One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is throwing good money after bad while defending the blinds. Nobody likes to bet for nothing, and when playing out of the blinds, and betting before you've seen your hand that's what you're doing, but remember that as soon as that money goes into the pot…it's no longer yours, it's the winners money.
Because the small blind bet is just that…small, the initial contribution into the pot shouldn't factor into your decision on whether to play, and you should evaluate the cards and the table, and make a decision, remembering to factor in your weak position.
Playing out of the big blind is the weakest position, and as such you need to be sure that you have a competitive hand to make calling a pre flop raise a worthy investment. A lot of players factor in the pot odds, and decide that their relatively small additional bet makes the call a good play, but it's actually less so because of your weak table position.
There are four basic situations in which to defend the blinds, and the best way to start is to forget about the money you've already played and just play fresh; and evaluate your hand on its merits and not on a desire to recoup your blind bet chips.
Obviously if you're dealt a high pair then defending the blinds is a solid play, and if you can convince people that you’re just fending of a steal, all the better.
2 Nobody's raising
Your end around table position can actually give you an advantage on your pre flop bet, and if you see a lot of calling, and not much raising, you may want to consider calling into the flop. Obviously, the competition remains tentative, and if you've got a sequence of two or a low pair or better, then this play starts to look like a probable gamble. The earlier the raise the stronger the hand, and as such if the two players next to you raise on the pre flop, you'd better watch out!
3 Only the maniacs are raising
If you're playing a very loose table, and a couple of maniacs are upping the ante, then you may still want to consider a play and if you hold a reasonable hand you may want to get in on the action. Of course if a really tight player has made an early raise, then you better have something serious if you want to keep on going.
4 Someone's trying to steal the blinds
If you've been playing tight from the blinds all game, players will more than likely make a play to steal the blinds and take the pot. If everyone calls, the dealer position may make a raise in an effort to steal the pot; but if you've been playing tight all game, you can usually turn this around with a bit of aggressive play. Raise on the pre flop, and raise again on the flop, and more than likely you'll find yourself alone with the pot!
Know when to fold
There are no absolutes in poker, and the above are at best general guidelines, but a big part of smart and winning play is knowing when to fold, and especially when to fold in the blinds.
