Forced bets before the cards
In poker, the small blind and big blind are the two forced bets posted before players receive their cards. Because players put them in without seeing their hands, they are called “blinds.” These bets put chips in the pot at the start of each hand, rather than letting everyone wait indefinitely for very strong cards.
At a typical table, the player immediately to the left of the dealer button posts the small blind, and the player to that player’s left posts the big blind. The button marks the dealer position and moves from player to player after each hand, so participants rotate through these positions. In heads-up play, the player with the button also posts the small blind.
How much each position posts
The small blind is the smaller of the two bets and is usually half the big blind. For example, with blinds of 1,000/2,000, the small blind posts 1,000 chips and the big blind posts 2,000. Amounts and specific rules can vary with the table structure; a half-sized small blind is common, but should not be assumed in every situation.
The big blind is also commonly used as a reference for describing bets and stacks. Saying that a player has a certain number of big blinds describes the stack relative to the larger forced bet. This makes it easier to compare situations at tables with different chip values.
Why they matter in a hand
In short, the small blind and big blind are forced bets posted from consecutive positions before the deal, with the first smaller than the second. Once the cards are dealt, players make decisions under the game’s rules and in light of the bets already posted; paying a blind does not guarantee that a player will stay in the hand.
In tournaments, blind levels generally increase at predetermined intervals, changing the pressure on players’ stacks as the competition progresses. In cash games, the blind amounts usually stay fixed during a session. Understanding the positions and amounts helps players interpret the pot, bet sizes, and their available chips relative to the table stakes.