Being the small blind is an interesting position. On one hand, you are going to be the first to act, so you’ll be playing at a pretty big disadvantage after the flop. Considering this, you would normally want to play as tightly as possible and play only the best hands from that position. On the other hand, you’ve already committed half of the blinds to the hand, and if you fold, you’ll have given up some chips without seeing if your cards have hit the flop.
Deciding whether or not to just give away your half blind isn’t an easy one. Luckily, poker has a way of nudging you in one direction or another. Since you are already partially committed to the pot, you can face better odds when you take a risk in the small blind position. If four other online poker players have called the big blind and the action comes to you, you can loosen up your play a bit. Between the four bets, the big blind, and your half blind, you stand to win 11 half bets with one half bet. With 11-to-1 odds, you can loosen up your play to small pocket pairs and connectors. If you’re the small blind and several online poker opponents call, it may be worth trying to hit the flop.