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FAQ's

Ante Stealing

1. What do we mean by “ante stealing?”
Trying to win the antes by raising with a hand that figures to be in trouble if it is called.

2. What are your odds on an ante steal?
In most games you are getting about 4-to-3.

3. How often does your steal have to work to show an immediate
About 40 percent of the time.

4. Do your chances need to be that good?
No, you may win later on.

5. Is it usually worth a try to steal the antes if your chances of success are less than 40 percent?
Yes.

6. When would this be particularly true?
If the next card can win you the pot immediately.

7. Example?
You raise with an ace and catch an ace.

8. How often will this happen?
About 6 percent of the time.

9. Are there other ways of being able to gain equity on the next round?
Yes.

10. How?
If the next card gives you a hand strong enough that it would be wrong for someone to call your bet on fourth poker street if he knew what your hole cards were.

11. Example?
You raise with A♠ K♥ 9♦ , and a pair smaller than kings calls you. If you catch an ace or a king, and your opponent knew that you had one of these cards in the hole he should fold, providing that he does not improve.

12. How much does this improve your chances?

About 12 percent.

13. What else?
You have another 6 percent chance of making open nines.

14. What does this mean?
You have almost an 18 percent chance of winning the pot on fourth street if your opponent will fold small pairs if you catch an ace or a king, or if you pair your door card, and you do even better if he doesn’t fold against the ace or king.

15. When you catch a scare card, what type of hands are your opponents likely to throw away?
Hands made up of lower pairs than your board cards.

16. Example?
On fourth street your board is A♠ Q♠ . Your opponent is likely to throw away any hand up to two jacks.

17. What does this mean?
When you are on a steal, also consider how high your opponents’ upcards are.

18. What’s the bottom line?
Raise with hands that have about a 30 percent chance of stealing if the game is at least moderately tight?

19. What does this usually mean?
Hands having the highest card showing, with half decent poker hands cards in the hole; or the second highest upcard, with fair cards in the hole.

20. What if the game gets looser?
Your hands needs to be progressively better to try to steal, even with the high card.

21. What if you are inexperienced?
You should steal even less.

22. Why is an ace up especially good?
With the exception of being rolled up, opponents never can have the hand that you are representing beat.

23. What if you don’t have the highest upcard?
You risk being reraised by the person who does.

24. What if this person is a good player?
You may be reraised even if he does not have what he is representing.

25. What does this mean?
Be less apt to steal the antes without the highest card showing, especially if there is one or more aggressive or tough players showing higher cards yet to act.

26. Why is the second highest upcard frequently a better raising hand than it appears?
Because it will appear that your hand is real.

27. Should you be willing to reraise when you hold the highest upcard, but don’t necessarily have the raiser beat?

Yes.

28. With what hands would you make this play?
With a three-flush or any of the other playable hands that you should at least call with. Now you should sometimes reraise.

29. Why is this play correct?
You are holding a legitimate hand that has a good chance of beating your opponent.

30. Is it correct to steal up front?
“Occasionally,” but only if the game is tight, and generally only when you have the highest card showing.

31. Can you be more specific?
You should usually limit your steal raises (in an early position) to those times when you have an ace or a king up.

32. What if the game is loose?
Trying to steal up front is usually a mistake.

33. What if the highest card is held by a player who folds a lot?
If he also doesn’t reraise without a bigger pair than he possibly faces, you can raise as a steal with the second highest card from an early position.

34. Do you make these raises at random?
No. they should be based on the strength of your hand and on the other upcards.

35. What it the game is loose?
You can raise more.

36. Example?
Your hand is T♦ Q♥ K♠ . The game is moderately tight, you are in an early position, and there are two aces behind you, but they are not held by strong players.

37. What if someone else has already limped in?
You should usually not try to steal.

38. When is one time not to steal with the highest card showing, even when you are not in an early poker position?
When the game is loose and you have terrible hole cards.

39. Another time when you should not steal?
When your upcard is duplicated elsewhere.

40. What are the problems with a duplicated upcard?
A. You must now worry about the opponent with the same upcard.
B. Your opponent knows that it is now harder for you to have the hand that you are representing.
C. Even if you do have this hand, it is harder to improve.

41. Can you steal too much?
Yes.

42. Elaborate.
Suppose you are in a game where at first you can steal the antes virtually every time. If you overdo it, your opponents will begin to realize what is happening.

43. What are the problems with this?
First, you will be called a lot. Second, your opponents will start to reraise you.

44. What else should you always remember when ante stealing?
Many players want to believe you are stealing.

45. Why is this important?
It gives them an excuse to play.

46. So What’s the conclusion?
Steal slightly less frequently than what might appear to be correct. That is, throw away your worst hands (when you have the high card up) to keep your opponents trained to fold more often than they should.

47. Give some examples of minimum ante-stealing hands.
A. Three cards higher than the next highest upcard, such as A♣ 7♠ 9♥ if no one else has a card as high as a seven.
B. Any kind of gut-shot draw.
C. Any kind of two-card flush draw such as 6♥ 5♥ A♠ if all your cards are live.

48. What do you need to keep in mind?
To play this loose, your opponents must be folding a lot.

49. If you are on a steal or semi-steal, and someone raises, should you throw your hand away?
It depends on what your cards are, what your opponents upcard is, and how the reraiser plays.

50. Examples?
A. You raise with Q♣ 9♠ J♥ and a seven reraises. You would definitely call.

B. If you have 2♣ 2♠ Q♦ you would call the seven.
C. If you raised with 9♠ 7♦ A♠ and a jack reraises, you should fold.

51. If you have 2♣ 2♠ Q♦ and a king reraises, what should you do?
Probably fold.

52. What are the exceptions?
If your opponent is prone to bluff, or if your hand is extremely live.

53. More examples?
A. If you raise with 9♣ 8♠ A♥ and a five reraises you should call because you may have three overcards.
B. If you raised with a ten up (and something like seven-six in the hole) and a queen reraises, you should fold since you have no overcards poker.

54. Should you ever not call the reraise from the five with the 9♣ 8♠ A♥ ?
You should fold if you think you are against a big pair in the hold.

55. After the low card brings it in, if everyone folds and you are last, how often should you raise?
Approximately 85 percent of the time against a typical player, but somewhat less against an expert.

56. What do you do the other 15 percent of the time?
Usually call.

57. When should you fold?
A. You have absolutely nothing, and your opponent is extremely loose and aggressive.
B. You have nothing, it is obvious, and your opponent is a very good player.

58. Give an example of the second condition?
A six brings it in. You have a seven up. Two sevens are out. It comes around to you, and you have absolutely nothing. Fold against a good player.

59. When do you just call a bad player (when he is low and you are last)?
When you have next to nothing and this player will almost always call if you raise.

60. Why is this call correct?
Because you are getting more than 4-to-1.

61. When is this especially true?
Against a very aggressive player who will either reraise or fold.

62. When is this especially true?
You are last and have 3♣ 2♦ K♠ . No other king is showing, a five brings it in, and everyone else folds. You should call a loose player, but raise a tough player.

63. What if a couple of kings are out?
You usually would just call against the tough player (although folding isn’t that bad a play).

64. Why do you usually call even when your hand is terrible?
You may bet the opportunity to catch one or two scare cards which could allow you to win the pot with a bet.

65. With your worst hands, what must you be prepared to do if your opponent bets (on a later street)?

Give up quickly.

66. If you have raised on third street, get called, and you don’t have much on fourth street, what should you do?
Either bet or check and fold.

67. What is almost never right in this spot?
To check and call.

68. What is an exception?
You have a pretty good hand, but your occonent has caught the type of card that makes it correct to check and call.