Blind
A blind is a mandatory bet that is played before any card is dealt. Normally, it is placed in addition to, or as an alternative to, the ante. The blind is different from the ante in that every player is not required to put in the blind for a given hand. Unlike an ante, the blind is considered as part of the amount that a player has put into the pot for that hand.
There are two types of blinds in a single game of poker. The first is the Big Blind, the name for the person sitting two seats to the left of the dealer on any particular hand. The Small Blind is the name given to the person sitting to the immediate left of the dealer. Both the blind seats are not stationary, and rotate along with the dealer around the table.
Many variations with relation to blinds have also been played in games such as playing additional blind hands or changing the seat that has to be allocated as the blind player.
Normally, a small blind is popularly referred to as SB while the big blind gets the name BB. Writing these amounts is in the form of SB/BB, say $5/$10.
Blinds are applicable to all forms of the game, whether played online or at land-based venues. Blind is also a format of play that is sometimes employed by players looking to gamble a lot more than what is normally required. A player may choose to play without seeing his/her cards and such a situation is normally termed as “playing blind”.
The player who plays as the Blind has a disk that is passed around on the table to mark their designation. BB and SB disks are passed around along with a ‘D’ disk for the dealer. While in competition poker, there is normally a neutral dealer who deals the cards, these disks are still passed around as the rules still remain active despite the neutral dealer while the on-table player who is marked “Dealer” doesn’t have to deal the cards as such.
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