A critical part of any successful Texas Hold Em Tournament Strategy is being able to identify blind defenders.

One of the many facets to a good Texas Hold Em Tournament Strategy is being able to correctly identify other players types and play style. This can go far beyond the simple tight/loose passive/aggressive stereotypes. There are many nuances to how any player can play. A very interesting one, and one you need to pay attention to especially in Texas Hold Em tournaments are the blind defenders.

Defenders of the blind, as they are commonly called, are players who just hate to give up their blinds. When they are in the position of posting the small or big blind they will play with whatever cards they have, no matter how bad. If there is a blind defender at your table, when he is in the big blind you just know that if you raise the pot he will call you just because he is on the blind. Even worse, blind defenders may even come over the top of you. If you have a loose player like this you may need to think twice about raising or playing a hand when they are in the blind.

Defenders of the blind love to send a message to everyone at the table that they will not be taken advantage of. A good Texas Hold Em Tournament Strategy is to steal peoples blinds to grow your stack. You might be able to steal a blind once, but after that a blind defender will just come over the top of you no matter what they have. They take the risk of losing just to send the message that they won't be taken advantage of and no one can steal their blinds.

The opposite player to the blind defender is a player that is so tight they don't want to risk the chips on bad cards. Even if this player is in the blind if they don't have a good hand they won't play. They don't get attached to their blind or feel the need to fight for it or protect it. They don't want to take the risk. With this sort of player you can be confident that if you raise they probably won't raise you back. If you are sitting in late position and no one has raised in front of you, and this type of player is in the blind, you should raise no matter what you have. You may be able to steal the blind. Most of the time he won't raise you, he'll fold, and you can steal his blind.

Being able to identify blind defenders, and also those people that aren't, is a critical Texas Hold Em Tournament Strategy because the ability to steal blinds whenever you can is a crucial part of building your stack. The bigger your stack is the better chance you have winning the tournament. Watch players, assess them and put them on a type, and then alter how you play in order to best exploit them.