Small Blind Poker Position

Table of Contents

Understanding poker table positions is key to having a successful poker strategy, especially when playing flop games like Texas Hold ‘em and Omaha poker. In games like these, it is essential that you maximise the strength of your position to boost your odds as much as possible. However, you must also realise when the odds are stacked against you.

Knowing the position of all the players at the table will allow you to see the decisions taken by your opponents. And, the more information you know about your opponents, the better decisions you will make.

We’re here to guide you through the SB position, which is arguably one of the trickiest positions to play.

WHAT DOES A SMALL BLIND POSITION MEAN IN POKER?

To put it simply, the SB is the first player immediately clockwise from the dealer button. A poker player acts second to last during the opening round and then acts first in each round that comes after. It is often deemed as the worst position to be in as you would essentially be placing blind stakes.

Despite being forced bets, the purpose of the blinds is to boost the pot and entice players to act and play. Without any chips in the starting point, players would take little action and would opt to wait until they are dealt stronger hands rather than risk bluffing.

In general, the value of the SB is about half that of the big blind. Note that the SB is in the same position as the button when playing heads-up.

ADVANTAGES OF SMALL BLIND POSITION

Despite being at a positional disadvantage, there is an advantage that comes with being in an early position at the poker table.

In a position like this, you’d be able to see whether your hand is worth playing very early on.
This way, if your hand is not worth risking your bankroll fold, you can choose to fold before there has been some real damage to your bankroll.
Of course, this also means you will be out of the running to win the pot, but you could seize the opportunity to watch other players go through the round and analyse their playing decisions to get ready for the next one.

DISADVANTAGES OF THE SMALL BLIND POSITION

Out of all the table positions in poker, the early seat is arguably the worst.

Players are likely to have poor position post-flop, and as a result, they must play a tighter range due to the difficulty of making a profit with marginal hands — late position players are given a much wider range.

Players may be enticed to play nice-looking hands like the small pocket pairs or small suited connectors. However, these are not profitable for open-raising.
Being in an early position also might force players out of the running very early on in the round, especially when being dealt weaker hands.

SMALL BLIND STRATEGY

So, considering the SB is not the best position to sit in, how can you boost your odds even without a positional advantage? Here are a few tips:

SB players are forced to invest before they see their hole cards, but they get a discount on any pre-flop cold call.
The recommended average cold call frequency sits at 7%.
During the pre-flop game round, the BB must still act. The BB may overcall or squeeze against the SB cold call.
The SB will always be out of position in the post-flop game round.
If all players fold, the SB has an excellent opportunity to steal.
If the BB folds against an SB open raise, the SB will make a successful steal.

The SB plays pretty tight ranges when facing opens, but this does not mean it’s a total lost cause. Sure, the middle position or, even better, the late position, are better positions in poker, but the SB can aggressively steal if the BB folds.

WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM PLAYERS IN THE SMALL BLIND POSITION?

As we mentioned in the strategy tips section, being the SB puts you at quite a disadvantage, no matter what type of poker game you play. That said, it is not a total loss.

Players in the SB table position act before the BB, which means they could take an aggressive approach and pick up the pot preflop by stealing. And, if the BB folds, SB players will win the blinds outright.

On top of that, SB players will likely play tight ranges, even with discounted cold-calling opportunities. The reason being is that betting too liberally will leave the SB open to overcalls and squeezes from the BB.

BEST PRE-FLOP HANDS FOR THE SMALL BLIND

Deciding how to act depending on your seat at the table is key to a successful round at a poker table. But, with 169 different two-card combinations in a deck of cards, you might play hands you shouldn’t. So, to help steer you in the right direction, here are a few suited and off-suited hands you can play:

It’s pretty safe to say that there are a greater number of hands that can be played from a middle position and a late position. But, in a game like poker, you need to make the best with what you’ve got!

SUMMARY

To summarise, being in the SB seat is not super advantageous but not impossible either. However, whether you are successful or not is highly dependent on the actions of the BB.

When formulating your strategy, be sure to keep these tips in mind, and check out the pot odds too! Small and big blinds are the two positions that push players to keep betting, so they are pretty essential seats despite not offering the best advantage.

⭐ IS SMALL BLIND EARLY POSITION?

Yes. The SB is one of the earlier seats that acts first and sits to the left of the dealer button. Because it is an early seat, the SB is not the best position to be in at the poker table.

⭐ WHO GOES FIRST IN POKER, SMALL OR BIG BLIND?

Once all cards are dealt, the player to the left of the BB is the first to act in the first betting round. The SB will then act first on every subsequent round.

⭐ CAN THE SMALL BLIND RAISE BEFORE FLOPPING?

Yes, the SB can raise and add another full bet to that round.

⭐ HOW ARE SMALL BLINDS DETERMINED IN POKER?

In any poker table, the blinds are determined by whoever is hosting.