BLINDS & ANTES

What are the big blind, small blind and ante?

Use a 50/100 chip example to understand blind positions, calls, the big blind’s option, antes and the heads-up exception.

Updated
Small blind
SB
Big blind
BB
Additional ante
ANTE
Learn by doing

Move the button. See the order change.

Change the player count and betting round, then move the button to see who posts the blinds and acts first.

Teaching example · not a live hand
50 / 100Small / big blind · no ante
  1. Seat 14
    BTNNo blind to post
  2. Seat 25
    SBPosts the 50 small blind
  3. Seat 36
    BBPosts the 100 big blind
  4. Seat 41
    UTGNo blind to postActs first
  5. Seat 52
    HJNo blind to post
  6. Seat 63
    CONo blind to post
Seats are numbered clockwise. Circled numbers show the action order for this round.

BTN → SB → BB

Find the button, then locate the two blinds.

Before the flop, action begins to the left of the big blind and continues clockwise.

First to act nowSeat 4

With no raise, how much is left to call?

Calling pre-flop at 50/100 without an ante or raise
PositionAlready postedMore to call
Other players0100
Small blind · SB5050
Big blind · BB1000 · May check or raise

A raise, antes or a short stack changes the calculation. Use the current bet and the rules of that game.

Why chips go in before you see your cards

Blinds are compulsory bets posted by designated seats before hole cards are dealt. They create an initial pot. They are neither a penalty nor a fee for receiving a card. All amounts here are teaching chips.

Three or more players: start from the button

Find the dealer button, or BTN. Moving clockwise, the next seat posts the small blind, then the next posts the big blind. The small blind is often half the big blind, but not in every structure. The table’s rules govern movement between hands.

How much must you call at 50/100?

With no ante and no raise, the small blind posts 50 and the big blind 100, creating a 150 pot. A player who has posted nothing calls 100; the small blind adds 50. Each call covers the difference between that player’s current-round contribution and the amount to match.

Does the big blind still get a turn?

Yes. If everyone before the big blind only calls, the big blind normally has the option to check or raise. Posting 100 does not remove that turn. Facing a raise to 300, the big blind needs another 200 to call, or may fold or make a legal raise.

Antes and big-blind antes

An individual ante is posted by each player; a big-blind ante is the designated ante paid from the big-blind seat on behalf of the table. Ante chips normally enter the pot without counting toward a call. At 50/100 with a 100 big-blind ante, only 100 of the big blind’s 200 payment is the live blind.

When a stack is too short to cover both, check the event’s priority rule. Also check whether the ante changes at short-handed tables.

Heads-up: the button is the small blind

In standard heads-up Hold’em, the button is also the small blind and acts first before the flop. The big blind acts second before the flop and first after it. Do not apply the multiway seating order to heads-up play.

What does a blind increase mean?

Tournament blinds rise according to a published structure. A 2,000 stack is 20 BB when the big blind is 100, but 10 BB when it is 200. The chip count is unchanged; its size relative to the blind is different. Cash-table blinds are usually fixed; check the specific table.

Continue learningA complete Hold’em hand, step by step

Rules may vary between platforms, tables and events. This guide explains common rules; available games, eligibility and dispute procedures are determined by the platform's official announcements.

This guide was independently compiled in Chinese. The following sources let you verify the rules.

WSOP 2026 Live-Action Rules(new window)Official Poker TDA rules(new window)WSOP 2026 Official Tournament Rules(new window)