Blinds and the Pot

Without forced bets, no one would ever play a hand without premium cards. Blinds solve this by putting money in the pot before any cards are dealt — creating something worth fighting for from the very first hand.

The two blinds

• Small Blind (SB) — posted by the player left of the button
• Big Blind (BB) — posted by the player left of the small blind, usually double the small blind
• BB is the table’s "unit" — stakes and bets are measured in BBs

How the pot grows

Every chip bet or called goes into the pot. Once chips are in, they belong to the pot — you don’t "get them back" if you fold. The pot grows over four betting rounds, and at showdown the winner takes everything.

Side pots (briefly)

When a player goes all-in for less than others have bet, a "side pot" is created. The all-in player can only win the main pot (the part they could match); the side pot is contested by the remaining players.