The blinds

The blinds are a forced bet to stimulate action and to make sure that some money goes into each hand. Blinds are always divided into the small blind and the big blind, with the big blind double the size of the small blind.

Cash game blinds

In a cash game the blinds are generally fixed at a certain level and dont change. So you might play a low stakes game where the blinds are $0.50/$1, meaning the small blind is $0.50 and the big blind is $1. Every hand the blinds move clockwise, so everyone takes a turn paying them.

Look at the blind levels before you enter a cash game and make sure you have enough money to play at that level. Generally, the rule is to buy-in to the game with 100 times the big blind. This gives you room to maneuver and means you have time to wait for some good hands and make your plays. Some players like to buy-in with a little more, but thats up to you.

Therefore, if you want to join a game where the blinds are $5/$10, you should have $1,000 in your pocket before you sit down. You could play with less, but you are going to get bullied by players who have bigger chip stacks.

Tournament blinds

In a tournament you normally buy-in for a fixed amount and are given a specific amount of starting chips. The blinds increase at regular intervals, making it harder to stay alive in the tournament.

Sometimes the blinds can get so high that you end up blinded out where you simply cant afford to pay the blinds any longer. It is very important to keep an eye on the blinds and avoid getting caught out by them. This makes tournament play fast and furious as the blinds get higher.