Big blind
also called BB
The big blind is the larger of the two forced bets, posted by the player two seats left of the button, and it is also the unit that stacks, bets and results are normally counted in.
Sitting in it is the worst seat after the flop and the cheapest one before it. The money is already in, so you get a discount on every call, and you act first on every street that follows, which is why the big blind loses money in almost every winning player record.
As a unit it is what makes numbers portable. A 100 big blind stack, a 3 big blind raise and a win rate in big blinds per hundred hands all mean the same thing at every stake, which money amounts do not.
an example
your cards
You are in the big blind for 2 and the button raises to 6. You have already posted 2, so calling costs 4 into a pot of 9, but with the worst starting hand in the game the discount is not enough and this is a fold.
This example is made up. The real one is in your own hand history: find big blind 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 ...
Small blind
The small blind is the smaller of the two forced bets, posted by the player immediately to the left of the button, and i ...
Position
Position is where you sit relative to the button, and it decides whether you act before or after your opponent in every ...
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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.