A poker straddle is a voluntary blind bet made by a player before cards are dealt. A player who straddles is effectively buying the big blind and doubling the stakes. A standard straddle is two times the amount of the big blind, but can be bigger if the poker room rules permit.

• Blinds are forced bets in the game of poker. Typically there are two blinds – the small blind and the big blind, but it is possible for there to be one blind or three blinds. Blinds are, in effect, the catalysts of the game of poker.
• A blind system is designed to generate money to put into the pot and stimulate betting. There are two types of blinds, the big blind, which is equal to the minimum bet at the table you are playing at, and the small blind, which is half the amount of the big blind.
• Poker Tournament Blinds What are poker blinds? Based on the limit of the poker game the player to the left of the dealer’s button (small blind) and the player two to the left of the dealer (big blind) are required to place mandatory bets in the pot before cards are dealt (Small blind has to put half of the big blinds amount).
• In poker games with blinds, chopping the blinds is a custom that may occur when all other players fold to the blinds before the flop.The blinds then remove their bets, ending the hand.

Blinds are a vital component of many poker games and having the right knowledge about them plays a huge role in the overall gaming experience. But what exactly is a blind? Let’s break it all down here.

A blind is simply a compulsory or forced bet that is made before any of the cards in a poker game are dealt. That is where they derive their name from – players have to pay them blindly without seeing their cards.

There is a lot more that you need to know about blinds but this is definitely a great start. You are now aware that this is a mandatory bet to be placed when joining a poker game. It can be easily be described as the fee or cost of participation in the game.

What’s the Point of Blinds in Poker?

It is safe to say that a poker game cannot begin without blinds. They are in essence what ignite the game by giving the players the incentive to play. Moreover, they are responsible for generating the action in a game.

Once the game kicks off, the main aim during the first betting round is to “try to steal the blinds“. If the player makes a raise during this first betting round and all the other players fold, the player who raised wins the blinds.

Without this type of bet, the game of poker would be very boring and dull since no one would be under pressure to act with their weaker hands. Needless to say, poker is not poker without all of the mind-boggling action that it is associated with.

The Types of Blinds

Now, once you have contributed your mandatory share in a poker game you will be in the blind. What next? Well, your next move will be dependent on the kind of blind that you will be in. We are going to take a look at the two common types of blinds that are likely to be a part of the poker game that you will be participating in.

Small Blind

In some poker games, this simply means the compulsory bet for the player sitting left of the dealer. This is often regarded as the worst position on the table. This is because the small blind usually acts first which puts that player at a disadvantage.

Being in the small blind means that you are in a rather unique situation. Half of your bet will already be in the pot. The implication here is that you are allowed to see the flop in an unraised pot for a discounted price so long as you have the combination of certain poker hands and one of the following from the small blind:

• Queen Ten
• Jack Ten
• King 8s
• King 7s
• King 6s
• King 5s
• King 4s
• King 3s
• King 2s

Keeping all this in mind, it is recommended that you should never call the half bet in the small hand when you do not have a good starting hand. The small blind, during the player’s turn in the preflop, can fold, raise or call. It is thus not mandatory that it calls the big blind.

The size of the small blind is usually tied to the size of the bet. It is always equal to the size of the small bet. For instance, in some poker games where the big blind is $3, the small blind can either be $1 or $2.

The Big Blind

Unlike the small blind, the big blind is placed in the middle of the poker table. Moreover, while not as bad of a position as the small blind, the big blind is not necessarily a good position. However, it is definitely much better than the small blind though.

Being in the big blind means that you will have the opportunity to check and see the flop for free. You will certainly be at an advantage especially if you are not holding any of the hands that apply to the small hand. Even so, to be safe, you will need to raise some hands in the big blind – this is not mandatory but it helps in cementing your win.

In most online poker rooms, the standard buy-in for some poker variants is placed about 100 big blinds which typically translates to $1,000 in a $5-$10 poker game, for instance. This is often the maximum that is allowed for that game.

The Rules for Using Blinds

Naturally, the use of blinds in the game of poker is governed by a set of rules. These rules are pretty simple and straightforward making easy for everyone to understand. We have broken them down in a manner that is as simple as possible.

The very first rule you will need to know is that for every round in a poker game, every player must get an opportunity to be in the dealers position.

In addition to that, each and every player at the poker table will be required to meet the total amount of the blind obligations. This is just further affirmation that the blind bet is indeed mandatory. For heads-up play where there are only two blinds, the player who is the small blind is also the dealer.

Next, the player who posts a blind will have the choice of raising the pot at the first turn to act. It is worth noting that this does not apply to games where there are “Dead” blinds – these kinds of games use dead chips which are not a part of a player’s bets.

In cases where a new player wants to join the poker action, there is a set of rules to be followed.

The new player can either wait for the big blind or post an amount that is, at least, equal to the big blind after which they will be dealt a hand.

Furthermore, the new player cannot be dealt any cards in between the dealer and the big blind. The new player will, therefore, need to wait until the blind passes.

In summary

• Small blinds is the ‘fee’ or ‘compulsory bet’ for the first player left of the dealer.
• Big blinds are placed in the middle of the table, this is collected from the second player left of the dealer.
• Once a blind is paid players are dealt cards.
• Paying blinds puts players at a disadvantage for that hand.
• Blinds players are betting without seeing their hand, where as all other players are able to.
• These players can act first in each poker round of betting, expect for the pre-flop.

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What’s the point of blinds in poker?

Have you ever wondered why there are blinds in poker? Why doesn’t everyone just play for free, and join or leave as they please?

The ‘blinds’ are so called because players have to pay them before they see their cards. They are not optional if you want to join a poker game, and not to be confused with antes. Antes are also a compulsory bet paid by players before their cards are dealt in a tournament, but an ante is usually taken from everyone in every hand. A blind is positional, taken from specific players.

For reference, we should state the purpose of the dealer button, which dictates the position of the blinds in a community card game like Texas Hold’em and Omaha. The dealer button represents the player who, in the “good old days,” used to actually distribute the cards to the other players.

The dealer button is allocated at the start of each hand, and initially two forced blinds are collected:

• The small blind from the first player to receive cards to the left of the dealer.
• The big blind from the second player to receive cards to the left of the dealer.
• If only two players are to be dealt in, the button takes the small blind and the other player pays the big blind.
• Further blinds may be collected from other new players wanting their first hand, or players returning from sitting out.

As their name suggests, the big blind is more expensive than the small blind — usually double. In ring games the blinds are constant, but in tournaments they increase at a predetermined rate. Tournament blind levels are usually scheduled for a set period of time, but may be for a number of hands.

The reason that blinds are collected, particularly in tournaments, is so there is a starting pot for the players to compete for. In tournaments, the blinds increase in size in order to force players to keep up with the average stack as players are eliminated. If there were no blinds in poker games, the best strategy would be to fold everything except premium hands because it would be free to wait. The game simply would not be at all interesting or competitive.

It is important to note that the players who are paying blinds are at a distinct disadvantage for that hand.

• They’re betting without seeing their cards, whereas everyone else is playing for free.
• They must act first in every round of betting in the hand, except for pre-flop.

In order for the blinds to affect everyone equally, there are specific rules which most poker games follow to make things fair for everyone. A well-known and highly respected resource of poker rules and etiquette, Robert’s Rules of Poker, authored by Bob Ciaffone, has this to say about the button and blind obligations:

“A new player cannot be dealt in between the big blind and the button. Blinds may not be made up between the big blind and the button. You must wait until the button passes.”

The reason for this is that having a player pay a small blind in that seat might mean a player has had to pay the big blind in two consecutive hands. That would be a severe penalty. You may be moved to an empty seat between the dealer button and the big blind, but you’ll have to wait until the button has moved to your left before you can take a hand. This applies even in tournaments when you move tables.

Also from Robert’s Rules:

What Is The Blinds In Poker Real Money

“A player who misses any or all blinds can resume play by either posting all the blinds missed or waiting for the big blind. If you choose to post the total amount of the blinds, an amount up to the size of the minimum opening bet is live. The remainder is taken by the dealer to the center of the pot and is not part of your bet. When it is your next turn to act, you have the option to raise.”

What Is The Blinds In Poker Room

This method is used to prevent players from declining to pay their blinds when in the big blind position and then trying to return in a different, more advantageous position for free. They have to pay their dues of a big blind plus a small blind, which they have also skipped. Even if they do come back in the cut off, immediately to the right of the dealer button and in a highly advantageous position, the penalty of paying a small blind as well as a big blind compensates for that.

What Are Slug Blinds In Poker

One of the game dynamics which paying blinds introduces is that players in short-handed games and the final stages of a tournament have to fight to stay alive. Everybody has the same cost each time the blinds get to them. Stronger players will have the ability to cope with the disadvantages forced on them and exploit the forced bets made by others. The better players will try to capitalize on positional play and not waste chips by limping or calling passively.