Hot Take: Small Blinds are Unnecessary in Cash Games (2 Viewers)

[MrCatPants]

I've been stewing on this for a while - and now am ready to declare, small blinds in cash games are unnecessary. It slightly slows the game down with often making an additional denomination or additional chips necessary, and doesn't matter in a live cash game where VPIPing is going to be decently high. So I've gotten rid of them.

So I say down with the small blind, all hail the first blind and the second blind, my new overlord.

What say you?

 

[JMC9389]

I'm of the mind that the small blind doesn't need to be the small blind. Nothing wrong with making the blinds the same amount, i.e. in a 0.25/0.25 cash game.

 

[JMC9389]

But yeah, eff @Josh Kifer

 

[Josh Kifer]

 

[CraigT78]

You're just now figuring out that you should just play $1/$1?

 

[Ethan]

 

[MrCatPants]

You're just now figuring out that you should just play $1/$1?

.25/.50 to .50/.50 moreso

 

[LeLe]

I like SB, it added one more colour to the chipset and for me which I tend to play 50c/$1. I only allocated 4x50c per person so I never really needed more than 2 barrels.

I do added a BB Ante to my cash game so there more reason to play more hands

 

[RadicusScout]

... making an additional denomination or additional chips necessary, ...

Are you insinuating that additional chips / denominations are not necessary? Here on The Poker Chip Forum?!

I mean, come on, I'm kinda surprised we don't mandate there is a small blind, big blind, a bigger blind, and the-blind-that-has-a-weight-problem-but-we-pretend-it's-not-a-big-deal at this point.

 

[MrCatPants]

Are you insinuating that additional chips / denominations are not necessary? Here on The Poker Chip Forum?!

I mean, come on, I'm kinda surprised we don't mandate there is a small blind, big blind, a bigger blind, and the-blind-that-has-a-weight-problem-but-we-pretend-it's-not-a-big-deal at this point.

Next, you'll start arguing the pros of a .25/1/5/10/25 chipset

But yes, mandatory straddle I think a small blind still has a place.

 

[natumes]

can we make votes public, I need to know who my homies are

2 blinds, or small big doesn't really matter much in cash, they are only there to encourage people to enter the pot anyways.

Why not just bring back the ante, make poker great again, everyone puts in $1 then deal the cards.

 

[MrCatPants]

can we make votes public, I need to know who my homies are

2 blinds, or small big doesn't really matter much in cash, they are only there to encourage people to enter the pot anyways.

Why not just bring back the ante, make poker great again, everyone puts in $1 then deal the cards.

A bomb pot where you bet before the flop? What are you, insane?

 

[natumes]

What are you, insane?

I'm gonna leave that answer up to @Josh Kifer
He can confer with select others if he's on the fence

 

[Josh Kifer]

I'm gonna leave that answer up to @Josh Kifer
He can confer with select others if he's on the fence

SB/BB/Straddle. Fuck everything else. Y'all go eat quinoa and listen to your Dan Fogelburg. Your pac man video games..... Ruining the world.

 

[RadicusScout]

Your pac man video games..... Ruining the world.

REPORTED

 

[Josh Kifer]

REPORTED

REPORTED.

 

[LotsOfChips]

As much as I enjoy Josh Kifer's posts (especially ones with dog pictures and angry emojis), I really have no desire to f*^% him.

As far as the Small Blind issue, I can happily play .25/.50 , 25/.25 or .50/.50. Doesn't really rise to the level of a burning issue for me. Although from your title I thought that you were lobbying to eliminate the first blind altogether and only have a single (Big) Blind. That would just seem weird...

 

[JeepologyOffroad]

.50/.50 gang here

 

[Schmendr1ck]

I am a very strong patri-Ott, and I voted F*#$ @Josh Kifer.

 

[Schmendr1ck]

SB/BB/Straddle. Fuck everything else. Y'all go eat quinoa and listen to your Dan Fogelburg. Your pac man video games..... Ruining the world.

Single blind cash games are great, and Dan Fogelburg was a musical genius who was taken too soon.

You bastard.

 

[Schmendr1ck]

As far as the Small Blind issue, I can happily play .25/.50 , 25/.25 or .50/.50.

I've played all of the above and $1 single blind. I'm fine with any of them.

 

[grebe]

you lost me at "small blinds are canon to poker"

holdem is poker
poker is not holdem

 

[TheBigTater]

Either use a single blind -or- if using 2 blinds they should always be different, if not it puts the first blind in even more of a bad position than they already are in.

Don't like blinds such as .50c/.50c or $1/$1, just use a single blind instead.

 

[Machine]

We often forego the blinds and mandate straddle on the button, 5 to 15, dealer's discretion. As I don't assume there is only one game people are playing, I'll be explicit, this is typically omaha.

It wouldn't work for holdem too many nits, they'd lose 1.50 - 2 an orbit!

 

[upNdown]

Why not just bring back the ante, make poker great again, everyone puts in $1 then deal the cards.

I think this might be closer to the truth. Bart Hanson went on a brief tangent recently, saying the no limit games were always meant to be played with antes. I think he meant in addition to blinds. And I’m not sure if that was more to encourage the first person into the pot or the second. But it’s a concept I’d like to hear more about.

 

[Highli99]

Although from your title I thought that you were lobbying to eliminate the first blind altogether and only have a single (Big) Blind. That would just seem weird...

I thought the same thing initially, and began girding my loins for battle. Then I realized he still want to 2 blinds. 2 blinds is okay. 3 blinds is preferable. 1 blind is terrible.

 

[BGinGA]

Mostly a tourney player, not cash, thus moar chips is my mantra preference overall. Moar chips can't be a bad thing, within reason.

But yeah, f%$# Josh Kifer.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

Do I have to join a gang now? Goddamnit, I just got here.


Alright, whats the colors of each gang? Edge spots?

 

[MrCatPants]

Do I have to join a gang now? Goddamnit, I just got here.


Alright, whats the colors of each gang? Edge spots?

Dayglo Pink for the SB/BB crowd
Blaze Orange for two matching blinds
Sherbert for the single blind
Radiant Red for mandatory straddle (3 blinds)

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

Dayglo Pink for the SB/BB crowd
Blaze Orange for two matching blinds
Sherbert for the single blind
Radiant Red for mandatory straddle (3 blinds)

"SSMMaaAAllLlLLL BLLIIINDDSSS, come out-to-PLAAaaYYyyaaYYYY!"