Blinds

Blinds are the heartbeat of poker—mandatory bets that create action and ensure every pot has value. Without blinds, players could fold indefinitely, waiting for perfect hands. The small blind and big blind rotate around the table, forcing everyone to contribute equally over time. This simple mechanism creates poker's fundamental dynamic: you must win enough pots to offset the blinds you pay, and the blinds you've already posted give you pot odds to defend with marginal hands. Understanding blind play is crucial because these positions lose money for everyone—your goal is to lose less than opponents.

How Blinds Work
Blind Positions
Cash Game Blinds
Tournament Blinds
Playing from the Blinds
Defending vs. Stealing
Blind Economics

How Blinds Work {#how-it-works}

The Basic Structure

Blind	Typical Size	Position
Small Blind (SB)	0.5 BB	Left of button
Big Blind (BB)	1 BB	Left of small blind

Hand 1: Player A = Button, Player B = SB, Player C = BB
Hand 2: Player B = Button, Player C = SB, Player D = BB
Hand 3: Player C = Button, Player D = SB, Player E = BB

Every hand, the button (and blinds) move one position clockwise.

Preflop Action

Position	Action Order	Notes
UTG	First to act	After blinds posted
...	Middle positions	Continues clockwise
Button	Last preflop (before blinds)	Best preflop position
Small Blind	Second-to-last preflop	Already invested ½ BB
Big Blind	Last preflop	Already invested 1 BB

Key point: Big blind acts last preflop but first post-flop.

Post-Flop Action

Position	Action Order
Small Blind	First
Big Blind	Second
UTG	Third
...	Continues clockwise
Button	Last

Blinds go from best preflop position (BB acts last) to worst post-flop position (SB acts first).

Aspect	Detail
Investment	0.5 BB forced
Preflop order	Second-to-last
Post-flop order	First (worst)
Expected win rate	-30 to -45 bb/100

Why SB is terrible:

Forced to invest before seeing cards
Acts first every post-flop street
Caught between button (best position) and BB

Aspect	Detail
Investment	1 BB forced
Preflop order	Last (best)
Post-flop order	Second (still bad)
Expected win rate	-15 to -30 bb/100

Why BB is slightly better:

Gets to close preflop action
Has 1 BB invested (better pot odds to defend)
Option to check if no raise

Factor	Small Blind	Big Blind
Investment	0.5 BB	1.0 BB
Preflop order	2nd-last	Last
Post-flop order	First	Second
Win rate	-35 bb/100	-25 bb/100
Strategy	3-bet or fold	Defend wide

Cash Game Blinds {#cash-games}

Standard Cash Game Stakes

Blinds	Buy-in Range	Common Name
$0.01/$ 0.02	$0.80-$ 2	2NL
$0.05/$ 0.10	$4-$ 10	10NL
$0.10/$ 0.25	$10-$ 25	25NL
$0.25/$ 0.50	$20-$ 50	50NL
$0.50/$ 1.00	$40-$ 100	100NL
$1/$ 2	$80-$ 200	200NL
$2/$ 5	$200-$ 500	500NL
$5/$ 10	$400-$ 1,000	1000NL

Stack Sizes in Big Blinds

\text{Stack in BB} = \frac{\text{Stack}}{\text{Big Blind}}

Buy-in	Blinds	Stack (BB)
$100	$0.50/$ 1	100 BB
$200	$1/$ 2	100 BB
$40	$0.25/$ 0.50	80 BB

Why Fixed Blinds Matter

Advantage	Explanation
Consistent math	Same pot odds calculations
Stack management	Know effective stack depth
Rebuy flexibility	Can always add chips
Skill emphasis	Deep stacks = more play

Tournament Blinds {#tournaments}

Level 1:  25/50 (starting)
Level 2:  50/100
Level 3:  75/150
Level 4:  100/200
Level 5:  150/300
Level 6:  200/400
...
Level 15: 2000/4000
Level 20: 5000/10000

Level Duration	Tournament Type
60+ minutes	Deep stack
30-45 minutes	Standard
15-20 minutes	Turbo
5-10 minutes	Hyper-turbo

Stack Pressure Formula

M = \frac{\text{Stack}}{\text{SB} + \text{BB} + \text{Antes}}

M-Ratio (Harrington's M):

M Value	Zone	Strategy
20+	Green	Full strategy available
10-20	Yellow	Reduce speculative hands
6-10	Orange	Push/fold considerations
1-5	Red	Mostly push/fold
<1	Dead	Desperation mode

Antes in Tournaments

Component	Typical Size
Antes	10-25% of BB
Big Blind Ante	1 BB (posted by BB)

With antes, pot starts larger:

9-handed with ante (10% BB):
Pot = 0.5 + 1.0 + (9 × 0.1) = 2.4 BB

This incentivizes more stealing.

Playing from the Blinds {#playing}

Situation	Optimal Strategy
Folded to you	Raise or fold (rarely limp)
Raiser, no callers	3-bet or fold (rarely call)
Multi-way pot	Tighter range, fold marginal
Against BB only	Can limp/raise depending on BB

SB 3-Bet or Fold Philosophy: Calling from SB means playing OOP vs raiser AND BB—terrible position. Either 3-bet for value/fold equity or just fold.

\text{Pot Odds to Call} = \frac{\text{Call Amount}}{\text{Pot After Call}}

Against 2.5x button raise:

Pot = 0.5 (SB) + 2.5 (BTN) = 3 BB
You call 1.5 more (already invested 1 BB)
Pot after call = 3 + 1.5 = 4.5 BB
Pot odds = 1.5 / 4.5 = 33%

You can defend with any hand that has 33%+ equity vs button's range (very wide!).

BB Defense Ranges

Raiser Position	Defend %	Range
UTG	15-25%	Strong hands only
MP	25-35%	Decent hands
CO	40-50%	Wide
Button	55-70%	Very wide
SB	65-80%	Widest

Scenario	SB Strategy	BB Strategy
SB opens	Raise 2-2.5x	3-bet or call wide
SB limps	Complete/raise	Raise for isolation
SB shoves (short)	Wide range	Call based on odds

BvB battles are about exploiting the other blind—both have dead money invested.

Defending vs. Stealing {#defend-steal}

Defending the Blinds

When to defend:

Getting good pot odds
Playable hand
Position vs. stealing opponent
Stack depth allows post-flop play

When to fold:

Trash hand
Opponent opens tight
Multi-way pot developing
Short-stacked (can't play post-flop)

Stealing the Blinds

\text{Break-Even Steal} = \frac{\text{Raise}}{(\text{Blinds} + \text{Antes} + \text{Raise})}

Example: Raise to 2.5 BB in unopened pot (1.5 BB in blinds)

\text{Break-even} = \frac{2.5}{1.5 + 2.5} = 62.5\%

If blinds fold 62.5%+ of the time, any two cards profit.

Steal Frequency by Position

Position	Steal Frequency	Why
UTG	12-15%	Not a steal
MP	16-20%	Not a steal
Hijack	22-28%	Semi-steal
Cutoff	30-40%	Steal position
Button	45-60%	Prime steal position
SB	40-55%	Steal vs. one player

Re-Stealing (3-Bet Bluff)

When facing a steal, 3-bet to take the pot:

Situation	3-Bet Frequency
BB vs BTN steal	12-18% (polarized)
SB vs BTN steal	10-15% (wider value)
BB vs CO steal	10-14%

Cost of Blinds Per Orbit

\text{Blinds Per Orbit} = \text{SB} + \text{BB} = 1.5 \text{ BB}

Per hour (30 hands/hour, 9-handed):

Orbits/hour = 30/9 ≈ 3.3
Blind cost = 3.3 × 1.5 = 5 BB/hour

You must win 5+ BB/hour from other positions just to break even on blinds.

Average Stack	Blind Level	M-Ratio	Urgency
10,000	25/50	133	None
10,000	100/200	33	Low
10,000	300/600	11	Medium
10,000	500/1000	6.7	High
10,000	1000/2000	3.3	Critical

Indicator	Good Structure	Bad Structure
Starting M	100+	50 or less
Level increases	20-25% jumps	50%+ jumps
Level time	30+ minutes	10-15 minutes
Skill factor	High	Low

Expected Win Rates by Position

Position	Win Rate (bb/100)
Button	+25 to +35
Cutoff	+12 to +20
Big Blind	-15 to -30
Small Blind	-30 to -45

Total from blinds: -45 to -75 bb/100 combined Must recover from other positions!

Straddle

Aspect	Description
Definition	Voluntary 3rd blind (usually 2x BB)
Position	Typically UTG
Effect	Increases stakes, straddler acts last preflop
Common in	Live cash games

Dead Blinds

Situation	Rule
Missed blinds	Post both blinds + dead SB
New player	Post BB or wait for BB
Returning player	Post missed blinds

Heads-Up Blinds

Rule	Description
Button = SB	Button posts small blind
Non-button = BB	Other player posts big blind
Preflop	Button acts first
Post-flop	Button acts last

Pot Odds Calculator - Blind defense math
ICM Calculator - Tournament blind pressure

Blinds

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Frequently Asked Questions

Evgeny Volkov

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