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Playing Poker: Blinds

Some poker games, like Texas Hold ‘em, are usually played without an ante, or initial bet.  This allows players to simply fold his hand without losing anything.  Blind betting was introduced to induce players to play by raising and calling bets to compensate for the involuntary bet posting.

There are two common kinds of blinds done by two different players in a poker game.  The first one, the small blind, is done by the player to the left of the dealer button.  The bet amounts to half of the minimum bet allowed in the game.  The second bet is called the big blind.  Big blind is posted by the player two seats to the left of the dealer button and amounts to the minimum allowed bet in a game.

Sometimes, a straddle bet is allowed to increase the pot in a particular game.  A straddle bet is a kind of blind bet done voluntarily without looking at his hand. A $10/$20 game, for example, would turn into a $20/$40 poker match when a straddle is allowed. Several techniques can be used to straddle bets, but because of the effect of straddling to the pot and the players’ chips it is usually discouraged.

How to Play in the Blinds

Playing after posting blind bets is difficult to master especially when the reaction of other players varies every poker game and other players have a chance to study reactions and guess how high their opponents’ hands are.

Players should focus more on their hand; its profitability, its chances of winning, should he fold, call or raise bets. Often times the pair of cards dealt in the beginning of the game should give you an idea what to do with your card. Playing in the blinds does not take away this privilege; while you are forced to do a bet, nothing stops you from raising bets or saving yourself from more loses.

You will lose money in the blinds, unless of course you’re the lead character in God of the Gamblers or you have a god-like ability to elude random bad cards. Bad and inexperienced players tend to bet even when they have a weak hand in a futile attempt to recover the amount they have lost in the blinds via intimidation. Good poker players tend to accept the fact that they will lose some money and focus on things they could control, like making sure they get the money they lose in other rounds.