Forced Bet

A forced bet in poker is any bet that players have to post regardless of their cards or stack size. These are mandatory bets that are used to drive action and give players a reason to fight for pots.

In games like Texas Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha, small and big blind are two common forced bets posted by two players seated to the left of the dealer position before cards are even dealt.

Sometimes, especially in tournaments, there is the third type of forced bet, known as ante. Antes are posted either by every player at the table or the big blind player (big blind ante).

As the name suggests, these are mandatory bets players don’t have the option to skip once it’s their turn to post. The reason why forced bets exist is to put some money in the pot and motivate action. Without forced bets, players would have very little reason to play any hands except for absolute premiums.