Blind-versus-blind play has always been very hard; both players have both very wide ranges and split preflop strategies. The player who often has the range advantage is usually playing out of position, and both players have nothing a large portion of the time. It shares many of the difficulties of heads-up poker, except most people don’t play heads-up at varying stack sizes, and there are heads-up specialists who have played hundreds of thousands of hands versus other experts. There are experienced tournament and cash game players who have gotten very good at blind-versus-blind play, but there are not blind-versus-blind specialists. Additionally, in a given tournament, you might play blind-vs-blind against several different players; each one has their own style, and you must try your best to adjust your game accordingly.
One of the biggest leaks that people make to simplify blind-versus-blind play is to bet too often out of position. They bet with the hope of ending the hand, but without a robust plan or strategy on future streets. In today’s hand, I start with a big bet from the SB on a connected board and get into a tricky situation when my hand improves.
The Hand:
GGPoker Super Million$ $10,300 Buyin, Blinds 5k/10k/1250 (ante) ~347k deep.
Preflop: Folds to me in the SB with Q♥️3♥️; I complete; BB checks.
Flop (28,750): Q♦️J♠️ T♦️ I bet 23,975; BB calls.
Turn (76,700): 3♠️ I bet 60,622; BB calls.
River (197,944): 8♠️ I check; BB checks. I win at showdown vs. J♦️T♣️.
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