Poker Blind Guide

Poker is an interesting game to play. It is easy to learn too. but you also need to know that it is a skill-based game. Therefore, the game needs you to understand all the game rules when you decide to play the game. To dive deeper into the game and understand all the aspects, you need to know about all the poker terms, poker hand order, best poker tactics, poker rounds, poker actions, and a lot more. One of the essential things to know about Poker game is the concept of – “Blinds”.

Today we will learn about the word ‘blinds’ in poker.

What is Blind?

If you have heard about blinds but do not know what exactly it is, then here is all about blinds. Poker players are thinking what are the ‘blinds’? Blinds are the forced bet in the game that the players to the left of the dealer button in a game have to contribute. The Blinds are the beginning round in the gameplay such as Texas hold ’em, Omaha, etc. So, in other words, blind is an amount that the players are needed to pay as compulsory bets. This amount is paid in the game when the players have not even received their cards.

Blinds are also called blind bets, as the players need to pay the amount of the blind without viewing the cards and being blind. These bets start the game and trigger the poker action further in the game to make the best hand combinations.

Objective of Blind

The main aim of having something like a blind in the game is that every player will have something to look forward to. Since there is something already in the pot, the players are motivated to play the game further and win the game.

Blinds are a crucial part of poker games like Texas Hold’em and Omaha. These bets make the poker game more action-oriented. These bets force the players to get involved in the game with more vigor and vitality.

Types of blinds

There are two types of the blind in every game. One is the small blind and the other one is the big blind. As the name says, the amount of the small blind is lesser than that of the big blind. Two different players in the game pay the amount of the blind in the pot.

It has easy to remember names with a clear idea of the sizes. The small blind is contributed by the player who is present at the immediate left of the dealer button. A big blind, which is twice the size of the small blind, is contributed by the player who is present at the immediate left of the player paying the small blind.

It is easy to know and understand the blind sizes. In real money poker games or cash games, the small blinds are the small amount and the big blind is the larger amount. But in the case of tournament blinds, things may be slightly different. This is so because the blind amount keeps increasing after some time. Look forward to the dealer retrieving all the information about the blind, especially the blind cost. In the case of online poker, you can easily see the blind amount displayed on the screens of the poker room.

What are the variations of blinds in poker?

As per the Poker game variants, the style, and the limit of poker games, there are different types of blinds in the poker game structure. Let us know about them.

• Ante

An ante is a type of blind in which the players need to contribute a small amount before getting the cards. Just like a blind, even ante is a type of compulsory bet. Antes are more used in tournament poker and cash games. Not like the blinds, all the players at the table need to pay the ante if they are in the game. The amount of ante is usually smaller than the big blind. Usually, poker games that do not have a flop round like Seven Card Stud, Razz poker, etc. use antes and not blinds.

There is a big blind ante too. as per the concept of a big blind ante, the player seated in the big blind need to pay the ante for every player in the game. This makes stealing the blinds more sought-after in the game due to the availability of a lot of chips.

• Blind

Blinds are the forced bets. There are two kinds of blinds, where one is the small blind and the other one is the big blind. Blinds are more used in the popular games of Texas Hold’em and Omaha.

• Straddle

A straddle is also common in some poker games. It is a voluntary bet, unlike the blind and ante. This is a more common bet in cash games. It is also played along with the blinds in the poker game. Straddle is more used in live cash games. Some online poker sites also use straddle. The players can straddle from anywhere on the table. The most common positions of the straddles include under the gun or the position when the player is seated to the left of the big blind and on the button. The straddle is double the size of the big blind.

Blind in different format poker games

When the blind of played as a limit game such as pot-limit Omaha, then the amount of the small blind is the lesser of the two limits. In other words, it is the minimum bet. Talking about the big blind, the amount of BB is double the minimum bet.

When the poker is played in the no-limit Hold’em format, then the position of the small blind, as well as the position of the big blind, is challenging. It is belied that the player will have a difficult time playing from these positions.

The player finds it challenging to play the blind due to the following main reasons.

• The player must contribute half of the big blind. This will obviously happen when the player has not even seen the cards.
• Coming to the post-flop round in the game, the player who contributes the small blind remains at a disadvantage.

Who pays the blind?

One of the main things that you need to know in the game is who is the player that needs to pay the blind amount. Usually, the player who is present at the position which is the immediate left of the dealer button is the one who places the small bet. This amount is usually half of the full bet amount for that round, also called the small blind.

The player who is present at the left position of the player paying the small blind needs to place the full bet amount for that round also called the big blind.

When the players get the cards, the betting action begins. The player who is sitting to the left of the big blind starts the game. He can take the poker actions such as fold in which he discards the cards, call where he matches the big blind or the initial bet, or raise in which he can increase the big blind’s bet or the stakes in the game.

Blind rules in Raised and Unraised Pot

Have you been wondering what happens in the case of the unraised pot? Then you must know that if arrive at a point when the action comes to the small blind and there is an unraised pot, the player can complete the blind by paying the small blind as the full bet for that particular round. If the player chooses not to complete the blind amount, then the player most likely will have to fold the hand. The player can also choose to raise the amount by paying the small blind and paying a full bet amount too for that round.

If the pot is already raised when the action is going to come, the small blind player needs to finish the blind to the full amount matching the raise, to play the game further.

As we know that the last player in the game that needs to decide the betting in the first round is the big blind. In case the pot is unraised when he needs to take the action, the player can check and remain in the game and play the flop further or raise the stakes. But in the case of raise, the player may not check and fold the hand. The player can also call the raise by matching the initial bet to complete the raise amount or may reraise it as well. If the other players fold before the flop along with the small blind, then the big blind can get the blind bet as well as the small blind bet.

When the initial betting round is over, the small blind need to start in every round. If the player is no longer playing, the first player who is remaining with cards seated to the left of the dealer button can begin.

Blind strategy

Using the blind poker strategy, you can create a positive impact on your game and chances to win. The strategy for the blinds can minimize your losses. Here are some of the strategic adjustments that can make your blind play better and raise your winning chances.

• If you open-raise a bigger range of hands, then you can take away the small blind money kept in the pot. This is one of the easiest ways to lower the losses of the small blind. In taking down the pre-flop pot, you can take away the big blind and half of the big blind you committed from the small blind.
• When you try to steal from the small blind, use a larger raised size. Else, the opponent gets a price on a call.
• Stealing is a better proposition when there are antes in the game.
• Do not fold frequently from the big blind.
• Try to pair your pre-flop adjustment with a post-flop game. You just cannot keep defending more often from the big blind.
• Make sure that your checking range stays protected and you don’t let the opponent apply pressure when you check on them.
• A check-raising range can also make you win more pots.

Conclusion

Like many other games and sports, even poker has several technical terms and slang. The same is used by poker players to explain their actions and hands in the game. Do not get daunted by the poker terms. It may confuse you at first but once you dedicate time to understanding them well, you will become a pro at it.

Blind is a common poker term that every beginner should know. The exhaustive information shared above would have made the concept of ‘Blind’ clear to you.

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FAQs

How does a blind size matter?

It is imperative to understand that the size of the blinds affects the bet. So, if the small bet is 6 and the big bet is 12, then the player needs to call or place the bet of the same amount of 12. The player can also raise the bet to 24. In case you want to defend your blind, you must know about the game condition and the opponent who is against it. It is imperative to keep checking on your opponents on the table and keep defending as per the situation in the game.

What are the two types of blinds?

There are small blinds and big blinds in the game. The small blind is contributed by the player who is seated to the left of the dealer. The big blind is contributed by the person who is sitting to the left of the person making the small blind.

What is the ante in poker?

Antes are also forced bets like blind which are posted before the game starts. Antes are more used in tournament poker and cash games.