Hiya!

I've found some basic advice regarding suitable minimum starting hands by position (NL-full ring); though i'm not sure where the blinds fit in...

EP, MP, LP?
Clearly the blinds are last to act PF, but later on out of position.
Should one be MORE or LESS restrictive with starting hands playing in SB than under the gun?

Perhaps the actual blinds (ie, the chips) should be regarded as lost, and that it is only the lousy position that is important?!

Being last to act PF, a play only BB can do (without risking a raise) is to call whatever one raisor (w/wo callers) bets, and follow up with a strong bet post-flop no matter what falls (better with a ragged flop of course). This bluff potential perhaps makes up for some of the positional disadvantage?!

?!
confused newbie

thanks,
Snok

If we are talking about unraised pots, I play a wide variety of hands in the unsuited connector category suited A/K type hands. In some ways though I play the SB tighter than the button where position alone might win me the hand, it just depends. I have been wanting some sort of promise in the hand to even call for a half bet like 53s or 75o something that can make a nasty big hand.

When it comes to raised pots, it depends on who is doing the raising, I may call with the same range as normal if it is a loose late position raiser, I may fold everything except suited one gappers and pairs if it is a tighter raiser.

Raised or unraised lately I've been letting K5o Q2o J7o go as I need to avoid kicker traps, I'm not exercising proper post flop discipline with these hands and need to chill with them until I'm ready to fold. Really the most you are hoping for is two pair that holds up or trips on the low card. Suited I would play those for the flush value and try to get away from top pair type hands if I encounter any heat. I would much rather play this sort of trash from the button for a full bet than in an unraised pot than in the SB for half bet.

All of the above counts for limpers in front....

Lets say it is just the button or cutoff limping or folded to me in the small blind, I might limp with a wide variety of hands with the intention of betting nearly every flop. Depending on those opponents tendencies I might raise a wide variety of hands 3x 4x the big blind a good portion of the time.

It really just depends on whether I want to attempt to outplay them now or later.

yeah i wouldn't really worry about "defending" your blinds up thru the $100 level at least. if the co or button opens for a raise, you can perhaps lower your calling/reraising standards a bit, but I wouldn't worry about defending for the sake of defending.

in a limped pot, you can obviously call in sb w/ a variety of hands for the discount. w/ a decent sized field, i will call w/ stuff like 75 (pretty obvious), but throw away trouble hands like K6, Qxs.

the lesson as always is: plz plz plz do not get your nl cash game advice from watching wpt. just hope your opponents do.