The blinds positions in poker are tricky seats that give the game another layer, another challenge.  In order to get the ever popular dealer position you’re going to have to pay for it by sitting in the big blind and small blind seats first.  These positions require you to adjust the strategy of your game or suffer serious set backs when the blinds make their way around to you.

            Before the cards are even dealt when you’re in the big and small blind seat you should already know your betting strategy is going to be altered.  In community card games, like Texas Hold’em and Omaha Poker, a blind betting structure is used which requires 1-3 players, most typically 2, to put in an involuntary bet of a certain amount before any cards are dealt.  The small blind will typically have to put in a half bet while the big blind contributes a full bet, or double what the small blind puts in.

The blind bets are used in community card poker community card poker because there’s no ante.  To motivate players to get action going the pot is started with the blind bets.  This means the only time you have to pay to play is going to be in the blind seats, but everyone will still be paying into them to keep it fair.

            The blind seats are located next to the advantageous dealer position that the blinds are paying to get to.  The small blind is just to the left of the dealer position and the big blind is just to the left of that.  So before you can get the best seat at the table you’ll have to play through two of the seats with the biggest positional disadvantage first.

            It’s clear rotation is important in playing with blinds.  So if that rotation is altered by a player leaving the table or going out the blinds will be altered as well.  The simplest example is when there are only 2 players left in the game playing head’s up.  Blinds are still required so the small blind will go to the player in the dealer position while the other player becomes the big blind.

In the case that a player in the big blind position (who’s next in line to get the small blind) goes out in a hand then the next hand the small blind they would have paid is simply skipped.  The dealer position will still go to the player who was up next for it (the one who just played the small blind) and the player who was next in line for the big blind still gets it, keeping the rotation in tact.  If the small blind who’s up next for the dealer button goes out in a hand then the dealer button is still moved to their position for the next game with no one actually playing that position.  It’s called the dead button rule and is used to keep the rotation going smoothly and fairly.

In blind betting you can’t get the dealer position if you haven’t played the big blind position in the rotation.  You must keep that in mind whenever you are leaving your table with the intention to come back.  If you come back to late and miss playing the big blind you’ll be skipped the dealer position and have to wait a while for it to make its way back around.

Additionally, whenever you leave and reenter or enter a table with playing that’s already under way you’re going to have to pay a big blind bet, even if you’re not in that position, in order to get a seat at the table.  So you’re going to have to pay the blind without the benefit of knowing the dealer spot will soon follow, and you’ll still have to pay the big blind bet when you are actually in the position that rotation.

            The good thing is you have the choice of when you want to enter a table that’s in play.  You can choose to jump right in the game and just pay the additional big blind bet, or you can opt to wait to enter the game when you are in the big blind position.

The second choice is going to be the better decision of a couple of reasons.  For one thing if you just jump right in the game without paying attention to position you could have to turn around and pay the big blind again if it’s coming around to you.  If you’ve got a short stack already paying two big blinds in a rotation could be a heavy price for playing.

Waiting to get in on the game also gives you the advantage of being able to study your opponents.  While you’re waiting to get in on the game you can watch the other players and give it your whole attention, something you won’t be able to afford to do when you’re playing the cards.  You’ll be able to start playing with a better understanding of what your up against which could give you the edge you need to win.

Waiting to sit at a table until the time is right is easy when you’re playing online.  Many poker rooms give you the option of using the Past Posting option which allows players to choose exactly when they are going to enter the game.  The one rule is you can’t enter the game in the dealer position.  For better positioning you can instead go in just after the dealer button has past and still have the advantage of being in a late position and also avoid the problem of having to pay another big blind soon after.

If you’re taking a break to leave the table you should also plan this around returning to a better position than when you left.  If you are the short stack at the table and the cost of two big blinds back to back could really hurt then returning just after the big blind has passed could be the best decision though you’ll miss the dealer position that round.  However in most cases the best bet will be to leave the table just before getting the big blind when you’re already in the less desirable early positions.  Returning when the blinds are on you means paying double right away but you’ll also be using positioning to your advantage which could earn you a lot more in the long run.

            As already alluded to, the other big disadvantage to the blinds is going to be positioning.  In the first round of betting you have to act first by putting in the blind bet but you have the opportunity to see what everyone else does before deciding if you want to act on those bets.  This is decidedly a good thing. 

However, in all other rounds of betting the blinds are the first that have to act and therefore in the weaker position, unable to see what anyone else is going to do first.  When you make the decision whether or not to stay in during that first round you need to keep this factor in mind.

More on Playing the Blinds

 

 

 

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