Before the deal
Small blind and big blind
The small blind is the forced bet posted before the deal by the player sitting to the left of the button, the disk that marks who deals. The big blind is the one posted by the next player, and it is usually twice the small blind. They are called blinds because they go in before anyone has seen their cards, and they exist so that every hand has something to win.
After every hand, the button moves one seat to the left and the blinds go with it. Below they are drawn at a table of four: who posts each one, what they change about who acts first, three hands in a row with blinds of 1 and 2, and the cases that cause the most doubts. The chips aren't worth money: they measure each decision.
Where the blinds go
Play goes clockwise, so "to the left" means the next player in that direction. At this table you have the button: the small blind falls to Rufus and the big blind to Dottie. Victor puts nothing in.
- Small blind
- Posted by the first player to the left of the button. At this table it is 1, and it is usually half the big blind.
- Big blind
- Posted by the next player, the second to the left of the button. Here it is 2. It is the larger of the two, and it is the smallest bet anyone can make.
- Button
- It marks who deals, and with three or more players it posts no blind. From the flop on, whoever has it acts last.
Why they exist
What they change about who acts
To act is to decide when it is your turn. The blinds have chips in front of them before anyone decides anything, and that is why the order changes once in every hand: when the flop comes, the first three cards in the middle.
Before the flop
The player to the left of the big blind starts. The blinds act last, because they have already put chips in.
- Victor No blind
- You Button
- Rufus Small blind
- Dottie Big blind
From the flop on
The first player still in the hand to the left of the button starts: the small blind, if they haven't folded. The button acts last.
- Rufus Small blind
- Dottie Big blind
- Victor No blind
- You Button
The big blind still gets to act
How they move: once round the table
After every hand, the button moves to the player on its left and both blinds move with it. Whoever posted the big blind posts the small blind on the next hand, and has the button on the one after.
| Hand | You | Rufus | Dottie | Victor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand 1 | Button | Small blind | Big blind | No blind, acts first |
| Hand 2 | No blind, acts first | Button | Small blind | Big blind |
| Hand 3 | Big blind | No blind, acts first | Button | Small blind |
| Hand 4 | Small blind | Big blind | No blind, acts first | Button |
| Per round | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
In 4 hands, once round the table, every player has had the button once and posted one small blind and one big blind: 3 chips, whether they play or not.
Three hands in a row, blinds of 1 and 2
The first three hands of that round, followed until the first betting round ends, the one before the flop, which is where the blinds matter. Watch what each player has in front of them: that decides how much they are short of a call.
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6 Pot
Hand 1 of 3
The button is yours
- Rufus Small blind
- Dottie Big blind
- Victor No blind
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1
Rufus posts the small blind
He is the first to the left of the button. He puts in 1 without having seen his cards.
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2
Dottie posts the big blind
She is next, and puts in twice as much. Before the flop, her blind counts as a bet the others have to call.
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2
Victor calls
He acts first, because he sits to the left of the big blind. To play he has to get to 2, so he calls 2.
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You fold
On the button you posted no blind, so folding costs you nothing at all.
-
1
Rufus calls
He already had 1 in front of him, his blind. To get to 2 he is 1 short, and he calls that, not 2.
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Dottie checks
Everyone has 2 in front of them, but her blind was forced: it is still her turn. Nobody has raised, so she can check, and she does.
The round ends with 6 in the pot and three players still in. On the flop Rufus will act first: he is the first player still in the hand to the left of the button.
On to the flop -
9 Pot
Hand 2 of 3
The button moves to Rufus
- You No blind
- Rufus Button
- Dottie Small blind
- Victor Big blind
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1
Dottie posts the small blind
She posted the big blind on the last hand. Now the small one is hers: 1.
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2
Victor posts the big blind
He acted first on the last hand, and now he posts the big blind: 2.
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6
You raise to 6
Now you sit to the left of the big blind, so you act first. You raise to 6. The least you could raise to was 4: the big blind plus another big blind.
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Rufus folds
He has the button and posted no blind: he folds without losing anything.
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Dottie folds
She is 5 short. She folds, and her blind, 1, stays in the pot.
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Victor folds
He is 4 short. He folds too, and his blind, 2, stays in the pot.
Everyone has folded: you take the pot of 9. That is your 6 and 3 from the blinds, which weren't yours.
You · takes the pot -
3 Pot
Hand 3 of 3
The button moves to Dottie
- You Big blind
- Rufus No blind
- Dottie Button
- Victor Small blind
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1
Victor posts the small blind
The small blind has reached him: he puts in 1.
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2
You post the big blind
And the big blind has reached you: you put in 2 without seeing your cards.
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Rufus folds
He acts first, to the left of your blind. To play he is 2 short, and he folds.
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Dottie folds
She has the button and has put nothing in. She folds too.
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Victor folds
He is 1 short of your blind. He folds, and his blind, 1, stays in the pot.
Nobody called your big blind: you take the pot of 3 without deciding a thing. You get your 2 back and win 1, the small blind.
You · takes the pot
Four cases that change something
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When only two are playing
Heads-up, the button posts the small blind and the other player posts the big blind. Before the flop the button acts first, because it has less in front, and after the flop it acts last, as always. It is the only time the button posts a blind.
Rufus Big blind 2Before the flop You → Rufus From the flop on Rufus → You
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When a player can't cover the blind
If the big blind is yours and you have less than that left, you put in what you have and you are all-in, playing with all your chips. You stay in the hand and can win it, but from each opponent you can only win as much as you put in. Everyone else still has to put in a full big blind to play.
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Blinds and antes
The blinds are posted by two players each hand. The ante, if the game uses one, is another forced bet, much smaller, that goes in on top of the blinds: every player posts it or, in many tournaments, the big blind posts it for the whole table.
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In a tournament, the blinds go up
In a game with no finishing time, the blinds can stay the same all night. In a tournament they go up every so often: each stack is worth fewer and fewer big blinds, players have to play more hands, and the game comes to an end.
What beginners mix up most
-
1
Posting a blind from the button
With three or more players, the button posts no blind: the small blind belongs to the player on its left. Only when two are playing does the button post the small blind.
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2
Calling a whole big blind from the small blind
The small blind already has 1 in front. To call it is 1 short, not 2: what you already have in front counts.
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3
Ending the round before the big blind acts
Even if everyone has called and has the same in front, the big blind still acts: their blind was forced. Until they check or raise, the flop doesn't come.
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4
Keeping the order from before the flop
Before the flop the player to the left of the big blind starts; from the flop on, the first player still in the hand to the left of the button. In the first hand above, Victor acts first before the flop and Rufus on the flop.
What you'll hear at the table
At a home game nobody expects the exact words, but they do expect your blind in before the cards are dealt. These are the ones you'll hear, at a table and on a stream, and how they are written down.
| The term | At the table | Also heard |
|---|---|---|
| Small blind | The player to the left of the button posts it without being asked. | SB, "the small" |
| Big blind | Stacks are counted in big blinds: with 200 chips and blinds of 1 and 2, you have 100 big blinds. | BB, "the big" |
| Post | "Whose blind is it?", when nobody remembers whose turn it is to put it in. | "Blinds in" |
| Complete | The small blind puts in what it is short of the big blind. | "I complete" |
| Option | What the dealer says to the big blind when nobody has raised: they can check or raise. | "Option" |
| Blinds of 1 and 2 | Said "1-2", and written with a slash. | 1/2 |
| Heads-up | Two players left. From then on, the button posts the small blind. | HU |
Path 1 · 7 lessons · 52 min
The table comes alive
In the course
The blinds, played
The course teaches them in path 1, "The table comes alive", at a table of two: who posts each blind, who acts first and what changes when the button moves. They come in "Blinds and button", once you know the cards, the chips and how betting works. With three or four players they come back in path 3, "Playing with friends".
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8 min
Blinds and button
You'll know who speaks first on every street, and why, without memorising rules.
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7 min
The button and the blinds Path 3
You will know where the button goes, who posts each blind and where they move on the next hand.
Frequently asked questions
Why are they called blinds?
Because they go in blind: before the deal, when nobody has seen their cards. They are the only chips in a hand that aren't decided by looking at what you hold.
Is the small blind always half the big blind?
Almost always, but not as a rule. The usual blinds are 1 and 2, 5 and 10 or 50 and 100, though some games play 1 and 3 or 2 and 5. What never changes is that the big blind is the larger of the two and the smallest bet anyone can make.
Does the small blind have to call the whole big blind?
No, only what it is short. With blinds of 1 and 2, the small blind already has 1 in front, so to stay in the hand it puts in 1 more. It can also raise, or fold, and then it loses what it posted.
Can the big blind check?
Yes, if nobody has raised. Before the flop their blind is already the bet everyone else has called, so when it is their turn they can check, which ends the round, or raise. If someone has raised, they can no longer check: they have to call what they are short, raise or fold.
Who posts the blinds heads-up?
The button posts the small blind and the other player posts the big blind. Before the flop the button acts first, and after the flop it acts last, as always. It is the only case where the button posts a blind.
First, the cards
A blind is a bet, and before you post yours it helps to know how to read your cards and what betting is. The course starts with the cards and gets to the blinds without leaving the first path, in the lesson "Blinds and button".
First lesson · 6 min The cards Every card has two facts: rank and suit. You'll learn to read both, and which one says which card is worth more. Play nowNo sign-up · No money · In your browser
