Q&A #30: When You Can’t Post the Entire Big Blind

Don't miss one article! Subscribe to the Full Feed RSS or get NPA in your inbox.

Steve asks,

Hi, can you help us with a procedural question?

We got down to the last 2 players and the big blind was short stacked and did not have enough to make the big blind of 200. What do you do?

A quickie. The big blind posts all their chips. The small blind can either call or fold, and if they call, they just call the amount the big blind has left. If the big blind has less than the amount of small blind, then both players are automatically all-in for whatever the big blind has and there’s no betting. You just deal out the cards and see who wins.

If it’s not heads-up, then anyone who wants to limp in has to call as if the big blind were complete. For example, if the blinds are $200-$400, but the big blind only has $150, then the small blind is $200, the big blind is $150, and it costs $400 to limp and a minimum of $800 to raise.

In all cases, the big blind is all-in and is entitled to a hand and all five community cards.

 Print :: Trackback :: Respond ::