What Is the Purpose of Blinds in Poker?

There are several purposes of blinds in poker. The most common is the small blind and big blind.

The small blind is usually half the minimum bet, while the big blind is the full minimum bet. The reason for these blinds is to stimulate betting and ensure there is always some money in the pot.

PRO TIP:Blinds in poker are forced bets that must be made by two players in order to start the betting action. They are used to create an initial pot and create action for each hand. The small blind is placed by the player to the left of the dealer button, and the big blind is placed by the player two seats to the left of the dealer button. Blinds increase as a tournament progresses, ensuring that the pot size grows and players are eliminated as they exhaust their chip stacks.

Another purpose of blinds is to give players an incentive to play hands they might otherwise fold. For example, if a player has a hand that they think is only marginally profitable, they may still call the big blind in order to try and hit something on the flop and make some money from the pot.

The final purpose of blinds is to help control the flow of the game. By having players put money in the pot before each hand begins, it ensures that there will be money available to be won on each hand, and also prevents players from stalling the game by waiting for a premium hand before entering a pot.