There are times that no matter how hard you study. it still not enough. it could be the blinds on the table or you are blinded by your ego hence you will lose.

Hence this is a guide for some people. 

What are blinds?

For newcomers, Blinds are forced bets posted by players to the left of the dealer button in flop-style poker games. The number of blinds is usually two, but it can range from none to three.

the blinds also affect the minimum and maximum amount you can buy-in.

Is it important?

Yes, as it already directly affects the amount you can buy-in. It affects the table dynamics a lot.

Although there are situations where it can also change. here is an example.

25-50 – Minimum buy-in 1,000 maximum buy-ins 4,000.

Compared to

25-50 – Minimum buy-ins 2,000 and maximum buy-in 10k.

the game is totally different if you ask any pros.

The other meaning of blinds

Blinds can also mean the things we refuse to see or can’t see that affect the game. Yeah, you read the books of great players. but ask any real players. it really depends on a given situation. 

Your opponents are not robots. They are humans too. going to a table believing you can win easily because you read all the poker books is a bad way to play. 

Let say for example you have aces, the book can tell you, Hey, play it this way. but if your playing against a fish and playing against a pro would give you a different result if you chose to play the same way. 

A tale of two poker rooms.

Okay, you are a beginner. here is a deeper look at where things can change.

The general rule is that the table of the lowest blinds will always be where the small-time players play. This is where players will buy the minimum. 

but here are two actual cases where things are a little bit different. 

The poker room in Okada Manila.

We suggest playing the 50-100 PHP blinds instead. the lowest blinds of the room are actually 25-50 but the minimum buy-in is only 1,000 PHP. 

Because the minimum buy-in is set only at 1k PHP. there are actually players there buying just that. 

But since the blinds are 25-50. you may have a few jumpers on the table that is willing to gamble on a draw.

Because it is just a little math. let say someone raise it to 150. you call. let say you have a draw on the flop and the bet 200. that pretty much is 1/3 of your stack already. It would be either you jump this round or you jump next round. It may not be you but there are probably 3-4 players doing such a thing and it becomes a gamble. 

The Master poker club

The lowest blind of the Master Poker Club is 20-40. but this is where a funny comparison changes. 

Of course, in the beginning, there are a few minimum buy-in players. but overall. by the time it reaches 9 PM. The stocks are quite different. There are more players with more than 5k stacks by the time it hits the peak. Even newcomers prefer buying in at 2k. 

Its a psychological thing.

With just a difference of 5 to 10 PHP. it created a big difference. It is more on the comfort level of the players that have nothing to do with the room. 

Players are just more comfortable buying in 20-40 tables with 1k than buying in at 25-50 with 1k. 

The bad beat jackpot!

This is also a factor you should consider as well. In any poker room. anytime the bad beat jackpot is big. you will have tons of players just folding their hands because they are there in the hope to get a share of the bad beat.

A recent example is when the RW Poker room had a huge jackpot. they in turn made the minimum blinds to be 50-100. 

The average time the players are just chopping the blinds increases. Because more players are waiting to have a share of the bad beat hence they are folding. On average of an orbit. there would be 3-4 times the blind are chopped. 

Choose the blinds you are playing with carefully. 

Hence, if you are going to a poker room with a goal to win. We suggest this.

Metro Card Club

Although it is a lot more balance. But the actions are in the 50-100. For now the lowest blinds are 25-50 but the players usually buy in more. 

Okada poker room 

Skip the 25-50 and go for the 50-100 PHP

The Master Poker Club

20-40 good. skip the 50-100. but be on the lookout for the fishes. There are regular Koreans there that would buy in 100k and just go no-look all-in. They also have regular Badugi and Omaha 

Stay safe poker playas!