Tip #14 - Don't play too many hands just because you're in the big blind

Many players fall into the trap of defending their big blind too often, thinking "I've already put money in the pot, so I might as well call." While it's true that you're getting better pot odds because you've already posted the big blind, this doesn't mean you should call with weak hands.

Here are the key problems with defending your big blind too liberally:

• You'll be out of position for the entire hand
• Even with better pot odds, many hands are still unprofitable to play
• You'll often face difficult decisions on later streets
• The money you've posted in the big blind is already gone - don't compound the loss

When deciding whether to defend your big blind, consider these factors:

• The size of the raise (larger raises require stronger hands to call)
• The position of the raiser (early position raisers usually have stronger hands)
• The playing style of the raiser (loose players can be called with more hands)
• Whether there are any callers in between (multiway pots change the math)
• Your stack size relative to the raise (deeper stacks allow more speculative hands)

Good hands to defend with from the big blind include:

• Pairs (the higher the better)
• Strong suited connectors (like J♠T♠, T♥9♥)
• Big cards that aren't too far apart in rank (like K-Q, Q-J)
• Suited aces (especially those with a card ten or higher)

Remember that while you're getting a discount to call from the big blind, you're still investing real money when you call a raise. Don't fall into the trap of thinking "I'm already invested" - that's a form of the sunk cost fallacy. Each decision should be based on whether calling is profitable going forward, not on money that's already in the pot.