Poker Blinds Rules

Blinds are part of the pot.

The "blinds" in a poker game are the forced bets required by the rules of the game to be posted before cards are dealt. Because they are posted before you see your cards, they are said to be "blind" bets. Usually two blinds, a small blind and a big blind, rotate around the table clockwise. They are used in games that have a rotating dealer "button."

Function and Terminology

Blinds are used to stimulate betting action in the poker hand. They are typically used in games such as limit and no-limit Texas hold 'em, Omaha and Omaha hi/lo, which are the most popular games in casinos across the United States. Other forms of poker, such as seven card stud, use antes instead of blinds. The dealer button is usually a plastic disc simply used as a marker.

The amount of the blinds is established before the game begins. In a casino, they are indicated in the name of the game. For instance, a popular game in many casinos is $1-$2 NL Texas hold 'em. This means the game is no-limit (NL) Texas hold 'em played with a $1 small blind and a $2 big blind, which rotate every hand. The blinds also establish the betting structure and limits for the game. The minimum bet is always at least the amount of the big blind.

Position

The small blind is posted by the player closest to the left of the dealer button. The big blind is posted by the person to the immediate left of the small blind position. After the cards are dealt, the player immediately to the left of the big blind begins the betting action in the first round of betting. The blinds are considered part of the players' bets. So the amount of their blind bet is part of whatever bet they want to make after they looked at their cards. If they fold, they surrender their blind bets, which are added to the pot. On subsequent rounds of betting, the active player closest to the left of the dealer button begins the action, whether or not he was in one of the blind bet positions.

In a "heads-up" game with only two players, the person with the button is also in the small blind position. Regardless of how many players are in the game, the dealer button rotates clockwise, as do the blinds, after every hand is complete.

Betting

The blind bets establish the minimum price to enter the pot in the first round of betting. Someone who wants to play the hand has to at least "call" the amount of the big blind or put in at least an equal amount of money. Of course, he also can fold or raise.

The amount of the big blind in the game usually determines the minimum acceptable bet on subsequent betting rounds. For instance, in a $1-$2 Texas hold 'em game, the minimum opening bet in the second round of betting is $2.

Tournament vs. Cash

Blinds are used in both tournament poker and cash, or "ring-game," poker. The difference is that during a tournament the blinds increase periodically according to a predetermined tournament structure in order to force the action even more. In a cash game, the blind amounts stay the same for as long as the table remains open. At a $1-$2 NL Texas hold 'em cash table, for instance, the small blind remains $1 and the big blind remains $2 for as long as a player can play.

Strategy

Because blind bets are part of the pot, many players "raise" in the first round of betting in order to "steal" the blinds. Sometimes they have a good hand; sometimes they truly steal with a bluff. Stealing the blinds is an important strategy to use and of which to be aware.

References

• Card Player: Poker Buttons and Blinds
• Card Player: General Rules of Poker