BLIND STRUCTURE
In poker, cards are seen by use of a blind structure in which two players at a time pay, or 'post', a predetermined amount in order to see their cards while all other players get to see there cards for free until there turn to post the blind. The blinds are Small and Big Blind, first and second to the left of the dealer. The dealer button rotates after each hand.
For example, I am two to the left of dealer and have paid a $10 Big Blind on a 6 man table. The person to my right is Small Blind and thus was forced to pay $5, and everybody else sees their cards for free. Three fold and the Dealer decides he wants to see the flop. His options are calling the Big Blind of $10 or raising on top of the Big Blind. He calls $10. Small Blind can now call the $5 (having paid half) or raise, deciding to call. At this point I, as Big Blind, can either bet and force the decision on the Dealer again or check and see the flop. I check, the flop is shown and the action now starts on small blind who can either check or bet. If he bets, Big Blind can either call or raise but not check, as there is unmatched money in the pot.
Blinds mean that pre-flop action starts on whoever is left of the Big Blind, but thereafter action starts on Small Blind who is left of the dealer. Blinds are a way of getting money into the middle before the cards are seen. Antes are also used where everyone is forced to pay a set amount before seeing their cards. In later stages of multi-table tournaments antes and blinds are sometimes used simultaenously.
In No Limit poker the minimum bet is the big blinds and there is no maximum bet: people can push all there chips in pre-flop. In Limit poker there is a standard betting unit: pre-flop and on the flop you can only bet or raise the big blind, on the turn and thereafter you can bet a minimum of 2x the big blind. In Pot Limit, the minimum bet is the big blind and the maximum raise is the size of the pot. So if the pot is $10 and you bet pot, I can then raise $30 as with my call of your bet the pot has become $30.
This is the basic structure you will see in games of Texas and Omaha Hold'em, both online and live.
In poker, cards are seen by use of a blind structure in which two players at a time pay, or 'post', a predetermined amount in order to see their cards while all other players get to see there cards for free until there turn to post the blind. The blinds are Small and Big Blind, first and second to the left of the dealer. The dealer button rotates after each hand.
For example, I am two to the left of dealer and have paid a $10 Big Blind on a 6 man table. The person to my right is Small Blind and thus was forced to pay $5, and everybody else sees their cards for free. Three fold and the Dealer decides he wants to see the flop. His options are calling the Big Blind of $10 or raising on top of the Big Blind. He calls $10. Small Blind can now call the $5 (having paid half) or raise, deciding to call. At this point I, as Big Blind, can either bet and force the decision on the Dealer again or check and see the flop. I check, the flop is shown and the action now starts on small blind who can either check or bet. If he bets, Big Blind can either call or raise but not check, as there is unmatched money in the pot.
Blinds mean that pre-flop action starts on whoever is left of the Big Blind, but thereafter action starts on Small Blind who is left of the dealer. Blinds are a way of getting money into the middle before the cards are seen. Antes are also used where everyone is forced to pay a set amount before seeing their cards. In later stages of multi-table tournaments antes and blinds are sometimes used simultaenously.
In No Limit poker the minimum bet is the big blinds and there is no maximum bet: people can push all there chips in pre-flop. In Limit poker there is a standard betting unit: pre-flop and on the flop you can only bet or raise the big blind, on the turn and thereafter you can bet a minimum of 2x the big blind. In Pot Limit, the minimum bet is the big blind and the maximum raise is the size of the pot. So if the pot is $10 and you bet pot, I can then raise $30 as with my call of your bet the pot has become $30.
This is the basic structure you will see in games of Texas and Omaha Hold'em, both online and live.
