🔘 Blinds & the button
why there’s money in every pot
Without forced bets, everyone could fold forever and nothing would happen. The blinds — and the antes in later stages — seed every pot with money worth fighting for, and the button marks who acts last. This lesson explains why those two ideas drive the whole game.
Nobody would ever play a hand if folding were free forever. So two players are forced to post bets before the cards are even dealt: the small blind and the big blind.
The dealer button marks who “deals”. The player to the button’s left posts the small blind, the next posts the big blind — and after every hand, the button moves one seat clockwise, so everyone pays their share.
Preflop, action starts with the player left of the big blind (“under the gun”). After the flop, it starts with the first live player left of the button — which means the button acts last on every later street. That’s a real advantage, and a theme we’ll return to.
💡 Key idea: the blinds are dead money. Every pot starts with something worth fighting for.
Each hand, two players post blinds: the small blind and the big blind (usually double the small). They’re mandatory bets made before anyone sees a card, so there’s always a pot to win — which is exactly why you can’t just wait for aces. The blinds rotate one seat each hand, so everyone pays their share over time.
The button (the dealer position) is the best seat at the table because it acts last on every post-flop street. Acting last means you’ve seen what everyone else did before you decide — a permanent information edge. As the blinds rise relative to your stack, defending your blinds and attacking others’ becomes a bigger and bigger part of winning, especially in tournaments.
Questions
Why are there blinds in poker?
To force action. If no chips were ever at risk, the correct play would be to fold every hand until you’re dealt aces. Blinds put money in the middle so every hand is worth contesting.
What is the button in poker?
The button marks the nominal dealer and rotates one seat clockwise each hand. The player on the button acts last after the flop — the most powerful position at the table.