What Is The Big Blind In Poker?
1 minute
Last Updated: December 17, 2023
In poker, the big blind is a mandatory bet that is posted by the player sitting in the second seat left of the Button.
The big blind is necessary to create an initial pot and incentivize players to play their hands since there would be nothing to fight for without the blinds, and the game could not function properly.
The amount of the big blind is predetermined before the start of the game and depends on the stakes for cash games and the tournament structure in MTTs.
The time when the big blind must be posted can vary depending on the rules. In games like Texas Hold 'em and Omaha, the big blind is posted before the start of the hand by the player in the second seat left of the button.
On the other hand, 7 Card Stud poker does not require posting the big blind. Instead, antes are posted by all players before the start of the hand to create the pot. While in Razz, the player with the lowest exposed card on the first round of betting is required to post the bring-in bet, which is similar to the big blind in other games.
Poker Big Blind Example:
Let’s say you sit at a $2/$4 Pot Limit Omaha table. Before the cards are dealt, the player on the direct left of the BTN places a $2 chip in front of him, while the player on his direct left places a $4 chip in front of him.
In poker, these two bets are called the blinds, the $2 bet is the small blind, and the $4 bet is the big blind.
The name of the bet originates from the fact it is a forced bet that the players must post before seeing their cards (blind).
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