By manipulating the size of the big blind or the amount of time between increases it's possible to control the duration and stakes of a poker game. For an exaggerated but simple example of the importance of big blinds, imagine a tournament in which players start with $15,000 in chips. I'm 50/50 on the new big blind only ante. Game goes a lot faster because the dealer doesn't have to keep reminding every one ever time. If your table is short handed, the same amount of blind money is still going in. The short stacks seem to hang on a lot longer since they are not paying an ante. Poker Tournament Blinds What are poker blinds? Based on the limit of the poker game the player to the left of the dealer’s button (small blind) and the player two to the left of the dealer (big blind) are required to place mandatory bets in the pot before cards are dealt (Small blind has to put half of the big blinds amount). The following blind schedule is for a tournament with 10 people, set to last 3 hours with 20-minute rounds. Each player will begin with 5000 chips and the small and big blinds will start at 25/50.

What are poker blinds ?

Based on the limit of the poker game the player to the left of the dealer’s button (small blind) and the player two to the left of the dealer (big blind) are required to place mandatory bets in the pot before cards are dealt (Small blind has to put half of the big blinds amount). These bets count toward the first round of betting. So if the pot is not raised pre-flop, small blind will only have to put half a bet to call and big blind has the option of raising or just checking.

In a poker tournament, blinds go up gradually. This is to ensure that the tournament finishes on a timely manner. (the higher the blinds get the more players tend to get eliminated).

Blinds usually go up after predetermined periods of time. (for example every 15 or 20 minutes).

Two main factors determine blind structure of the game:

Starting chip amount
How long you want the tournament to last.

Poker Blind Structure Tips

The first big blind should be 1/50 of the starting chip amount. (or the starting chip amount should be 50 times the starting big blind). So if everyone starts with 1000 in chips the first big blind should be 10/20.
Blind period is the time each blind lasts:
Typical tournament blind periods are 10, 15, 20, 30, or 60 minutes.
Blinds period should be the same for every blind.

The faster the blind period is the faster the tournament ends and the more luck involves. So it’s a good idea to have slightly longer blind periods at your house game. 15 or 20 minute blind periods are good choices. Blinds in online websites tend to go up faster. This is because online poker action is much faster than live poker.
Blinds typically double after each round. If the first big blind is 10/20, the next one should be 20/40.

Calculate Blind Structure

Follow these simple steps to create blind structure that best fits your game:

Decide your starting chip amount.
Divide it by 50. This should be your first big blind.
Make your final big blind (when the tournament should finish) equal to your starting chip amount.
Arrange the middle level blinds so that they gradually increase from your first big blind to the last one. It is best to keep the first couple blind periods low.
Add the period (times) together. If it seems too long takes couple levels off the chart, and if it seems short add couple level to the chart.

Sample Tournament Blind Structure Chart

Following is a chart of recommended blind structures based on different starting chip stacks :

Blind Period	Chip Stack
Blind Period	100	1000	2500	5000
1	1/2	10/20	25/50	50/100
2	2/4	20/40	50/100	100/200
3	3/6	30/60	75/150	150/300
4	5/10	50/100	100/200	200/400
5	10/20	75/150	200/400	300/600
6	15/30	100/200	300/600	500/1000
7	25/50	150/300	500/1000	750/1500
8	50/100	200/400	750/1500	1000/2000
9	75/150	300/600	1000/2000	1500/3000
10	100/200	400/800	1500/3000	2000/4000
11	150/300	500/1000	2000/4000	3000/6000
12	200/400	1000/2000	2500/5000	5000/10000

Tips For Defending Your Big Blind
- How To Play From The Small Blind When The Action Is Folded To You.

Playing from the big blind and small blind positions can be tricky in poker tournaments. The main problems are that you are almost always first to act after the flop and that you are often ‘priced in’ to see a flop – only to find yourself in an unclear situation when you partially connect with the community cards.

Avoiding this situation by folding weaker hands only gets you so far. Good opponents will notice who is ‘defending’ their blinds and who is not – and if you do not defend then you can expect someone to raise and ‘steal’ your blinds almost every time.

What you need to do is strike a balance between defending your blinds and avoiding potentially dangerous situations. Once you find the right balance you can add ‘moves’

Big Blind Poker Tourney Tournament

Tips For Defending Your Big Blind
- How To Play From The Small Blind When The Action Is Folded To You.

Big Blind Poker Tourney Tournaments

Big Blind Poker Tourney Tournament

Tips For Defending Your Big Blind- How To Play From The Small Blind When The Action Is Folded To You.

Big Blind Poker Tourney Tournaments

Tips For Defending Your Big Blind
- How To Play From The Small Blind When The Action Is Folded To You.