How to defend your big blind
You have already paid and you decide last: this is how to use that discount cleverly.
Defending your big blind means not folding when somebody raises while you are in the big blind: you call or you raise back. The big blind is the only position where you play at a discount, because part of your bet is already in. That discount changes the arithmetic completely, and anyone who does not see it either folds far too much or defends with any two cards. Both cost money.
The discount, in numbers
Say somebody raises to 2.5 big blinds and the small blind folds. There are then 4 big blinds in the pot, and you only have to add 1.5. That 1.5 into a final pot of 5.5 means you need roughly 27 percent equity to justify calling. Against a min-raise to 2 big blinds that drops to about 20 percent. Even modest hands clear that bar, and that is exactly why you defend far wider in the big blind than anywhere else. How that calculation works exactly you can read in calculating pot odds.
The brake: you play out of position
Against that discount stands a considerable disadvantage: after the flop you almost always have to act first. Out of position you realise your equity less well, because you more often have to guess without information, which makes good cards worth less. So the paper threshold is not the whole story: a hand also has to be playable, with chances of straights, flushes or a decent pair. Why deciding last is worth so much is explained in position in poker. Little hands like 92o sometimes just clear the sum, and then lose that advantage again immediately on the flop.
When 3-betting beats calling
Defending is not only calling. With your strongest hands, such as QQ+ and AK, you want to reraise: the pot grows while you are ahead, and you partly remove the positional disadvantage by simplifying the hand before the flop. Add a few bluffs to that, think of A5s or K9s, so that your 3-bets do not always mean aces. What a 3-bet is exactly and how you choose the size is in 3-betting: when and with which hands. Rule of thumb for the split: most of your defence is calling, a smaller but fixed part is 3-betting.
What you do and do not defend
Against a normal raise from a late position you defend wide: every pair, every suited ace (two cards of the same suit with an ace among them), connectors such as 87s, and most high card combinations. Offsuit rubbish like 72o, 93o and J3o you simply fold, however small the extra payment feels. Against a raise from early position, which is usually stronger, you cut the borderline cases considerably. And at low stakes the rake counts: it makes small called pots a touch less valuable, so if you are in doubt about a borderline hand, folding is fine.
The biggest mistakes in the big blind
Three leaks turn up everywhere at low stakes. One: folding too much, which lets the raiser eat your blind every round for free. Two: calling with everything and then playing check-fold on every flop, which amounts to the same loss more slowly. Three: never 3-betting, so that your strong hands earn too little. Good defence is calling wide, reraising selectively and simply throwing away the rubbish. Boringly put, worth a lot at the table.
One practical exercise to finish. For a whole session, note every hand you get in the big blind together with your choice. Lay that list next to the guidelines above and count how often you deviated. Most players then discover one fixed pattern, structurally folding too much against small raises for instance, and correcting one pattern is perfectly doable. The big blind is the most common situation in the whole game, so every small improvement here pays off again every round.
frequently asked questions
Big blind questions.
Why may I call wider in the big blind than anywhere else? +
Because you already have a big blind in the pot and you decide last before the flop. Against a raise to 2.5 big blinds you only pay 1.5 more to take part, and that discount makes hands playable that you would fold straight away in other positions.
Do I have to defend every min-raise? +
Nearly every one, but not literally every one. Against a raise to 2 big blinds you only need about 20 percent equity to justify the price. Hands like 72o or 83o often do not even manage that, especially because you play out of position and rarely realise your whole equity.
When do I choose 3-betting instead of calling? +
With your strongest hands, such as high pairs and AK, and alongside them a selection of bluffs such as A5s or K9s. Calling with everything makes you predictable and lets the raiser see flops cheaply. So part of your defence should be aggressive.
Does the rake count in my decision? +
Yes, certainly at low stakes. The rake is the part of the pot the operator keeps, and at small tables that percentage is relatively high. Every called pot is therefore worth a little less, so the very weakest hands that can just about call on paper are better folded in practice.
defend with a plan
Stop guessing in the blinds.
Pokiq puts big blind situations in front of you daily and shows per hand whether calling, 3-betting or folding earned the most.