In this article, we'll go over antes in poker, including what they are, how they're collected, why they're used, and how your strategy should change based on their presence.
Can You Describe an Antes?
A pre-deal obligatory bet, the ante is similar to the blinds but is made before any cards are dealt. In contrast to the blinds, which are only obligatory for two players (the blinds), the antes are typically obligatory for every player at the table. The most common place to see an ante is at a tournament, but you can also see them in other settings. Ante bets inflate the size of the initial pot, giving players more of a financial incentive to get involved. An ante is equivalent to a small portion of the big blind in most games. For instance, if the game is 5/10 (SB/BB), the ante might be 1 chip or 10% of the BB.
How Do We Get All These Ante?
Although there are a few other common ways to post the ante, the ante is traditionally collected from the entire table, as mentioned above. In modern poker, antes are typically taken only from the Button (BTN) or Big Blind (BB). The ante can be viewed as a secondary blind in this type of game. Saving time (during live games) by having only one player post the ante rather than everyone is a major perk of this system.
The BTN ante vs. the BB ante is a hotly contested topic. Supporters of the BB ante point out that it requires only two bets per round, making it even faster than the BTN ante, but opponents argue that the added cost of the ante is too high and could be better used elsewhere in the game (to the BTN).
For what purpose do Antes exist, exactly?
To encourage participation, "dead money" (chips contributed to the pot by an inactive player) is created when forced bets are present, making them an essential part of any poker game. In this way, ante bets drive players to take part. It makes sense that antes would appear more frequently in some games than others.
At competitions, antes are the norm. This is largely due to the fact that all tournaments eventually end. Antes add pressure by propelling play and eliminating competitors, which aids in concluding a tournament. Antes are a vital part of tournaments' structure, allowing for a relatively constant duration.
Although antes are not strictly forbidden in cash games, such as Hold'em and Omaha, they are rarely played. Unlike multi-table tournaments (MTTs), cash games do not require as much forced action due to the presence of blinds, which tend to generate a sufficient amount of action on their own. Although antes aren't always used in cash games, when they are, they serve the same purpose of generating more action. People who enjoy participating in numerous large pots will likely enjoy playing at ante-tables.
Ancients: Strategic Impact
Let's look at the immediate profit of an open raise from the BTN with and without an ante to see how antes affect our strategy. No ante is required and the blinds are 5/10. Twenty-five people tune in to the BTN's debut (2.5BBs). If the blinds collectively fold above this threshold, the open raise is immediately profitable, as BTN's steal only needs to work 63% of the time (25/40 = 0.63 = 63%). Imagine the same table now, except that everyone must put in one chip as an ante (adding a total of 6 chips to the pot preflop, assuming a 6-handed table). This means BTN's 2.5BB open steal only needs to succeed 54% of the time (25/46 = 0.54 = 54%) to turn an instant profit. There is a discrepancy of 9%! Players are encouraged to play a wider range of hands to take advantage of the larger pot.
The rake you pay at an ante table will increase proportionally to the number of pots you enter. You may be able to compensate for this disadvantage by earning more Rakeback once you sign up through an affiliate.
The Final Word
This article has, hopefully, clarified antes in poker for you. To sum up, the ante is a forced bet that operates similarly to the blinds in poker. Antes, which are typically used in tournament settings, increase the initial size of the pot and thus motivate players to get involved.