POKER QUESTION: What's big blinds/small blinds?

Question

Hi I just lost $50 bucks last night, 3rd game I ever played of Texas Hold em. I was doing OK but started losing for this reason: Lets say someone bet 1 dollar, I never knew if I could SEE the flop before I decided to match that dollar and stay in, or fold. Sometimes they flopped the cards, and THEN asked me if I wanted to match that dollar, and other times they just said "Pay 1 dollar, or you're out" and THEN they flopped.

QUESTION: How do you know if you get to SEE the flop BEFORE you bet 1 dollar, or if you have to PAY the dollar first and THEN they flop? Does it have to do with who is big blind, and who is small blind? PLEASE EXPLAIN!! Thanks a lot!!

Answer 1

The blinds are paid in order to ensure that there is always at least some money in the pot and that people aren't too cautious.  You go around in a circular fashion deciding who pays the blinds one person after another.

  The big blind is paid by the person immediately after the dealer and the small blind paid by the next person.

  Also if someone bets on the hand then everyone after has to match that bet(in addition to the blinds) if they want to stay in the hand.

Answer 2

ignore the other poster he is backwards.

The person to the left of the dealer is the small blind, the person to left of the small blind is the big blind.

He is correct on why the blinds exist but not on which is where.

After you are each given your two card the person to the left of the big blind is given the option to fold (toss in the cards) or bet (either a call which would be the same amount as highest current bet which for the first person after the big blind would be the big blind amount, or raise in which case you need to bet at least double the current bet (big blind in this case))... it then goes to the next person until each person has had a chance to bet or fold...  Once all betting is done on the first hand the flop happens and 3 cards are  place face up on the table....NOW the same betting happens again but this time it starts with the person directly to the left of the dealer....

There are no set rules on when to bet to see the flop it all depends on your type of play loose or tight and what cards you were given at the start.  A person could end up winning when their first two card are off suit 2 and 3, just as a person could end up losing when they were holding two aces.

Before you start playing for money I suggest you get a book or watch a video tutorial of poker... otherwise you are just going to be giving your money away which isn't fun.