Forced bets posted by the two players to the left of the dealer button before cards are dealt.
Blinds are mandatory bets posted by the two players to the left of the dealer button: the small blind (typically half the minimum bet) and the big blind (the full minimum bet). They create a starting pot and ensure there's something to compete for in every hand.
Blind structure determines the pace and strategy of a game. In cash games, blinds stay fixed. In tournaments, blinds increase at regular intervals, creating increasing pressure to accumulate chips.
Playing from the blinds is the most difficult position in poker because you act first on every post-flop street. Defending your blinds appropriately — neither too wide nor too tight — is a key skill.
A $2/$5 no-limit Bellagio cash game posts a $2 small blind and $5 big blind every hand. Those forced bets seed the pot with $7 before cards are dealt and rotate clockwise after each hand. The BB has acted last preflop — a rare positional advantage — but is first to act on every postflop street.
Blinds are the largest leak for passive players: folding the SB to a minraise 100% of the time loses $2 per orbit, or roughly $20/hour. Defending the BB correctly against a late-position raise (about 40% of the time with a tight-aggressive range) recaptures 4-6 bb/100 in win rate. Tournament blinds escalate on fixed timers — a 30bb stack at 200/400 becomes a 10bb stack at 600/1,200 in two levels, forcing action.
<p>A $2/$5 no-limit Bellagio cash game posts a <strong>$2 small blind and $5 big blind</strong> every hand. Those forced bets seed the pot with $7 before cards are dealt and rotate clockwise after each hand. The BB has acted last preflop — a rare positional advantage — but is first to act on every postflop street.</p><p>Blinds are the largest leak for passive players: folding the SB to a minraise 100% of the time loses <strong>$2 per orbit</strong>, or roughly $20/hour. Defending the BB correctly against a late-position raise (about 40% of the time with a tight-aggressive range) recaptures 4-6 bb/100 in win rate. Tournament blinds escalate on fixed timers — a 30bb stack at 200/400 becomes a 10bb stack at 600/1,200 in two levels, forcing action.</p>
Forced bets posted by the two players to the left of the dealer button before cards are dealt.
<p>A $2/$5 no-limit Bellagio cash game posts a <strong>$2 small blind and $5 big blind</strong> every hand. Those forced bets seed the pot with $7 before cards are dealt and rotate clockwise after each hand. The BB has acted last preflop — a rare positional advantage — but is first to act on every postflop street.</p><p>Blinds are the largest leak for passive players: folding the SB to a minraise 100% of the time loses <strong>$2 per orbit</strong>, or roughly $20/hour. Defending the BB correctly against a late-position raise (about 40% of the time with a tight-aggressive range) recaptures 4-6 bb/100 in win rate. Tournament blinds escalate on fixed timers — a 30bb stack at 200/400 becomes a 10bb stack at 600/1,200 in two levels, forcing action.</p>
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