While many people begrudge the position, as it can be an extremely difficult position to play from, the small blind can be one of the most exciting, yet challenging positions at the poker table because of the complexity involved with playing from the position. There are so many ways to play from the small blind and so much complexity in the position that playing well from the small blind is oppressively difficult. With that said, the fact that there are so many options gives players a great deal of options on how they can choose to play from the position.
Many players on Full Tilt demonstrate a reluctance to fold in the small blind after they get the absolute poker download. While players are much less inclined to fold from the big blind, the small blind is another matter entirely. Folding when in the small blind is definitely an option that should be on the table and considered a lot of the time. The small blind, instead of taking folding off the table, just widens the variety of hands that you can play from the position because of the relatively low cost to call.
Often, you can use the position to mask the strength of your hand and get in relatively cheaply with hands that you would, otherwise, be forced to fold. I am a strong believer in limping from both the small and big blind as long as it is an option. The less information that you give your opponents, the better the position you put yourself in and you can often end up trapping other players and getting big payouts if things play out well for you.
The one big downside with the small blind when you play on the best online poker sites is being first to act in the subsequent rounds of betting. With that said, it is often possible to make a big move from this position depending on the number of players in the pot. With fewer than four players in a pot, raising from this position is often effective, as the strength of the cards in your hand are already masked. It is not unlikely that you can take the pot right there. In the event that someone else reraises, you can often get away relatively cheaply if your hand does not have a positive expected value. On the flip side, if you manage to flop a nutty hand, you can sit on it with a relatively safe expectation that someone in the pot, provided there are a few people, will try to raise either on value or in an attempt to take the pot.
Playing from the small blind is an extremely difficult position to play from because it provides a player with so many different options. While there is a high level of difficulty, being effectively able to play from the small blind can be a large boon to a player’s repertoire and can result in some truly massive pots due to the merits of the position.