I do agree that it is easier to steal blinds when big-stacked as opposed to short-stacked, but I do believe that the stealing of blinds when you're low in a tournament makes/breaks your outcome. Agreed, don't steal with 2+ people in the hand. If you are shortstacked and its you vs. the blinds, or you vs. one blind one caller, build up the courage to make the stealing bet. if you have 9x the BB and there are two players seeing the flop with you, the all-in can be very effective.
HOWEVER: Flops that look great to bluff at when you're against callers are a pretty bad thing to see against the blinds. How often do you get a premium in the big blind anyway? If you're against the blinds and its a junk flop, that's when things are ugly. Since you wouldn't regularly put the blinds on hands with significant strength, a broadway flop looks good. My last tournament I came in 7th from being a potential bubble boy because i held 8-5 off in the bb and somebody with slightly less chips than me made a move at a 467rainbow flop. He had AK suited and made a bad limp, but basically I'm saying that it's all about position, your make of the players involved, and even your hand. An all-out bluff makes you feel great when it works, but I'd prefer the semi-bluff when you could make the backdoor flush.  |