Ante
An ante is a small forced bet that every player contributes before the cards are dealt, on top of the blinds, so that there is more to win in every pot.
The effect is not the money itself but the price it sets. A larger starting pot means a steal risks less to win more, so correct opening ranges widen and folding every hand becomes more expensive than it was.
Most tournaments now use a big blind ante, where one player posts a single ante for the whole table instead of each player posting their own. The total is roughly the same, and the hand plays faster.
an example
your cards
Blinds are 100 and 200 with a 200 ante, so the pot is 500 before anyone acts rather than 300. You raise to 450 on the button with king ten, risking 450 to win 500 instead of 300, which is why opening ranges widen once antes are in play.
This example is made up. The real one is in your own hand history: find ante in your own hands and see how often it came up and what it cost you.
related terms
Blinds
The blinds are the two forced bets posted before any cards are dealt, by the two players to the left of the button, so t ...
Steal
A steal is a raise from one of the last seats made mainly to win the blinds uncontested rather than because the hand is ...
MTT
A multi table tournament is an event where every entrant starts with the same chips, the blinds rise on a clock, and pla ...
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Knowing the word is not the same as seeing it.
The full order of play, from the blinds to the showdown.