Poker Blinds

Poker is a game that is heavily dependent on ‘What’s in the pot?’ – players are in it to win money, and without anything in the pot, they will be unwilling to bet even with stronger hands. The counter argument to that is players will not play any weak hands and will only bet when they have stronger hands, making the game very slow and boring.

Hence, the concept of ‘Poker Blinds’ are in place – blinds in poker are forced bets that play a big role, and also bring in a certain amount of uncertainty. A forced bet is something that players put in the pot even before the actual round of betting begins.

In general there are two types of blinds (small and big), but in some variants of poker there might be three types of blinds or none at all. Once the hole cards are dealt to every player, the player to the immediate left of the dealer has to place the small blind in the pot. The player to the immediate left of the small blind has to put in the big blind, and thus the game begins.

Blinds in Poker Tournaments

Poker blinds play the same role in tournaments as they do in cash games, that is to increase the pot size before cards open, and also encourage players to not fold every hand. But, there is one difference between tournament blinds and normal cash game blinds.

In tournament poker, the blinds structure sets the duration of each round, and also there are predetermined amounts by which they are increased in every passing round. Generally there is a 25% to 50% increase in the blinds with every round. This method forces the player to play aggressively to keep increasing their chip stack to stay in the game. Players with smaller chip stacks usually suffer in tournaments, and it is advisable to play aggressively in the beginning to build a stack.

Basics of Poker Blind Rules

The more popular variants of poker like Texas Hold’em and Omaha follow these basic rules in regards to poker blind structure:

• Posting of blinds: The two players to the immediate left of the dealer have to post the small and big blind amount respectively after the cards are dealt.
• Blind amounts: The amounts are pre-determined, and in most cases the big blind amount is always the double of the small blind amount. For example: In a cash game of ₹1/₹2, the small blind is one and the big blind is two.
• Blind rotation: The position of the blinds are rotated clockwise after each completed round. This makes it mandatory for every player at the table to post blinds, both small and big as long as they are in the game.
• Actions thereafter: After the small and big blinds are posted, every player starting from the player to the immediate left of the big blind has to call that amount to stay in the game. They can also choose to raise the big blind amount if they feel like it. The original small and big blind players have the option to check, call or raise, when the action comes around to them.
• Defending the blind: If there has been no raise over the big blind, then the big blind player has the option to simply check and get to see the ‘Flop’. If there has been a raise, then the big blind player has to call the amount or re-raise to stay in the game.
• Increasing the blind: This usually happens in tournament poker, where the blind amount increases by 25% to 50% in each passing round. This forces all players to play aggressively to increase chip stacks to stay in the game. In this kind of game, there is steady pressure to play more hands, and less folding of hands.

Also read: How to Play Poker

Big Blind and Small Blind in Poker

The ‘Small Blind’ and the ‘Big Blind’ are the two forced bets that players have to make in a game of poker. They also indicate the first two seating positions to the left of the dealer. The players sitting at those positions have to make the mandatory bets to start the game.

In most of the popular poker formats like Texas Hold’em and Omaha, the ‘Big Blind’ is mostly double the value of the ‘Small Blind’. The size of poker blinds only differs in tournaments, where the blind is increased with every round up to 25% to 50%.

Also check:

• Texas holdem poker
• Omaha poker

Ante and Blinds in Poker: Similarities and Differences

Ante and Blind structures influence the game of poker differently in different formats of the game. It adds variety, unpredictability and complexity to the game of poker.

How Does the Betting Work After Blinds is Placed?

In poker, after the small and big blind are placed, betting continues in a clockwise direction from the left of the big blind player. Each player now can perform the following actions – call (matching the current big blind amount), raise (increase the current amount) or fold (if they are unwilling to match the bet due to weaker hole cards). The round of betting continues until all players have had the chance to call, raise or fold their hands, ensuring that everyone who remains in the game has contributed equally to the pot value.

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