<P> The 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 . </P> <P> The small blind is placed by the player to the left of the dealer button and the big blind is then posted by the next player to the left . The one exception is when there are only two players (a "heads - up" game), when the player on the button is the small blind, and the other player is the big blind . (Both the player and the bet may be referred to as big or small blind .) </P> <P> After the cards are dealt, the player to the left of the big blind is the first to act during the first betting round . If any players call the big blind, the big blind is then given an extra opportunity to raise . This is known as a live blind . If the live blind checks, the betting round then ends . </P> <P> Generally, the "big blind" is equal to the minimum bet . The "small blind" is normally half the big blind . In cases where posting exactly half the big blind is impractical due to the big blind being some odd - valued denomination, the small blind is rounded (usually down) to the nearest practical value . For example, if the big blind in a live table game is $3, then the small blind will usually be $1 or $2 since most casinos do not distribute large quantities of $0.50 poker chips . </P>

What does small blind mean in texas holdem