Blinds, antes, straddles and bomb pots
3 min read · Updated 2026-09-26
Without forced bets, everyone could wait for aces and nobody would ever play a hand. Blinds and antes put a few chips in the middle before the cards are dealt, so there is always something worth fighting for.
Blinds
- The small blind sits directly left of the button and is usually half the big blind.
- The big blind sits two seats left of the button. It is also the minimum bet for the hand.
- Blinds are live: they count towards a call or a raise. If nobody raises, the big blind can still raise (the “option”).
A good rule for a cash-game night: one buy-in should be about 100 big blinds. With a Poker Night buy-in size of 200 chips, play blinds of 1/2.
| Buy-in size | Blinds | Big blinds per buy-in |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 1 / 1 | 100 |
| 200 | 1 / 2 | 100 |
| 500 | 2 / 5 | 100 |
| 1,000 | 5 / 10 | 100 |
Tip — New player joining?: The simplest fair rule: a newcomer either posts one big blind right away or waits until the big blind reaches them. The same goes for a player who missed their blinds while away from the table.
Antes
An ante is a small extra contribution before the deal. Antes make pots bigger and push people to play more hands. Cash games at home rarely use them; tournaments add them in later levels.
| Style | Who pays | Why use it |
|---|---|---|
| Classic ante | Every player, e.g. 10% of the big blind each | Traditional, but slow to collect and easy to forget |
| Big blind ante | Only the big blind, usually one big blind for the whole table | One payment per hand — the modern tournament standard |
Straddles
A straddle is a voluntary third blind, normally twice the big blind, posted by the player left of the big blind before the cards are dealt. It works like a bigger big blind:
- Preflop action starts with the player left of the straddler.
- The straddler acts last preflop and can raise even if everyone just calls.
- The minimum raise is now based on the straddle, so the game plays one size bigger.
Watch out — Decide before the night starts: Straddles quietly double the stakes. Agree whether they are allowed, who may straddle (only under the gun, or any seat), and whether a re-straddle is allowed. Tell newcomers before their first hand.
Bomb pots
A bomb pot is a party hand: everyone puts in an agreed amount, preflop betting is skipped, and the flop comes straight away. Betting then runs as normal from the first player left of the button.
- Agree the amount — commonly 2 to 5 big blinds each.
- Agree when bomb pots happen — for example once per orbit, when the button reaches the host.
- Everyone dealt in puts in the amount before the deal. Deal hole cards as usual.
- Deal the flop and play the hand from there.
Note — Double-board bomb pots: A popular variant deals two separate boards. Half the pot goes to the best hand on each board. If one player wins both, they take it all.