What Are the Blinds in Texas Hold'em?
The blinds are two forced bets posted before any cards are dealt. The small blind sits immediately to the left of the dealer button and posts half the minimum bet. The big blind sits next and posts the full minimum bet. Both players put this money in before they’ve seen a single card.
Blinds exist for one reason: to give every hand something worth fighting over. Without them, players could fold indefinitely and never lose anything, and the game would stall out.
How much each blind is
At a $1/$2 No-Limit Hold’em cash game (the most common low-stakes format), the numbers mean:
- Small blind = $1 (half the minimum bet)
- Big blind = $2 (the minimum bet itself)
The ”/” separator in stake names always refers to small-blind/big-blind. So $5/$10 means $5 small and $10 big. $25/$50 means $25 small and $50 big. The big blind is always exactly double the small blind in standard Hold’em.
Where the blinds sit
The blinds are two seats to the left of the dealer button, in order:
- Dealer button (no forced bet)
- Small blind (first seat left of the button)
- Big blind (second seat left of the button)
- Under the gun (first to act preflop)
After each hand, the button moves one seat clockwise, and both blinds move with it. Over the course of a full orbit (one rotation around the table), every player posts a small blind, a big blind, and pays nothing on the remaining hands.
The blinds are live bets
When the action gets back to the blinds preflop, the money they’ve already posted counts toward their call or raise. They don’t have to put in a full new bet — they only owe the difference.
Example at $1/$2:
- Big blind posts $2 blind
- Under the gun calls $2
- All fold to big blind
- Big blind only owes $0 to see the flop (their $2 is already in)
This is called “checking the option” — the big blind can check through to the flop for free, or choose to raise. Because of this, the big blind acts last preflop, which is a rare positional quirk of Hold’em.
Why blinds rotate
Blinds rotate every single hand to keep the game fair. If the blinds stayed in one spot, two players would be paying every hand while the rest played for free. Rotation means the cost of being forced to post is shared equally across the table.
The dealer button is how we track the rotation. After each hand, the button moves one seat clockwise. A full orbit at a 9-handed table takes 9 hands — every player pays both blinds exactly once during that orbit.
Heads-up is different
In two-player (heads-up) Hold’em, the blind positions change:
- The dealer button posts the small blind (not the player to their left)
- The other player posts the big blind
- The button acts first preflop and last post-flop
This is the opposite of full-ring ordering. It exists because there are only two players — someone has to be the button and someone has to post the big blind, and combining the button with the small blind keeps positional advantage consistent.
Tournament blinds vs cash game blinds
Blinds behave differently depending on format:
- Cash games: Blinds stay the same the entire session — $1/$2 at the start, $1/$2 at the end. You can cash out anytime.
- Tournaments: Blinds rise on a schedule (every 10, 15, or 20 minutes in most formats). You start with 10,000 chips and blinds at 50/100, but by the final table blinds might be 10,000/20,000. This forces action and prevents tournaments from running forever.
Tournament structures also add antes — a small forced bet from every player (or from the big blind posting for the whole table in modern “big blind ante” formats). Antes increase the money in every pot and encourage more action.
Can you miss a blind?
If you leave the table temporarily and miss your blind, most cardrooms require you to post a “missed blind” when you return before you can play again. In cash games, you can wait for the big blind to come back to you naturally, but that means sitting out for up to 8 hands. Missing a blind intentionally to avoid paying is against the rules in most rooms.