Blinds
also called small blind, big blind
The blinds are the two forced bets posted before any cards are dealt, by the two players to the left of the button, so that every hand starts with something in the pot worth playing for.
The player directly left of the button posts the small blind, the next one posts the big blind, usually twice as much. They are live bets, not fees: if nobody raises, the big blind can check and see the flop for free.
Because they move one seat every hand, everybody pays them equally often. Stack sizes and bet sizes are normally counted in big blinds rather than in money, which is what makes a 100 big blind stack mean the same thing at every stake.
an example
your cards
You are in the big blind with a hand you would never call a raise with. Everyone folds to the small blind, who just calls. You check, and you see the flop for nothing, because the bet was already posted.
This example is made up. The real one is in your own hand history: find blinds in your own hands and see how often it came up and what it cost you.
related terms
Button
The button is the disc marking which seat is treated as the dealer for that hand, and it moves one place to the left aft ...
Position
Position is where you sit relative to the button, and it decides whether you act before or after your opponent in every ...
Straddle
A straddle is an optional extra blind, posted in the dark before the cards are dealt and normally twice the big blind, w ...
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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.