking up blinds. Before making any decisions on whether to blind steal or not: you should still take into consideration players and the style the table is in right at that moment. You need to be careful because if you get called on your bluff if you are bluffing you can lose your chips easily. Going into a steal be conservative with your attempts to steal especially if its all bluff because you don’t want to give more than you need.

So in the long run whether you’re just taking advantage of a folded table or if you’re going into a game looking to pick up blinds you have to remember to take into account if the blinds will be protected. Then if someone is trying to steal your chips from you just remember to make a good decision based on the stealers play style, your chip stack, and your hand before you try to defend your blind; because sometimes it’s just better to let blinds go.