At the heart of building a solid foundation of poker strategy are blinds and antes, forced bets that ensure there is money in the pot at the start of each hand. Understanding this is essential for both novice and seasoned players to grasp, as they shape gameplay and strategy. This article explores what blinds and antes are, how they function, and how their use generally differs between online and live poker.
What Are Blinds in Poker?
In every hand of Texas Hold’em, two players must post forced bets before any cards are dealt. These bets are known as the small blind and the big blind:
- Small Blind: Posted by the player immediately to the left of the dealer button, a disc that marks the dealer’s position. Typically, this is one-half of the big blind. Commonly abbreviated as SB.
- Big Blind: Posted by the player to the left of the small blind. Typically, twice the size of the small blind. Commonly abbreviated as BB.
Small Blind (SB)
The small blind, to the left of the dealer, a.k.a. the “button” (BN), posts $5 in a $5/$10 cash game
Big Blind (BB)
The big blind, to the left of the small blind, posts $10 in a $5/$10 cash game
For example, in a $5/$10 cash game:
- The small blind is $5.
- The big blind is $10.
Purpose of Blinds
Blinds serve several critical functions:
- Create a Pot: They ensure there is money to compete for in each hand, incentivizing play.
- Force Action: By requiring chip commitments, blinds prevent players from folding every hand without cost.
- Rotate Positions: The dealer button moves clockwise (to the left) after each hand, so every player takes turns posting blinds, maintaining fairness.
Blinds are considered “live,” meaning they count toward the amount a player must call to stay in the hand during the first betting round. For example, if no one raises preflop, the big blind can check without adding more chips or raise.
What Are Antes in Poker?
An ante is a forced bet that every player at the table must contribute before the hand begins. Unlike blinds, which are paid by only two players, antes are universal, with all players posting the same amount. The ante is posted before the small and big blinds are posted
Two Variants
- Traditional Ante: Every player at the table posts an ante every hand. Typically, the sum total of the antes is equal to 1 BB (or close to it). At an 8 handed table, this means the ante is equal to 1/8th the size of the big blind. This is the traditional method of antes but is primarily only used in online tournaments in modern day poker.
- Big Blind Ante: The big blind posts the ante every hand. Typically, this is the same size as the big blind. This has become near universal in live poker tournaments as it speeds up gameplay.
Traditional Ante
Every player antes 25 in an online tournament structure with 100/200 blinds
Big Blind Ante
Before the blinds are posted, the big blind antes 200 in a live tournament structure with 100/200 blinds
Key Characteristics of Antes
- Universal Contribution: Every player at the table posts an ante in the traditional ante structure.
- Dead Money: Antes are “dead,” meaning they do not count toward the amount a player must call on the first betting round. For instance, if the ante is 25 and the big blind is 200, a player calling the big blind must still put in 200, not 175.
Purpose of Antes
Antes are used primarily in tournaments and serve the following purposes:
- Increase Pot Size: Antes add chips to the pot, making it more attractive, especially in tournaments with limited chip stacks.
- Speed Up Tournaments: By raising the cost of each hand, antes pressure players with shorter stacks, accelerating eliminations and moving the tournament toward its conclusion.
Antes are less common in cash games but may appear in some high-stakes or specific live games.
Blinds and Antes in Cash Games vs. Tournaments
The application of blinds and antes varies between cash games and tournaments. Below is a comparison:
Blinds
- Cash Games: Fixed in cash games (e.g., $5/$10: small blind $5, big blind $10)
- Tournaments: Increase at set time intervals. For example, after 30 minutes 100/200 blinds are increased to 150/300. After another 30 minutes 150/300 blinds are increased to 200/400. And so on…
Antes
- Cash Games: Rare in cash games, but may appear in some specific games tailored to create more action.
- Tournaments: Often use antes. Some tournament structures will have a period of time at the beginning without antes, before having antes throughout the rest of the tournament. Other structures will have antes throughout the entire tournament.
Strategic Implications of Blinds and Antes
Blinds and antes significantly influence poker strategy, affecting how players approach each hand.
Blinds
- Defending the Blinds: Players in the blind positions have already committed chips, making it more profitable to play a wider range of hands (in particular, the big blind) after a player has Raised First In. For example, the big blind might call a raise with a marginal hand due to the chips already in the pot.
- Exploiting Blinds: Players in later positions, such as the button, can raise with a broader range of hands to pressure the blinds, knowing they are incentivized to defend with a weak range out of position.
Antes
- Increased Pot Size: Antes make pots larger, increasing the value of winning hands. This can lead to more aggressive play, as players chase bigger rewards.
- Tournament Pressure: In tournaments, antes raise the cost of each hand, forcing players with shorter stacks to take risks or face being blinded out. This dynamic encourages more speculative plays, such as shoving all-in preflop to win the blinds and antes.
Understanding these strategic nuances is crucial for adapting to different game formats, whether in cash games or tournaments, online or live.
Conclusion
Blinds and antes are foundational to Texas Hold’em poker, ensuring there is always action and money at stake. Blinds, posted by the small and big blind players, are a constant in both cash games and tournaments, while antes, contributed by all players, are more common in tournaments to boost pot sizes and accelerate play. Online poker tournaments frequently use the traditional ante structure, where every player posts an ante every hand that in total equals one big blind. Live poker tournaments frequently use the big blind ante structures, where the big blind posts an ante every hand equal to the big blind.