UTG 100bb Steal

Overview

UTG (Under the Gun) is the first position to act preflop and one of the most disadvantageous positions. 100bb represents an effective stack depth of approximately 100 big blinds. Steal (blind steal) refers to raising in an attempt to win the blinds and possible antes in the pot directly, typically requiring opponents to fold.

Strategy Background

In a full-ring game (9 or 10 players), UTG faces extremely high risk when stealing blinds due to the many players yet to act. It is generally recommended that UTG adopt a tight range and only raise with strong hands. However, in certain situations, especially when the blind players are passive and stacks are deep, UTG can appropriately widen the raising range to exploit the counterintuitive nature of positional disadvantage for a blind steal.

Common Range and Adjustments

• Typical UTG raising range: about 12%-16% of starting hands, including high pairs, big high cards (AK, AQ), suited connectors, etc.
• When stealing, some speculative hands (e.g., small pairs, small suited connectors) or medium hands (e.g., ATo, KJo) may be added, but caution is required.
• Against aggressive blind players or those who 3-bet frequently, reduce the stealing frequency.

Notes

• At 100bb depth, the raise size is typically 2.5-3BB; too large may give away hand strength, too small may lack fold equity.
• Postflop, the UTG stealer is out of position and needs stronger hand reading and pot control skills.
• If re-raised (3-bet), decide whether to call or fold based on the opponent's range and your own hand strength.