Online Poker Room Reviews

Antes / Blinds

Antes and blinds are forced bets put into the pot by players before any cards are dealt. A poker game's betting structure may have either or both of these bets. Antes and blinds are used to stimulate action as without these bets players could fold all but their strongest hands with no risk. In fact poker has correctly been said to be a fight for the antes and blinds.

Antes

Antes are a forced bet that is placed into the pot by every player. This amount does not count towards the bets made on the first round of betting. Typically antes are used in stud games and tournaments.

Blinds

Blinds are bets placed into the pot usually by 1 or 2 players. These amounts are counted towards the bets made on the first round of betting. There can be blinds of different sizes as in Texas Hold'em Poker or Omaha High Poker where the player one position after the dealer places a small blind bet and the player two positions after the dealer places a big blind bet twice the size of the small blind.