In poker, the term “blinds” refers to the forced bets that are made by the two players to the left of the dealer button before any cards are dealt. The player to the left of the dealer button is required to post the small blind, while the player to their left must post the big blind.
The big blind is usually double the small blind. For example, in a $2/$4 game, the small blind would be $1 and the big blind would be $2.
The purpose of the blinds is to generate action and get money into the pot. Without blinds, players would simply wait for premium hands and there would be little betting or raising.
By requiring players to put money into the pot before they see their cards, it encourages them to play more hands and keeps the action going.
The size of the blinds also determines how quickly the game will play out. In a game with large blinds, players will be less likely to call marginal hands because they don’t want to risk a large portion of their stack on a single hand. This means that pots will tend to be smaller and there will be less action overall.
In games with smaller blinds, on the other hand, players are more likely to call marginal hands because they don’t have as much to lose. This results in larger pots and more action.
The final thing to keep in mind about blinds is that they rotate around the table. In most games, each player will take turns being in one of the blind positions.
This gives everyone a chance to play in all positions and prevents any one player from having an advantage over another.
So how do the blinds work in poker? They’re used to generate action by forcing players to put money into the pot before they see their cards. The size of the blinds also determines how quickly the game will play out.
And finally, they rotate around the table so that everyone has a chance to play in all positions.
