A lot of people are shy about stealing the blinds. They think it's rinky-dink poker, or they think that there's just not enough money out there to be worth it. Don't think that way.

In Hold 'Em, you can play any hands you want, choose what cards you play, control your rate of loss (and maximize your rate of win) -- except when you're in the blinds. The blinds are the one time when chips are involuntarily Hoovered from your stack.

Fortunately, those blinds hit you in a predictable schedule. Be ready for them. Pay them with someone else's money. Steal the blinds when you have the chance.

And don't be shy about stealing your own blind. Once those chips are the center of the table, it's not yours anymore. The only way it can come back to you is for you to win the pot. So win it. That'll finance you for at least one more time around the table.