Small Blind (SB) (SB)
Also known as: Small Blind, SB
The seat just left of the button that posts half a big blind. The worst postflop seat — out of position against everyone except the big blind.
The small blind (SB) sits immediately left of the button and posts half a big blind before the cards. It is the worst seat at the table to play postflop: you are out of position against every player except the big blind, and you act second-to-last preflop but first on every postflop street if the BB is still in.
The SB has already put in half a blind, which creates a tempting but dangerous discount. Two main strategies exist when the action folds to you:
- Complete (limp/call) the big blind — playable, but you'll be OOP with a capped, weak range.
- 3-bet / raise — modern solver play heavily favors a polarized raise-or-fold approach in the SB, often with NO calling range versus a steal, because completing OOP realizes equity so poorly.
When you open the SB and the BB defends, you play the entire hand out of position. That structural cost is why SB ranges are tighter than cutoff or button ranges despite the apparent discount. See also blind defense for the BB side of this battle.
Example
Blinds 1/2, folds to you in the small blind with K♦9♣. Completing for 1 more invites the big blind to play a pot you'll contest OOP all the way; a raise-or-fold solver line would simply fold this hand or 3-bet it as part of a polarized range, avoiding the dreaded out-of-position completed pot.