Poker Terminology: ‘Blinds’
September 1st, 2009In many variations of online poker where betting is involved, from Texas hold ‘em to Omaha and so on, the betting action begins before the poker cards are even dealt, a rule which is enforced by blinds. Blinds are obligatory bets made in a rotating fashion around the table so that in one orbit of dealing (ie: every player has been the dealer) each player is responsible for posting the same amount of blinds. The poker player to the immediate left of the dealer position (or ‘the button’) posts the small blind, which is usually half the amount of the minimum bet at the table. The player to the immediate left of the small blind, then, posts the full amount of the minimum bet, or the ‘big blind.’ For instance, at a $1/$2 no limit table, the small blind posts $1 and the big blind posts $2. Betting action then starts with the player to the left of the big blind, from which point the player may either fold, call the big blind bet, or raise. The raise must be at least the amount of the blind bet or larger in order for it to be a legal bet. If there are no raises by the time it gets around to the small blind again, he may also fold, call (completing the full bet of the big blind), or also raise. If the table ‘folds around’ to the big blind, the player who posted the big blind then takes back his bet and the small blind, as no one has, in essence, matched his forced bet. In this manner, money is guaranteed to enter the pot regardless of the quality of the hands dealt, every time.
