Blind
A forced bet posted before cards are dealt. The two players to the left of the dealer button post the small blind and big blind respectively.
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What Is Blind?
Blinds exist to create action and ensure there is always something worth playing for in every hand, preventing players from folding indefinitely without cost. As blinds increase in tournament play, the pressure to play more hands and take risks grows since standing pat becomes increasingly costly relative to the average stack. Blind structures vary between cash games, where blinds stay fixed, and tournaments, where they escalate on a schedule.
Examples
A $1/$2 cash game has a small blind of $1 and a big blind of $2 posted every hand.
As tournament blinds increase, a player's stack that was once 100 big blinds may shrink to 20 big blinds in relative terms.
Strategy Tips
Understand the difference between the small blind and big blind, since the small blind is at a positional disadvantage for the rest of the hand despite paying less preflop. Adjust your strategy as blinds increase relative to your stack in tournaments, shifting toward a push-fold approach with short stacks. Defend your blinds appropriately -- not too loosely against tight raisers, and not too tightly against frequent stealers. Recognize blind stealing as a profitable strategy from late position when opponents are playing too passively.