Hi everyone.

Please consider me a poker beginner. I know the basics. For example, I know hand rankings. I am familiar with draw poker, stud poker, and a few variations. I understand the basics of Texas Hold 'Em, but there is something I have not figured out yet. I'm hoping this forum could help me grasp the concept. I'm sure this question has been asked a trillion times, but right now, it's baffling me.

I don't fully understand small and big blinds. Here's what I do understand--or, think I understand:

The player to the left of the dealer has to bet, even before a single card is dealt. That is called the Small Blind. The amount is dependent on the limits of the table.

The person to the left of the Small Blind player bets something called the Big Blind. A big blind is usually the equivalent of the minimum bet. A small blind is half the big blind. (Usually.)

Am I right, so far?

Okay, so far, so good, if I'm right.

So, I'm watching a DVD I bought years ago, but never got around to watching, called Poker for Dummies. I finally sat down to watch it. Once they got to the small and big blind part, I followed it. But it seemed as though everyone's bets and raises were based on the blinds. I didn't follow that at all.

The way I've learned poker betting is: You find out what the ante is, you find out what the betting limits are per round, you find out how many raises per round.

The DVD instruction sounded like everything was based on the blinds. Maybe it's just the way the narrator explained it, but I didn't follow it. I always thought that in poker, you can bet any amount you want, including and between the minimum and maximum amount. The same goes for a raise. Your bets and raises aren't contingent upon what another person bets. It's what YOU want to bet (within the confines of minimum and maximum limits).

If that is true, then I'm not 100% sure whether or not betting is dependent on the blinds. I feel confused by this. I feel I need to understand this before playing Texas Hold 'Em properly, even if it's just a home game.

I'm going to go back and watch that section of the DVD again, but for right now, should I just focus on minimum and maximum limits, and only focus on calling what's in the pot?

I hope what I wrote made sense. I'm still learning the nomenclature.

Oh…while it's on my mind…one side question: In this DVD, I noticed the dealer was taking a card from the deck and putting it aside, before dealing the flop, the turn, and the river (I do know what those terms mean). Why did the dealer do that? And why wasn't this addressed in the DVD? If I noticed it, I'm sure a lot of other people watching that DVD noticed it too.

Thank you very much! Jd

The last bit is a burn card. Probably was a limit DVD

Fixed limit holdem bets are always multiples of the blinds. In no limit, you can bet any size from 1bb up to all in.

The purpose of the burn card is so that players can't see any possible marks on the next card to be dealt. It wasn't addressed because it is a very standard procedure in live poker.

Your question about amounts of raises and calls can lead to a lengthy answer and maybe more questions. But first you have to know what kind of table you're at, and what the house rules are for raises. There are some differences depending on where you are playing.