Restealing

Restealing - A method in poker to increase your stack. But when can you resteal? Read our article below to find out.

In tournament poker it’s important to know when you can make moves in order to increase your stack. One of the most effective ways to increase your chips is to learn the poker rules and resteal against players you suspect of pinching the blinds.

The process of restealing is one which requires a certain amount of conditions to be met:

Is your opponent's raise a steal?

The type of player they are will often hint at whether they are stealing or not. Indeed, a loose-aggressive player is much more likely to be stealing when they raise than a tight-aggressive player. Stats in the region of 35/28 or 40/30 on a player’s HUD will often mean this player is loose-aggressive. It is important to note that a loose passive player who suddenly raises instead of limps is likely have a strong hand.

Position is important

Good tight aggressive players will be looser with their raises closer to the button. Thus, the later the raise the more prepared we can be to classify the raise as a steal rather than a strong hand and a value raise.

How big is opponent's stack?

In general a larger stacked player will have a wider opening range than a smaller stacked opponent. Therefore, you can be more ready to assign a "steal" label to a player with a large stack than a player with a small stack. An extreme example of this would be a player with only 11bbs who decides to open for 3X from the BTN. While much of the "steal" criteria has been fulfilled, the fact they are choosing to 3X raise rather than shove (which would be more standard) should ring alarm bells.

The money in the middle needs to equal 20% or greater of your stack. After you’ve classed a raise as a steal you should consider moving all-in to resteal if the pot equals 20%+ of your stack.

These are just some of the factors you need to consider at the poker table when you’re deciding whether or not to make a resteal.