Your blind stealing
ATS and exploiting the blinds.
Full read: about 9 min
Every hand, two players have already put money in the middle before even looking at their cards: the small blind and the big blind. That money is dead, sitting on the table, and the question is who scoops it. The stat that measures your ability to go and get it is called ATS (Attempt To Steal): how often you make the first raise from a steal position (cutoff, button, small blind) when the action folds to you.
The leak: almost the whole pool steals too little
It's one of the stats where micro-stakes players leave the most money, and always in the same direction: they steal too little, out of misplaced caution. The pool often runs around 38% ATS in 6-max (33% in 5-max) at the smallest stakes. The winning player steals noticeably more, and the gap widens as you move up in stakes. Those blinds the others don't dare take are big blinds won without a fight, orbit after orbit.
Why stealing is profitable, even with a weak hand
Stealing works thanks to fold equity: the part of your profit that comes from the times everyone folds before the flop. In a steal position, only one or two players are left behind you, with random hands, and 1.5bb of dead money waiting to be taken. The arithmetic is clear: when you raise to go after those 1.5bb, the blinds only need to fold a little more than six times out of ten for the steal to already be profitable, even assuming you lose your raise every time you're called. Six out of ten is a threshold the pool clears by a wide margin.
The real skill: tuning your frequency to the blinds
This is where the whole gap between a mechanical thief and a dangerous one is decided. Your steal range isn't set in stone: it must breathe according to who's sitting in the blinds. Against tight blinds who fold a ton, you steal relentlessly: the fold equity is so high the card you hold barely matters. Conversely, against a big blind that defends wide or resteals often, you tighten up and steal more for value. The adjustment is made on the profile across from you, never on your hand alone.
What's in the full course
The excerpt above lays out the principles. The full course, free, goes much further:
- The exact target ranges of the winning player for ATS, and how they evolve from NL2 to NL50.
- Your steal ranges by position (cutoff, button, small blind), drawn from your G1 opening ranges.
- The precise steal sizes, including from the small blind and facing a limp.
- How to tune your steal frequency profile by profile to the blinds across from you.
- What to do when you get called or restealed, and the bridge with your fold to 3-bet.
- A concrete action callout at the end of every chapter.
The full course
Online reading, for logged-in members only.
Read the full course onlineFrequently asked questions
What is ATS in poker?
ATS (Attempt To Steal) is the percentage of times you make the first raise from a steal position (cutoff, button, small blind) when the action folds to you with no one having opened. It's the stat that measures your blind stealing.
From which position should you steal the most?
The button. It's the position where the fewest players are left behind you and where you'll play the rest of the hand in position. It's your best steal seat, by far.
Should you steal with any hand on the button?
No. Your frequency depends on the blinds across from you: very wide against players who fold too much, tighter and more value-oriented against blinds that defend or raise you often.
Why is stealing the blinds profitable?
Because there's 1.5bb of dead money in the middle and the blinds fold often. They only need to pass a little more than six times out of ten for the steal to be profitable, even without a good hand.