Every online poker variant features some sort of mandatory, up-front bet in order to get the action going. Online Poker experts have stated that the binds (antes or bring-ins) are the catalysts of the game. Without them, poker would degenerate either into a coin-toss or a senseless wait for the nut hand, which would then win nothing at all.
The blinds are the compulsory bets that kick-start the action in Texas Holdem, and in the majority of community card poker variants. Usually, there’s a small and a big blind, coming up in that order, on the immediate left of the dealer button. The SB is half the amount of the BB.
The antes, are compulsory bets that everyone around the table needs to make in order to qualify for playing in the respective hand. The antes are pooled, and the pot formed this way is what gives birth to all subsequent action.
Sometimes both antes and blinds are present in the game. If you ever played in a massive NL Holdem Multi Table Tournament, you probably noticed that when nearing the bubble, antes are being taken on top of the blinds-system. This is done in order to hasten the conclusion of the tourney, which would otherwise linger on for several hours, much to the dismay of the people taking part in it.
The “bring in” is an ante system used in Stud. After the deal, the person with the lowest upcard must pay a bring-in. Its purpose is the same as that of the blinds or the regular antes.
The very first thing you should understand about the blinds is their importance. Successful play in relation to the blinds will turn you into a winner, especially if FL Holdem is your game. In NL the importance of the blinds is smaller, but it’s still there. Every move that you make in poker should be a function of the pot odds matched up to the chances of you making your hand. The smaller the blinds and/or antes are, the tighter you should play, because the pot odds will not justify loose calls. Because in a small blinds game the initial pot will also be small, your pot odds will suffer as a result of it. Therefore, you should be much more selective in regards to the starting hands you decide to play.
As the blinds go up in relation to future bets, your pot odds get better too, therefore your starting hand requirements should be lowered.
Looking at it from a common-sense perspective: if the blinds are small in relation to future bets you won’t gain much value when you go after them. If the are big, taking a whack at them makes sense even if your starting hand odds would suggest otherwise.
Now let’s see what it means to be in one of the blinds, attempting to mount a successful defense (playing well from the blinds does mean that you have to do that sometimes). Your odds compared to the rest of the players around the table will always be better if you’re in the BB. You have the chance to see the flop completely free (or for half-price if you’re in the SB), and calling a raise will cost you much less too. That means you should play looser from the BB and even the SB than you would if you weren’t in one of these positions.
Make sure you do not overdo the defense though. Everyone loses money in the blinds, the only question is how much you lose. Blinds defense is about damage control more than anything else.
Attacking the blinds is the other aspect of successful play in relation to the blinds. Stealing as many as possible is not damage control anymore, in fact, it’s where most of your revenue will come from in FL Holdem.
When playing in a tournament, you have to master all aspects of blinds-play. Not only do you have to mount successful attacks against them (especially in the later stages of a tournament when the blinds have escalated) but you have to show great flexibility too.
Playing on a generous rakeback deal will seriously up your odds at the table. If you’re a high-volume player, you may end up pocketing a nice revenue at the end of the month even as you lose money.
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