POKER - Is it best to sit out your blinds?

Question

Blinds are paid when in the worst position (1st to act). If you sit out your blinds, & re-enter on the button, (or just after) you must now 'buy the button' (pay your missed blinds, or sit-out until the next tie it is your blinds.

Strategy wise, isn't is best to do this? Now you are putting your blinds in, while in position.

Answer 1

No.

You can't re-enter on the button (or the small blind)(at least in any game run by sensible and fair people). This would require moving it past the player who has just been in the hands where they paid their own blinds, denying them the position opportunity you are trying to aim for.

The earliest you re-enter is one before the button, defeating the purpose of sitting out.

If this was a viable strategy, everybody would repeatedly do it, paying both blinds on the button and never at any other time. Clearly this doesn't happen.

Answer 2

Even if you could do what you say I don't see how it would beneficial. You typically cannot come in on the Button (blinds would not move). You can wait for the BB to come to you or you can pay a bb to enter from any position but the Button or SB.

Assume you can enter from the Cut Off (just before the Button) for the bb and it is 6 handed. You could play 3 hands for the price of a bb by sitting out the blinds.

If you stay in the game you play 6 hands for the price of sb + bb. The extra 3 hands (Button, SB, and BB) cost 1/2 as much. I will take the Button, SB, and BB for the price of a sb every time. The Button is the best position and SB and BB can catch good cards.

If you must pay sb + bb to enter on the CO you are paying the same price to play 3 hands versus 6. Not a good strategy.

Plus if you sit out 1/2 the hands it is boring and your hourly rate is cut in 1/2.

I use lower case for the cost sb, bb and upper case for the position SB, BB.