A forced poker bet is a type of bet that a player is obliged to put in the pot before seeing any cards or action. These bets are used to drive the action and give everyone at the table something to play for and a reason to get involved.
A big and a small blind are the best examples of forced bets in Texas Hold’em. These two bets are posted by two players at the table at the start of each round, and players can’t opt not to post them. Antes are the other type of forced bets that are quite common, especially in tournaments.
These forced bets exist to create the initial pot and give players something to fight over. If there were no forced bets and every hand started with zero chips in the middle, there would be no incentive for any player to get involved with anything but pocket rockets, as there is nothing to win.
