Texas Hold 'Em: Posting Blinds
When it comes to posting blinds (a forced bet) in Texas Hold ‘Em, the rules are pretty clear – in most cases, there will be two blinds posted, the small blind, and the big blind (the two positions to the dealer’s left, respectively).
The reason behind blinds is simple – it gets the game going with some real momentum, and doesn’t allow anyone the luxury of sitting there all night waiting for a hand – when it’s their turn, they are posting a blind, like it or not (and this will certainly get them playing.) Blinds are used instead of ante, and are usually higher as well. The “one or two people” posting them also makes the game somewhat personal for these people (as they already have a stake in it.)
Again, when starting out, there are two types of blinds: Big and small. A big blind is usually the equivalent of a pre-flop minimum bet. A small blind, however, is normally about half the size of the big blind. These blinds are normally established by what the specific game’s limits are.
Besides getting things going, the secondary goals of these blinds are to weed out those with small betting stacks (usually by coercing them into aggressive play), and yet make sure that other players don’t just hoard chips. If there’s ever a need for a “Happy Medium”, this is one of those occasions.
When introducing a new player into the game, they oftentimes have the option to choose when they wish to participate in the game. This can be done after either sitting out of the play until their turn to post a blind, or can immediately post their blind in order to be dealt a hand. When this happens, their posted money becomes “live”. The rules here are somewhat loose and venue-dependant, but suffice to say, most games will not let someone new in without some kind of monetary commitment. It just makes for less trouble – imagine coming in just after the bind passed you, and then leaving just before it comes back to you … you may have some fast talking to do, my friend.
The excitement and spontaneity of posting blinds has made it very popular during play. Over the course of an evening, it ensures that everyone has a personal stake in the game every so often, and keeps people from being a “bump on a log” and just sting there waiting for Lady Luck (and some have been waiting a long, long time!)
Good luck out there!
