[Thinkerbell]

I have recently come to understand how it can help your game to think about how to play the sit out, since this is a common and pervasive problem.

The key to benefiting from sit outs at your table is to always be aware of what their position is in the action. For example, if you have one to your left, and it is the big blind, be ready to call, even if you have a crappy hand that you'd normally fold. If no one else is in the pot by the time betting comes around to you, calling the big blind sit out assures you of collecting the blinds.

If you see someone else is in that situation (they are small blind with big blind sit out to their left), and you're on the button and no one has called, go ahead and call. I've often seen the small blind fold. So the player on the button collects both blinds. So don't forget when you've got a sit out to your left. That sort of puts you in the postion of the big blind in terms of action.

This same strategy can be employed from an earlier position, too. If you know who tends to play tight, and pay attention to when the sitouts are the big blind, you can steal the blinds. This is a little trickier to execute, because another player may call before betting gets to the blinds. But the key here is only calling, so you have a minimum investment in case somebody else gets in the pot.