Holdem Basics: the Re-Steal

This article was posted on May 8, 2013

Many poker beginners believe that in order to become more successful at the green felt and to reach a higher level of poker thought, they need some sort of a revelation, a breakthrough which will get them from A to B in the blink of an eye. Becoming a better poker player however is a gradual, one-step-at-a-time process which takes more or less time depending on the level of dedication of the individual player. In order to improve, players need to make sure they understand and master a set of basic strategy elements each and every one of which takes them closer to achieving their poker goals.

The re-steal is one such simple, easy-to-understand, yet often overlooked basic strategy element. Nowadays, most Holdem games are extremely aggressive. Aggression is not just a highly efficient approach, it is quite fashionable these days too. Beginners will often find themselves frustrated by their opponents’ aggression, looking for weapons they could use to turn it around and not finding any. Well look no further: the re-steal is one of the most efficient ways to take your opponents aggression and turn right around at him. The re-steal is also one of the most basic tools player will simply be forced to put to good use in SNGs. Attempting a re-steal is basically about firing out a three-bet against an opponent suspected of attempting to steal the blinds. In SNGs, the stealing of the blinds is the bread and butter of the game. Therefore it's safe to say that re-stealing is part of the same equation as well.


Why exactly is the re-steal such a potent weapon in cash games as well as in SNGs? Most decent players nowadays know all too well that they have to take advantage of their late position, and most of them do indeed move to exert pressure from cut-off or from the button. Such a course of action is generally regarded as highly profitable. What happens though is that this sort of aggression leaves the perpetrators vulnerable to the re-steal.

Why exactly is the re-steal used most often in tournaments and SNGs? It is in tournaments where the size of the blinds increases as the action progresses. The point where the blinds are big enough to be worth stealing is guaranteed to come.

Where exactly is the re-steal most often used? Given that it's a weapon best used against players in late position, those in the blinds can and will use the re-steal to defend. Of course, players from late position can use it as well, against their fellow late position opponents. The best target for a re-steal is obviously an opponent who is decent enough to understand the profitable nature of blinds stealing and late position aggression.


It is extremely important for players who plan on using the re-steal to understand and to be aware of the fact that they are bluffing. Indeed, if one is three-betting an opponent with a hand which he believes is better than that of his opponent, he’s basically raising for value. The re-steal is a bluff, which means that the player doing the re-steal knows that his hand is weaker than that of his opponent. Because it is a bluff, the re-steal calls for a number of required circumstances to be fulfilled: the player attempting to re-steal has to consider his position, his stable image as well as his opponent’s position and table image, corroborated with the reads that he makes on him.

It is extremely important to deploy this weapon against good players. It will utterly backfire against calling stations and maniacs who have no problems shoving all-in in response to any sign of aggression from their opponents.

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